I have hundreds. Different sizes. Neatly arranged. I never throw any of them away till they crack or break. I don’t wash mine till I’m going to use them. I use old mini blinds as plant labels. I take them apart and cut them down.
I can't believe I never thought of using the larger pots for storage! Next season, I'm definitely attaching some to my fence because I have that horrible habit of leaving tools, tags and string in my beds. Great video!
I really liked all your ideas, Thanks for your video. My favorite was putting a smaller pot in a larger pot to save on expensive soil, when the plant is not a heavy rooter.
I get free pots at yard sales. Sometimes I spray paint them to make them look new. I also keep any food container that would work for seedlings. And I tried milk jug/juice jug mini-greenhouses for seed starting and it was well worth it!
i start my parsnips in bottomless pots in the green house and then sink the pot into the ground....great results every time 3 seedlings keep the strongest
I like to learn how to use nature's own resources to manage 'pests', who like weeds, are just in the wrong place! I hate to destroy any living creature as I believe they are here for a reason.Love all the other ideas on how to use all the plastic pots I've been saving! Thank you for sharing all your knowledge. Blessings!
Even when the plant is too large to put bottomless pot over top, just cut the pot side, open up & place around the plant ‘trunk’, push into soil to anchor et voilà!😊
You can also use old pots to sift your compost. Choose a pot with appropriate drainage holes. Half fill it with compost. Then shake it up and down. It holds back the bigger pieces and lets through the finer stuff. Ideal for creating a layer of fine material for seed sowing on top of a pot partly filled with unsifted compost.
Yes! I use the much larger containers as plant collars for tree saplings as well because they protect the trunk from weed whackers. I also save the cut off bottoms also for saplings. I cut to the centre hole and enlarge it to fit around the trunk. The bottom keeps weeds away.
That’s what I thought since they grew around a large container I tried planting them in one year. It was several inches deep. Big enough for a small fruit tree. But the mint found its way out into the yard in no time. Lol
@@MayaHiortPetersen Would you rather they end up in a land fill or worse yet the oceans? He's giving us helpful, practical ways of using pots and keeping them contained in our gardens.
As well as having sacks of old pots of different sizes, I buy the largest yoghurts from my local supermarket so I can turn the pots into extra pots or those handy tool holders. I have used old margarine tubs (or similar) for making plant labels. I live near a river and not so far from a beach, and I have rescued a number of plastic buckets and drums for conversion into potato pots.
Brilliant video !! Here in Germany we have a free bulk refuse collection once a year, for some reason it’s not accepted in with our plastic rubbish. I got rid of soooo many plastic pots earlier this year it was embarrassing how many had accumulated 🙈 And they’re starting to accumulate again. Only difference is your ideas for recycling them. I like the idea for labels and reducing the amount of earth used in larger containers. The trick with tomatoes is especially good. Thank you! I really enjoy your tips and videos , you’re always so cheerful and positive so even if I’m not going to plant that particular vegetable the video has given a positive lift to the day. Looking forward to catching you again 🙋♀️
If you do want to keep your pots, put them in a shed that isnt hot or exposed to sunlight. The plastics can break down causing micro plastic into your soil. This can be taken up through the stoma of plants. If they are just for ornamental plants or do not plan on using for food plants that may not be an issue for you. Check the recycling number. Some pots break down very easily like styrofoam which should not be used for growing in. As always Mr. GrowVeg has wonderful ideas!
I use old Wooden sticks from Magnum icepops,etc as labels when sowing seeds. Theyre also handy when transferring seedlngs to pots. The ice cream tastes great too!!
I find the sticks get dark quite quickly. So I rewrite in white or silver. The sticks break-down well in my compost-bin; although my worms ignore them in my worm-bin. Regards from a Tom :)
I’m a member of several garden clubs and hoard used pots of all sorts. We use extra pots for plants, cuttings and seedlings to share/swap at local events. Our library holds a free swap event in both the spring and the fall. On average there is as many as 600-700 plants to share with our community and the event is well attended.
I make palant labels from1kg yoghurt pots. I also use small yoghurt pots to transplant excess seedlings in to to give to friends and fellow allotmenteers. I also paint the large 1 kg pots to plant up ornamental plants to also give as presents. This year i decorated pots for coleus and pelargoniums I'd grown from seed. Thanks for all the tips. happy gardening 🙂
Those large yoghurt pots are also brilliant to pot up the tomatoes / chillies, just drill a few small holes in the bottom. And any plant 'leftovers' after actual planting (always too many sown) are ready to give away 😊
I tried to reuse my pots where I can. I fill my large planters with them before filling with compost and it really does make a difference to the amount used. I also always clean mine before storing them. I rinse, wash in soapy water with a cap of dettol and then rinse off before letting them dry. I do take a lot of cuttings and also self seeding plants I like to give a way so always in need of pots. I like the idea of using to protect from the frost so I think I will be doing that if needed this winter.
I painted all my larger black pots white before I reused them because our growing season here in Perth, Western Australia is way too hot & sunny and black pots dehydrate EVERYTHING, even the sun loving types of plants. I also use old pots as fillers in bigger pots & you can also use any other plastic food containers such as bottles or old yoghurt tubs etc. It’s what I do to create succulent displays in big pots. Makes it easier on your back too. I like the idea about chopping the coloured ones up for plant labels. Thank you!
