I have been given 25 styrofoam cooler shipping containers used to ship frozen foods in and was wondering if these could be used for container gardening without breaking apart quickly or contaminating the vegetables. Have any of you tried containers of this type? Thanks.

-- Jay Blair in N. AL (jayblair678@yahoo.com), March 22, 2001

Answers

They will work great!! Just be sure to poke some holes in the bottom for drainage. Its too hard with outdoor plants to just put rocks in and hope for the best. I've even used cardboard boxes with busted garbage bags for liners... It will work wonderfully (and because of the insulation, might even extend the season a few days if mulched!!

-- Sue Diederich (willow666@rocketmail.com), March 22, 2001.

was unintentional,, but I grew some very good tomatoes once. The cooler was left outside, under the eave of the house, ,filled up with leaves dirt ect,, still dont know how the mater got there,, but they were great

-- stan (sopal@net-port.com), March 22, 2001.

I have three of them on my south porch with glass tilted against the wall over them. Hot manure in the bottom and good compost filled the rest of the way. I have some nice garden starts going . Styrofoam doesn't hold up well, though. You can't move a filled container without it breaking and if the chickens get near them, they tear them apart.

I also have several lidless sturdy ice chests that were roadkill and dump rescues that I use for planting containers, too. If they still have a drainplug, they make good watering troughs for ponies and sheep, a place to put the goldfish when I clean the pond, an easy cleaning chickie brooder......

-- Laura (gsend@hotmail.com), March 23, 2001.

If you put boards or chicken wire under them before you fill them, you can use these to pick them up later on without them breaking apart.

-- julie f. (rumplefrogskin@excite.com), March 23, 2001.

Thanks for all the information.

-- Jay Blair in N. AL (jayblair678@yahoo.com), March 23, 2001.

Jay, What a great idea!! How come an old homesteader like me never figured that one out? I have access to lots of styrofoam containers and now I am taking them home and planting my garden in them. Thank you so very much.

-- Karen (kansasgoats@iwon.com), March 25, 2001.

Karen,

Lynn also used a few as cold frames to protect early plantings in her traditional garden during our snow the other day. Just put em over the plants with a little dirt for weight. The drainholes vented them nicely.

-- Jay Blair in N. AL (jayblair678@yahoo.com), March 25, 2001.

I've used them for container gardens. DH cuts a board a couple of inches longer than the cooler, them drills two holes in each board and runs a piece of nylon rope through and makes a handle. This makes it easy to move them around.

I never throw a cooler away, styrofoam or plastic until it's completely shot.

-- Granny (grannytoo_az@yahoo.ca), March 27, 2001.