April 28, 2010: Granny Scores at the $ Store

I used all of last year's pots (Dollar Store wastebaskets) for the dwarf tomatoes, basil and miscellaneous stuff, so that left me with none in which to plant my golden bell and hot peppers. There is only room in the garden for the dozen Quadrato Rosso D'Asti sweet peppers, so all of the others have to be planted in pots. The wastebaskets worked pretty well last year, but the hard plastic shattered when trying to drill drainage holes in the bottoms. That makes them perfect for the small tomato varieties, and they slipped over the fence posts easily, but I wanted something a bit sturdier for the pepper plants.



Are these perfect, or what? They are really large, really sturdy and flexible enough that holes were easily drilled with no breakage. Best of all, they were only $1 each at Dollar Tree! I bought seven, but I'm tempted to go buy more. Even if they have to be half buried to keep them from absorbing too much heat, I think they will make great planters.

29 comments:

  1. Nice! There's nothing better than a good deal. Call me frugal but it makes me feel like there is so much overpriced garbage out there.
    These are gonna be awesome!

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  2. What would we do without pots! They look good and will certainly suit the purpose.

    I also find the flowers don't grow as well as veggies. Impatiens aside most other flowers are looking a little poky. Its been windy and chilly here to the last few days, I have had to wear a coat again! Its starting to warm up tomorrow so hopefully it sticks around.

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  3. LOL, Thomas...call me "cheap"! But they really are good quality for the price.

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    Dan, I'm going to have a huge pot garden someday. No, not THAT kind of pot ;-) I had to leave a bunch of my biggest pots in AZ, as we just didn't have enough room to bring them home. I need them badly!

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  4. They look like they will work just fine. Peppers like it hot anyway. You can get some really spicy chilis when they are grown in really hot temps.

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  5. Great find! Nothing beats a dollar store! Keep planting!

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  6. Those are brilliant! I know you deal with a lot more heat - but I personally LOVE The black plastic containers because I need to capture and hold as much heat as possible in my area. These would be ideal!

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  7. I think the pots will work beautifully! And they are easily transported with the rope handles. Very good buys!

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  8. I'd go and buy some more, or else you can bet that they won't have them in again when you need some!

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  9. Great steal! I may need to do that, I do not have enough homes for all of the peppers that I planted this year, so I may need to just fill my patio with some!! I'm definitely not above the dollar store! I love a good deal!

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  10. Daphne, that's what I'm aiming for! I need hot, not sweet, jalapenos for the jelly this year ;-)

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    Robin, I'll keep planting 'til the potting soil runs out.

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    Kitsap, these pots will sit at the east side of the garden shed, so won't get the really hot afternoon sun. That's where the potted peppers were last year, and they did well. Those were my only hot jalapenos.

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    I'm goin' Kelly, I'm goin'!!! LOL

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    Richard...you should get some. That black plastic would just bake your nasty aphids to death. Or you could grab them by the handles and move them into the shower to wash those bugs off! LOL, I'm sorry. Your aphid problem is not funny. I'm just thinking of all the things we gardeners would/might go through to take care of our beloved plants ;-)

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    Jan, I'll be going by that store again today, and I just might grab a few more.

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    Megan, terra cotta colored plastic pots, of the same size, were on sale at Lowe's for $5.99 each. I can deal with black!

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  11. Nice idea, I will do this for my peppers too, I am really short of space for the transplants I have. I cann't wait to see these baskets filled with green growth in few more weeks.

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  12. Sarada, hopefully they will be filled by tomorrow! With the handles, I can easily move them in and out of the shed until it gets warm enough to leave them out.

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  13. What a sweet and affordable deal there. They will work so well and with the handles they are very movable. Great Idea!

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  14. There is always something good to buy at Dollar Tree. I would go back and buy some before they are gone or else you may wish you had :-)

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  15. Hocking Hills, I was going to remove the handles for aesthetic reasons, but changed my mind. They may not look very attractive, but I think they might prove to be very handy with this unsettled weather. I may be moving the peppers in and out quite often for the net couple of weeks.

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  16. Noelle, I went back this morning and bought five more. I can always find room for pots, and actually the black works well with my house/shed. My outdoor lights and shed hardware are black, and the shed windows are trimmed in black.

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  17. I like the handles, I think they look fine. I love a good deal too. To bad we don't have Dollar Tree here in Canada or I would be tempted to go and get some.

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  18. You are the dollar-store queen, Granny! I'm in awe. I am fast running out of room for my peppers, and seeded about a half-dozen too many, I think, so I may have to make a trip to the dollar store this weekend, too. You've inspired me. :)

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  19. Debbie, I think they should work great. They sure hold a lot of potting mix! Each one held four heaping shovelfuls, and will need a bit more when that settles.

    I've found quite a few good garden buys at the dollar stores. Last year they had nice sized pots, but they weren't as sturdy as these buckets are. I can't believe how well the garden seeds grow (American Seed), at 5 or 6 packs for a dollar. They've given me better germination than the more expensive seeds.

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  20. Meredith, if they don't have the heavy buckets like I bought, be sure to check out their wastebaskets. You just have to be really careful drilling holes in the hard plastic ones. No problems with the more pliable plastic. They even have some soft plastic (no holes) baskets that would work well, or the larger clothes baskets, which could be lined with landscape fabric. You could plant 3-4 peppers in a clothes basket, and hide it behind some flowers.

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  21. Very nice...I'm always searching for low cost containers....those are perfect : )

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  22. I'm a Dollar Store fan too. The seeds here last year were ten for a dollar. This year they're four for a dollar. Still a great deal, though.

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  23. Sunny, I got five of them planted today, and they are perfect.

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    Cheryl, I think most of the seeds I bought there were six for a dollar. Same price last year. I bought others at a local hardware store at five for a dollar. All were good seeds with excellent germination. Not as many as in some seed packets, but who needs 2000 carrot or lettuce seeds of each variety?

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  24. I really need to run over there and pick up a bunch of those. I need more pots, too!

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  25. SB, I hope you can find them. They come in bright red, too.

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  26. Jessica, I really like it in the spring. The one near us always has neat stuff for gardening. And Mr. Granny just loves the candy aisle ;-)

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  27. Very cool dollar store find! I'm going to have to go check a few of them out, but the dollar stores here have turned into four dollar stores and three dollar stores.

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