I like to use smaller plastic pots to grow new seedlings. Also, I try to keep a plastic pot tray (the thing that keeps lots of plants together at a store) those are a great way to transport many smaller potted plants home. If it is good enough for the store to transport and store them, it works well for you as well.
Super Tipps!!! Vielen Dank dafür. Habe auch Unmengen dieser Pflanztöpfchen und wusste nicht, was ich damit anfangen soll. Jetzt weiß ich es. Besonders die Isektenhotels und die Idee , die Tomatenpflanzen in einen offenen Topf zu setzen, fand ich klasse. Hab nach jedem Gießen meine Tomatenpflanzen immer wieder angehäufelt. Freue mich schon auf die Umsetzung!!!👍👍👍👍👍
Thanks Ben for those ideas, i didn't think of using the pots as a cover for your young plants, considering i use juice bottles with the bottoms cut off and the screw lid left off, to cover my Onions and Garlic. The one were you wash the pots out in soapy water and a bendy bucket as i call them, i do the exact same thing using an old toothbrush for those areas not reachable with the bigger brush, onced washed i then put them in another bendy bucket of cold water just to rinse off the soap suds, then i just leave to air dry. Apart from sifting every compost bag that i buy, this washing of pots is another therapeutic thing for me to do. TC. Barry (Wirral)
I agree Barry. It's a sort of mindful exercise, washing pots. Love the idea of using the toothbrush to get at those slightly harder to reach parts. :-)
Dohh, I've been cutting the tops off to make funnels then struggling to make the bottoms airy enough. Also left with too many funnels. Regards from a Tom :)
Thank you. Wanted to say, you are one of my favourite youtubers. Your videos are well thought out. Good content. Good advice and they get to the point. I've been a keen gardener for about 26yrs but still learn from you, or get reminded. Please keep doing it!
OMGARSH! I have so many of these, but I've actually bought things to solve the problems you're solving for me right now. Thank you SOOOOOOOOOO much. This is so very useful. YaY!
Great Tips! My favorite is the one about using moist straw in an upside-down pot to catch earwigs and relocate them! Earwigs love munching on our young lettuce, so I'm eggciting to try this next spring!
Morning Ben, I also have stacks of plastic pots, quite a variety I might add :). They get washed and stacked without a cover and then I have to re-wash again. This is a great saving idea, the only problem is to keep all tidy perhaps in a box, well worth it. Happy gardening have a beautiful day. Kind regards.
Love all the tips! Thank you! I keep all my plastic pots, only throwing them away when cracked beyond use. Keeping different sizes is great for potting on plants, not ready to go out. The best containers I've found for mint are metal tubs and buckets. I've had a chocolate mint growing in a tub for 4 years now without any spreading.
It makes me so happy watching you! Such a sunny personality. I am a keen gardener my self, but I suspect I would be watching you anyway. Thanks from rather wet and cold Norway.
@@GrowVeg yes, I saw that on the news. I’m sure you know How to handle it, thoug. If you would be interrested, I would love a video about plants that do well in occational mild frost, say over - 10 C. Perhaps using vegetables as decorative elements during winter, together with evergreens? Anyway, have a lovely day 🙂
I often recycle old pot poodle pots etc to use for seedlings.i still have the obligatory pile of old plant pots mind, I don’t think you’re a real gardener without the pot pile.
Some great tips there, thanks for showing us, I see so many plastic pots getting thrown away or left in the corner of gardens providing Slug habitat. I've been using old pots to store some of my Scouse Farm homemade compost so it saves some effort next Spring. There's always a good way to recycle pots 👍
Plant labels: Nearly all plant labels in shop/nursery bought plants are single use plastic. I've NEVER bought plant labels, instead opting for using a permanent marker pen on the back of them. Starting at the top of the back of the label, I just gradually work my way down it every time I need to use it for a different type of plant until reaching the bottom, before placing it in the recycling or the bin depending on the condition of the plastic at the end of its useful (to me) life. This way, a plastic plant label can last for several to many years and I make a point of gathering them up into one place ready for reuse so that they're easily accessible and not accidentally misplaced in obscure places. It also will reduce the amount of plastic blank plant labels gardeners buy and the greenhouse gas emissions along the entire supply chain from well to end user. Plant Pots. Sometimes you just can't reuse every plastic pot, no matter how much & how hard you try. This has happened to me every few years. So, as I've done, make an enquiry at one or two local charity shops to see if they'd be interested in selling (clean AND as new) plastic plant pots. Give every single one a THOROUGH scrub and dry. It's useful to grade them by size & perhaps colour for ease of transport (you) & sale (the shop). Alternatively, make enquiries at local gardening charities, local authority botanical gardens, community centres, or schools (particularly primary schools) to see if they have a need for plant pots. You'd be surprised at how many groups would be grateful for free stuff to help them with their work. Don't forget, most plastic pots that come with shop/nursery bought plants are used once and then immediately discarded, often within a few hours of purchase. Enormously wasteful. Although incredibly tedious, by cleaning and drying them, before passing them on, you're reducing plastic pollution.
@@GrowVeg I also use 2 or 3ltr empty plastic drinks bottles as a plant pot, propagator, & cloche combo. When empty, strip the label off. You'll find a manufacturing indentation line in the bottom half of the bottle. Using a permanent marker pen for convenience, mark a line ~1-2cm above the indentation around the circumference of the bottle. Carefully, don't want to cut yourself, cut along this line to give yourself two halves. Poke drainage holes in the bottom half, sling in whatever growing medium and plant materials you'll be using. Cut two 5cm vertical slits for on either side of the base of the top half, before placing it over the (outside) of the bottom half. It's important to do this bit this way as it helps keep the slimy munching bunch out & if the intention is to leave these outside, rainwater doesn't turn the inside into a smelly swamp. Next, use some sort of very fine mesh, women's tights or the plastic netting bags garlic from the supermarket comes in & cut to size are two good options, stretched over the mouths of your bottles & secured with a rubber band or twine. Finally, replace the bottle cap just firmly enough that it stays put. Eventually all of the usual signs of success (or failure) will become obvious. When you can see good root development through the plastic & plants & plants are trying to escape through the top to go on their holidays, remove the bottle cap, wait ~10 days, remove the top half of the bottle, wait another 7-10 days, then plant out. [This is my approach IN the GREENHOUSE]. If doing it outdoors, once root development is well established & weather permitting, simply plonk plants in their growing spots & follow the aforementioned instructions. I've used this method for roughly 20yrs & it works about 98 times out of 100. To clean the bottles without cutting my hands on the sharp plastic edges, I simply use a (round headed) toilet brush. Sounds weird but really works and is quick and efficient way to deal with a tedious task. The bottle propagation method started out as a financial necessity, but turned out to be so successful, I've continued doing so out of choice. Funny how often necessity turns out to be the mother of all inventions....😅 I particularly like that there's no fiddly plastic bags for moisture retention of cuttings to wrangle with & the bottles are readily recyclable should I choose to do so. I've had most of my bottles for the same 20yrs btw.
Amaaazing work Ben! So Thanks A Million for these plastic pots tips. Am one of the guilty hoarders when it comes to plastic pots so these tips will come in very handy indeed for gardening come Spring!
Excellent bunch of great ideas for us gardeners! 😉 My pearl 💚 I sprinkle wood ash on my compost layers, I never have to turn it, just water. 🤗 When it gets done it's like coffee grounds, black gold for plants. 😋
I never want to part with plant pots. So I am glad I have several tied up in a big plastic bag. Now that I just been awarded an allotment. I will be making use of the plant pots. Thanks for sharing.
I loved the bug hotel...good activity for the little ones to do...they will love it! Thank you, your videos are great. I only have a balcony but i have gained so many ideas from you. 👏👏👏👍👍👍💐💐
Many thanks, Ben. Love this episode and the many creative ideas and solutions you're sharing with us and me. I'm a truly terrible gardener, even the word is far from close to describe how I unenthusiastic and unmotivated I am tending my lawns; the weeds are fast taking over and before long, they are taller than me. I'm only good at watering, the simplest of simple task. That makes me just a "waterer". But your show give me some hope. And what a lovely garden you have. Cheers!
Magnificent video, perfect now that I am clearing up in the garden for winter. There were a lot of uses that I hadn't thought of here! I will absolutely make some bug hotels with my kids!
Some great ideas! I have tons of them and I do re-use them for seedlings and other plants. I keep mine neatly arranged in my greenhouse. Thank you so much for the ideas!
@@CWorgen5732 If the surface has excess soil on it, that's a problem, but solarization is otherwise very effective. Mind you, bleach fails to kill everything, either...
the best thing for plastic labels is to get an old venetian blind with plastic slats, and break the slats into convenient lengths. People are always throwing old blinds out, so if you don't have one, just look around the neighborhood dumpsters.
Thank you for a number of excellent ideas for reusing pots! I find I hang onto them to a degree, but with all these fabulous ideas I’ll be holding onto even more. 😁
Thank you so much for your very valuable advice on using garden pots. Very helpful and useful information and advice. Please stay safe and well too xxxx Mags ❤❤❤❤❤
I have a plastic box outside that used to be a worm bin, now it houses all of my sticks and leaves. Noticed there are a TON of earwigs, crickets and isopods! I haven't noticed any damage to my plants at all, yet.
I love this video, I have hoard lots of pots and my husband gets mad when he saw me hauling some 😂🤣 I don’t know maybe I’m still hoping I would have a nice garden cuz everything is cemented here and no shades at all so every pots are dry and can’t keep up my veggies cuz I didn’t have a strategy, I have put my trellis in any way I could and it looks crappy 😂🤣 need some a little help in organizing and planning. Thank you Ben for a wonderful video so satisfying to watch your garden 👍❤️👩🌾🥰 take care and be safe always
Thank you very much for gifting us a free copy of the abridged version of your book. Having had a quick 'flick' through the easy to grow veg section, it is inspiring. Thank you, I am grateful.
I've just acquired a bunch of plastic pots of different sizes which is great. Her comment was "you want them all?!" Little does she know I follow GroVeg! It's late spring here in New Zealand and I'm excited about the season now I've found your channel.
This year I have been successfully using yeast traps for slugs using jam jars and yogurt pots. But of course I have to renew these every week or so. I tried just placing a plant pot amongst the vegetables bottom up, weighted down with a stone. When I checked a couple of weeks later, I found five slugs. So planning to put out as many as I can find next year.
Another good video, thanks for that. However be aware that mint will happily grow pot-bound and then spread the roots through the holes in the bottom of the pot. Easier to remove then, just pull out the pot at least once a year and divide and plant back with pot. But if you are lazy like me, you will still get a garden full of mint, not that I mind too much.
Thanks so much for all the ideas for pots. I often cut up the one litre milk containers for plant labels, they seem to last well, and as just frosted white, the sharpie shows up well. I do like your idea of the collars and frost protection, many thanks for the abridged book too!
I have tons of these pots in varying sizes. I haven't had the heart to dispose of them, but thanks to your video, I don't have to! Awesome ideas, I subscribed immediately. Looking forward to binge watching the other videos on your channel.
❤Hello Ben and Rosie. Thank you for another great video ❤. I have an interesting question for you, please 🤔. Do you fancy a little bit of a challenge 😉? I have a plant🪴 / fruit bush for you that you have never ever grown grown! I am 100% sure 😅🤣. There is a bit of a story about it..... I was born in the north of Russia. My city (Cherepovets) is surrounded by bogs, forests, rivers, and lakes. The forests/bogs are full of different edible berries 🫐 (like blueberries), mushrooms 🍄. But there is a berry that is specific to such a cold climate. It's the most delightful and delicious above all (apparently, it also grows in Northern Scotland 😊). It's called Cloudberry. And I am attempting to grow it myself. I have investigated the matter. You can't buy an already grown plant in the garden centres, as it's so rare. But you can buy seeds. I have raised a question growing from seeds in the Russian part of YT. Many garderners have succeed. Apparently the soil must be similar to blueberries, acidic (as they grow together in the wild). So...... would you like to grow this cloudberry as well? I would love to use your expertise here. PS. Forgive me for such long comment 😅😂. And finally...... I have just remembered a little funny story "How we (my family) went into a forest to harvest wild raspberry and met a bear 🐻 doing exactly the same!"? If you would, I write it for you 😉". It's really funny 😁 one 🤣. Yana
Hi Yana. Meeting the bear while picking raspberries must have been both scary and exhilirating, but hopefully the bear was happy to share the berries! Cloudberries are indeed in the north of Scotland also. I'm not sure I'd be able to grow them very successfully here as our soil isn't acidic, and I already have a few pots of blueberries which grow well. So I'll concentrate on other berries like raspberries and my currant bushes. I hope you manage to grow them successfully though - they sound very hardy and it's great to grow fruits from the area you were born. :-)
I ordered your book, hard copy and I’m going to enjoy reading it out loud to myself mimicking your great accent. Thank you. And thanks for all the great tips for those extra pots…. I do have many many pots. 😂
I have hundreds. Different sizes. Neatly arranged. I never throw any of them away till they crack or break. I don’t wash mine till I’m going to use them. I use old mini blinds as plant labels. I take them apart and cut them down.
love it to see like-minded people also with hundreds of pots at home😻always felt a bit bad for this hoarding habit
Very good idea for mini-blinds!
I too have HUNDREDS of pots in various sizes. I’m planning on giving some away because I have too many and will not use/reuse them all…😅.
Excellent idea! (the mini-blinds). There are so many of them in thrift shops.
@@sbomwollenmine are in my potting shed neatly arranged 🥹
I can't believe I never thought of using the larger pots for storage! Next season, I'm definitely attaching some to my fence because I have that horrible habit of leaving tools, tags and string in my beds. Great video!
Likewise
Regards from a Tom :)
@@cassandraqcassandraq5510 is that Home Depot in the US or just the UK ?
I’ve never needed a spare pot until the day after I’ve thrown out the hundreds of pots I’d been hoarding for decades
I really liked all your ideas, Thanks for your video. My favorite was putting a smaller pot in a larger pot to save on expensive soil, when the plant is not a heavy rooter.
❤🎉
You can also use sealed plastic pop bottles
@@chickadeeacres3864 thanks good idea! ❤️
I never fail to learn or gain something from your charming and tidy videos. Thank you for sharing your knowledge!
Yes! I am a plastic pot hoarder 😃 small, big, medium and large and extra large. Once again another useful eco friendly video .
no!! 😢 microplastics are a great problem to our soil and our health
I get free pots at yard sales. Sometimes I spray paint them to make them look new. I also keep any food container that would work for seedlings. And I tried milk jug/juice jug mini-greenhouses for seed starting and it was well worth it!
i start my parsnips in bottomless pots in the green house and then sink the pot into the ground....great results every time 3 seedlings keep the strongest
Brilliant idea!
Fab suggestion! :-)
This would work well for many different crops especially ones like carrots which don’t like their roots disturbed
I like to learn how to use nature's own resources to manage 'pests', who like weeds, are just in the wrong place! I hate to destroy any living creature as I believe they are here for a reason.Love all the other ideas on how to use all the plastic pots I've been saving! Thank you for sharing all your knowledge. Blessings!
Even when the plant is too large to put bottomless pot over top, just cut the pot side, open up & place around the plant ‘trunk’, push into soil to anchor et voilà!😊
Smart move! :-)
You can also use old pots to sift your compost. Choose a pot with appropriate drainage holes. Half fill it with compost. Then shake it up and down. It holds back the bigger pieces and lets through the finer stuff. Ideal for creating a layer of fine material for seed sowing on top of a pot partly filled with unsifted compost.
Great suggestion, thanks David! :-)
Love this!!!
No No No to Plastic!!
What a great idea, thank you!
Terrific suggestion
Yes! I use the much larger containers as plant collars for tree saplings as well because they protect the trunk from weed whackers. I also save the cut off bottoms also for saplings. I cut to the centre hole and enlarge it to fit around the trunk. The bottom keeps weeds away.
Mint will laugh at the idea of being contained by a pot and grow merrily through the holes at the bottom! I know this from experience... :)
That’s what I thought since they grew around a large container I tried planting them in one year. It was several inches deep. Big enough for a small fruit tree. But the mint found its way out into the yard in no time. Lol
Me too. Also putting plastics in the earth is a terrible idea. We have enough microplastics in the earth thank you very much
Earwigs will just walk up the side of the pot…
@@MayaHiortPetersen Would you rather they end up in a land fill or worse yet the oceans? He's giving us helpful, practical ways of using pots and keeping them contained in our gardens.
@@aprilkoning4501but it’s hard for them to get out before me or some predator finds them
As well as having sacks of old pots of different sizes, I buy the largest yoghurts from my local supermarket so I can turn the pots into extra pots or those handy tool holders. I have used old margarine tubs (or similar) for making plant labels. I live near a river and not so far from a beach, and I have rescued a number of plastic buckets and drums for conversion into potato pots.
Thank you for reminding me of reusing my old food containers. I’m at a place where I ran out of pots. ❤
I use the Temptation cat treat containers for growing tap rooted plants in, for labels I recycle window mini blinds.
Gosh Debbie .... you are a life saver.... very clever.
Brilliant video !! Here in Germany we have a free bulk refuse collection once a year, for some reason it’s not accepted in with our plastic rubbish. I got rid of soooo many plastic pots earlier this year it was embarrassing how many had accumulated 🙈 And they’re starting to accumulate again. Only difference is your ideas for recycling them. I like the idea for labels and reducing the amount of earth used in larger containers. The trick with tomatoes is especially good. Thank you! I really enjoy your tips and videos , you’re always so cheerful and positive so even if I’m not going to plant that particular vegetable the video has given a positive lift to the day. Looking forward to catching you again 🙋♀️
Thanks so much for your kind comments. Happy gardening! :-)
if clean… perhaps some nurseries would accept them?
I agree, his approach to everything is so positive....
imagine working with him in the garden...
If you do want to keep your pots, put them in a shed that isnt hot or exposed to sunlight. The plastics can break down causing micro plastic into your soil. This can be taken up through the stoma of plants. If they are just for ornamental plants or do not plan on using for food plants that may not be an issue for you. Check the recycling number. Some pots break down very easily like styrofoam which should not be used for growing in. As always Mr. GrowVeg has wonderful ideas!
Really fantastic tips there, thanks so much! :-)
yes…and thus food grade containers for your edibles 👍🏻
Old pot, old buckets, and even old baths 😅 If you can put soil in, i will use it. Nice video, Ben 👏🐟
I use old Wooden sticks from Magnum icepops,etc as labels when sowing seeds. Theyre also handy when transferring seedlngs to pots. The ice cream tastes great too!!
I find the sticks get dark quite quickly. So I rewrite in white or silver.
The sticks break-down well in my compost-bin; although my worms ignore them in my worm-bin.
Regards from a Tom :)
Love and Respect 🙏 Thank's and Bless you ❤️ Congratulations ❤️
I’m a member of several garden clubs and hoard used pots of all sorts. We use extra pots for plants, cuttings and seedlings to share/swap at local events. Our library holds a free swap event in both the spring and the fall. On average there is as many as 600-700 plants to share with our community and the event is well attended.
This is a great video - love reusing things and even more, actually USING things rather then them just being “stored” for years and years!
Thank you, I could not agree more!
You’re so enthusiastic and fun to watch. Thank you!
I make palant labels from1kg yoghurt pots. I also use small yoghurt pots to transplant excess seedlings in to to give to friends and fellow allotmenteers. I also paint the large 1 kg pots to plant up ornamental plants to also give as presents. This year i decorated pots for coleus and pelargoniums I'd grown from seed. Thanks for all the tips. happy gardening 🙂
Those large yoghurt pots are also brilliant to pot up the tomatoes / chillies, just drill a few small holes in the bottom. And any plant 'leftovers' after actual planting (always too many sown) are ready to give away 😊
Ben, congrats for your enjoyable way of making things clear, doable, thoughtful and... short! Thank you!
I tried to reuse my pots where I can. I fill my large planters with them before filling with compost and it really does make a difference to the amount used. I also always clean mine before storing them. I rinse, wash in soapy water with a cap of dettol and then rinse off before letting them dry. I do take a lot of cuttings and also self seeding plants I like to give a way so always in need of pots. I like the idea of using to protect from the frost so I think I will be doing that if needed this winter.
Fabulous - well done!
Guilty ... pot hoarder deluxe here. My husband thinks I am mad. Lord you must have read my mind. just downloaded your free book. Thanks
I painted all my larger black pots white before I reused them because our growing season here in Perth, Western Australia is way too hot & sunny and black pots dehydrate EVERYTHING, even the sun loving types of plants. I also use old pots as fillers in bigger pots & you can also use any other plastic food containers such as bottles or old yoghurt tubs etc. It’s what I do to create succulent displays in big pots. Makes it easier on your back too. I like the idea about chopping the coloured ones up for plant labels. Thank you!
Are you breeding redbacks?
I love your creative ideas. I have dozens of pots in my garage, which I refused to get rid of. I like reporposing things in such useful ways.
You can do it better with Terracotta Pots! Microplastics are not good for Environment
I like to use smaller plastic pots to grow new seedlings. Also, I try to keep a plastic pot tray (the thing that keeps lots of plants together at a store) those are a great way to transport many smaller potted plants home. If it is good enough for the store to transport and store them, it works well for you as well.
Super Tipps!!! Vielen Dank dafür. Habe auch Unmengen dieser Pflanztöpfchen und wusste nicht, was ich damit anfangen soll. Jetzt weiß ich es. Besonders die Isektenhotels und die Idee , die Tomatenpflanzen in einen offenen Topf zu setzen, fand ich klasse. Hab nach jedem Gießen meine Tomatenpflanzen immer wieder angehäufelt. Freue mich schon auf die Umsetzung!!!👍👍👍👍👍
Great video. I love the idea of plant labels because I am running low on them and I’m on a tight budget.
Margarine tubs and plastic milk bottles are also useful to cut up as plant labels.
Thanks Ben for those ideas, i didn't think of using the pots as a cover for your young plants, considering i use juice bottles with the bottoms cut off and the screw lid left off, to cover my Onions and Garlic.
The one were you wash the pots out in soapy water and a bendy bucket as i call them, i do the exact same thing using an old toothbrush for those areas not reachable with the bigger brush, onced washed i then put them in another bendy bucket of cold water just to rinse off the soap suds, then i just leave to air dry. Apart from sifting every compost bag that i buy, this washing of pots is another therapeutic thing for me to do. TC.
Barry (Wirral)
I agree Barry. It's a sort of mindful exercise, washing pots. Love the idea of using the toothbrush to get at those slightly harder to reach parts. :-)
It makes the toothpaste taste odder < shrugs />
Regards from a Tom :)
Dohh, I've been cutting the tops off to make funnels then struggling to make the bottoms airy enough.
Also left with too many funnels.
Regards from a Tom :)
Your videos and a cup of coffee get my day started so nicely!
I'm honoured to be helping you start your day. :-)
Thank you. Wanted to say, you are one of my favourite youtubers. Your videos are well thought out. Good content. Good advice and they get to the point. I've been a keen gardener for about 26yrs but still learn from you, or get reminded. Please keep doing it!
Thank you so much for these kind words Sarah. I'll definitely keep doing what I'm doing. Happy gardening! :-)
Great to have all of these ideas in one place Ben - thank you.
OMGARSH! I have so many of these, but I've actually bought things to solve the problems you're solving for me right now. Thank you SOOOOOOOOOO much. This is so very useful. YaY!
Happy to help! :-)
Thank you Ben, your encouragement and practical advice have kept me sane during my Slug-Fest!!
Happy Growing Everyone!!
This year has been a total slug fest!
Great Tips! My favorite is the one about using moist straw in an upside-down pot to catch earwigs and relocate them! Earwigs love munching on our young lettuce, so I'm eggciting to try this next spring!
Morning Ben, I also have stacks of plastic pots, quite a variety I might add :). They get washed and stacked without a cover and then I have to re-wash again. This is a great saving idea, the only problem is to keep all tidy perhaps in a box, well worth it. Happy gardening have a beautiful day. Kind regards.
Yes, worth keeping pots tidied away, out of the sun, somewhere dry. :-)
So clever! Not only can you grow plants, you can invent useful and cheap ways to handle situations as they arise. I envy you!
Love all the tips! Thank you! I keep all my plastic pots, only throwing them away when cracked beyond use. Keeping different sizes is great for potting on plants, not ready to go out. The best containers I've found for mint are metal tubs and buckets. I've had a chocolate mint growing in a tub for 4 years now without any spreading.
Great idea!
You are a breath of fresh air! Thank you for your enthusiasm, kindness and wonderful ideas. Keep it growing! 💚
And you. Happy gardening! :-)
It makes me so happy watching you! Such a sunny personality. I am a keen gardener my self, but I suspect I would be watching you anyway. Thanks from rather wet and cold Norway.
Thanks for watching Ann. It's been rather wet here too - two months' worth of rain in one week!
@@GrowVeg yes, I saw that on the news. I’m sure you know How to handle it, thoug. If you would be interrested, I would love a video about plants that do well in occational mild frost, say over - 10 C. Perhaps using vegetables as decorative elements during winter, together with evergreens? Anyway, have a lovely day 🙂
I often recycle old pot poodle pots etc to use for seedlings.i still have the obligatory pile of old plant pots mind, I don’t think you’re a real gardener without the pot pile.
Very true! :-)
Likewise with yogurt pots but flimsier. Humous tubs seem good as saucers.
Regards from a Tom: )
Finally I know now why I'm always reluctant at throwing them away! 😅 Thank you!
Thank you for your great ideas and your enthusiasm for gardening is infectious cheers from Australia 🇦🇺 😊
Cheers so much Wendy, thanks for watching. :-)
Yes, just opposite seasons.
At least they've started making more colours. The tall grey-green ones actually look nice with houseplants or herbs in them.
Some great tips there, thanks for showing us, I see so many plastic pots getting thrown away or left in the corner of gardens providing Slug habitat. I've been using old pots to store some of my Scouse Farm homemade compost so it saves some effort next Spring. There's always a good way to recycle pots 👍
You are the Greatest Person on the Whole Plant-it !...
Cheers so much! :-)
That is the cutest comment I’ve ever heard❤!
This video was amazing! You have lots of great ideas which I had never thought of before. Thanks Ben.
You are so welcome!
Plant labels: Nearly all plant labels in shop/nursery bought plants are single use plastic. I've NEVER bought plant labels, instead opting for using a permanent marker pen on the back of them. Starting at the top of the back of the label, I just gradually work my way down it every time I need to use it for a different type of plant until reaching the bottom, before placing it in the recycling or the bin depending on the condition of the plastic at the end of its useful (to me) life. This way, a plastic plant label can last for several to many years and I make a point of gathering them up into one place ready for reuse so that they're easily accessible and not accidentally misplaced in obscure places. It also will reduce the amount of plastic blank plant labels gardeners buy and the greenhouse gas emissions along the entire supply chain from well to end user.
Plant Pots. Sometimes you just can't reuse every plastic pot, no matter how much & how hard you try. This has happened to me every few years. So, as I've done, make an enquiry at one or two local charity shops to see if they'd be interested in selling (clean AND as new) plastic plant pots. Give every single one a THOROUGH scrub and dry. It's useful to grade them by size & perhaps colour for ease of transport (you) & sale (the shop). Alternatively, make enquiries at local gardening charities, local authority botanical gardens, community centres, or schools (particularly primary schools) to see if they have a need for plant pots. You'd be surprised at how many groups would be grateful for free stuff to help them with their work.
Don't forget, most plastic pots that come with shop/nursery bought plants are used once and then immediately discarded, often within a few hours of purchase. Enormously wasteful. Although incredibly tedious, by cleaning and drying them, before passing them on, you're reducing plastic pollution.
Great ideas!
@@GrowVeg I also use 2 or 3ltr empty plastic drinks bottles as a plant pot, propagator, & cloche combo. When empty, strip the label off. You'll find a manufacturing indentation line in the bottom half of the bottle. Using a permanent marker pen for convenience, mark a line ~1-2cm above the indentation around the circumference of the bottle. Carefully, don't want to cut yourself, cut along this line to give yourself two halves. Poke drainage holes in the bottom half, sling in whatever growing medium and plant materials you'll be using. Cut two 5cm vertical slits for on either side of the base of the top half, before placing it over the (outside) of the bottom half. It's important to do this bit this way as it helps keep the slimy munching bunch out & if the intention is to leave these outside, rainwater doesn't turn the inside into a smelly swamp. Next, use some sort of very fine mesh, women's tights or the plastic netting bags garlic from the supermarket comes in & cut to size are two good options, stretched over the mouths of your bottles & secured with a rubber band or twine. Finally, replace the bottle cap just firmly enough that it stays put.
Eventually all of the usual signs of success (or failure) will become obvious. When you can see good root development through the plastic & plants & plants are trying to escape through the top to go on their holidays, remove the bottle cap, wait ~10 days, remove the top half of the bottle, wait another 7-10 days, then plant out. [This is my approach IN the GREENHOUSE]. If doing it outdoors, once root development is well established & weather permitting, simply plonk plants in their growing spots & follow the aforementioned instructions.
I've used this method for roughly 20yrs & it works about 98 times out of 100. To clean the bottles without cutting my hands on the sharp plastic edges, I simply use a (round headed) toilet brush. Sounds weird but really works and is quick and efficient way to deal with a tedious task.
The bottle propagation method started out as a financial necessity, but turned out to be so successful, I've continued doing so out of choice. Funny how often necessity turns out to be the mother of all inventions....😅 I particularly like that there's no fiddly plastic bags for moisture retention of cuttings to wrangle with & the bottles are readily recyclable should I choose to do so. I've had most of my bottles for the same 20yrs btw.
Amaaazing work Ben! So Thanks A Million for these plastic pots tips. Am one of the guilty hoarders when it comes to plastic pots so these tips will come in very handy indeed for gardening come Spring!
It is pointless to pot mint into a pot without lining the pot with landscape fabric first.
Once lined then sunk into the garden, this works very well.
I would argue even fabric is inadequate
Excellent bunch of great ideas for us gardeners! 😉 My pearl 💚 I sprinkle wood ash on my compost layers, I never have to turn it, just water. 🤗 When it gets done it's like coffee grounds, black gold for plants. 😋
I never want to part with plant pots. So I am glad I have several tied up in a big plastic bag. Now that I just been awarded an allotment. I will be making use of the plant pots. Thanks for sharing.
Great tips as usual. I will definitely be using them for tomato collars next year. I have already purchased your book.
Thanks so much for buying the book - hope you enjoyed it. :-)
@@GrowVeg Haven’t finished it yet but so far excellent advice as I expected.
I loved the bug hotel...good activity for the little ones to do...they will love it! Thank you, your videos are great. I only have a balcony but i have gained so many ideas from you. 👏👏👏👍👍👍💐💐
Many thanks, Ben. Love this episode and the many creative ideas and solutions you're sharing with us and me.
I'm a truly terrible gardener, even the word is far from close to describe how I unenthusiastic and unmotivated I am tending my lawns; the weeds are fast taking over and before long, they are taller than me. I'm only good at watering, the simplest of simple task. That makes me just a "waterer".
But your show give me some hope. And what a lovely garden you have. Cheers!
I'm sure you're a better gardener than you give yourself credit for! :-)
Hi Ben, ordered your book on Amazon, it came today.
I think it's going to be very handy, thankyou!
Delighted you opted to buy it - I hope you enjoy it. Thanks so much. :-)
Very creative and useful ideas.
Not good, creating and Release microplastics in the soil 😢
I dont want to eat Microplastics in my food 😩
Magnificent video, perfect now that I am clearing up in the garden for winter. There were a lot of uses that I hadn't thought of here! I will absolutely make some bug hotels with my kids!
Thanks much! Yea... Though I'm only about 2yrs into gardening I've already built up quite the nice collection of plastic pots! xD
Some great ideas! I have tons of them and I do re-use them for seedlings and other plants. I keep mine neatly arranged in my greenhouse. Thank you so much for the ideas!
Bleach is plenty garden friendly. Once it's dry, it's gone and you don't have to worry about residue, unlike detergents or citrus oils.
Just cleaning and letting dry in the sun is usually adequate. Solarization is an effective disinfectant...
@@b_uppy it doesn't get rid of everything.
@@CWorgen5732
If the surface has excess soil on it, that's a problem, but solarization is otherwise very effective.
Mind you, bleach fails to kill everything, either...
Now I’ll keep them !!! Thought putting them on recycling bin was the right thing to do - now I know different ❤
Really enjoy watching this video. You are truly a "Potman". Your ideas will be put to use next Spring.
Thanks for such useful and original content . It's always a pleasure to watch your videos Ben!
Book looks fabulous. You are my personal garden encyclopedia person. ❤
Thanks so much! :-)
the best thing for plastic labels is to get an old venetian blind with plastic slats, and break the slats into convenient lengths. People are always throwing old blinds out, so if you don't have one, just look around the neighborhood dumpsters.
Thank you for a number of excellent ideas for reusing pots! I find I hang onto them to a degree, but with all these fabulous ideas I’ll be holding onto even more. 😁
Thank you so much for your very valuable advice on using garden pots. Very helpful and useful information and advice. Please stay safe and well too xxxx Mags ❤❤❤❤❤
I have a plastic box outside that used to be a worm bin, now it houses all of my sticks and leaves. Noticed there are a TON of earwigs, crickets and isopods! I haven't noticed any damage to my plants at all, yet.
I think most of the creatures that bed down in sticks and old leaves are usually the good guys. :-)
Excellent video! Thank you for the infomation.
And I want book you wrote.
I'm dreaming of my own veg garden next year.
Hope you manage to get that veg garden started. :-)
Thank you for this super practical ideas! Greetings from Switzerland
I love this video, I have hoard lots of pots and my husband gets mad when he saw me hauling some 😂🤣 I don’t know maybe I’m still hoping I would have a nice garden cuz everything is cemented here and no shades at all so every pots are dry and can’t keep up my veggies cuz I didn’t have a strategy, I have put my trellis in any way I could and it looks crappy 😂🤣 need some a little help in organizing and planning. Thank you Ben for a wonderful video so satisfying to watch your garden 👍❤️👩🌾🥰 take care and be safe always
guilty as charged for hoarding plastic pots, I do however hope that in time the industry will move towards the biodegradable version.
yes… all that plastic waste 🥺… so I try repurposing them 🫤
Thank you very much for gifting us a free copy of the abridged version of your book. Having had a quick 'flick' through the easy to grow veg section, it is inspiring. Thank you, I am grateful.
I'm so pleased you've got value from it. You're most welcome! :-)
Hi Ben, always learn a lot ftom your videos eveyrime I watch them. Thanks for sharing and take care 😊
I've just acquired a bunch of plastic pots of different sizes which is great. Her comment was "you want them all?!" Little does she know I follow GroVeg! It's late spring here in New Zealand and I'm excited about the season now I've found your channel.
I appreciate your videos Ben!! God Bless you and yours and happy gardening 🦆
And you! :-)
This year I have been successfully using yeast traps for slugs using jam jars and yogurt pots. But of course I have to renew these every week or so. I tried just placing a plant pot amongst the vegetables bottom up, weighted down with a stone. When I checked a couple of weeks later, I found five slugs. So planning to put out as many as I can find next year.
Another good video, thanks for that. However be aware that mint will happily grow pot-bound and then spread the roots through the holes in the bottom of the pot. Easier to remove then, just pull out the pot at least once a year and divide and plant back with pot. But if you are lazy like me, you will still get a garden full of mint, not that I mind too much.
Wow, this was an amazingly helpful video!! Thank you so much for sharing!!
Thanks so much for all the ideas for pots. I often cut up the one litre milk containers for plant labels, they seem to last well, and as just frosted white, the sharpie shows up well. I do like your idea of the collars and frost protection, many thanks for the abridged book too!
You're most welcome - hope you enjoy reading it. :-)
Wow so nice and wonderful video for me 👍❤️ thank you so much for sharing dear friend 🥰🥰❤️
Great ideas 👍 Good to see that I'm not the only one collecting plastic pots 🌝 😅
Yes...I find myself saying...this I can use someday..more reasons to keep a nice pot!
Thanks and best to you from Oklahoma 🇺🇸 where we call our Pillbugs 'Roly-Polys'. 😊 New subscriber. Love your content!
Thanks for subscribing. A very warm welcome to the channel! :-)
I have tons of these pots in varying sizes. I haven't had the heart to dispose of them, but thanks to your video, I don't have to! Awesome ideas, I subscribed immediately. Looking forward to binge watching the other videos on your channel.
Thanks so much for subscribing - a very warm welcome to the channel! :-)
so many great tips and ideas! thanks so much 💙💙
Great hints - thank you ! And thanks for the free download - very kind :) Looking forward to learning more from you in the future 😀
Glad you're enjoying the download. Happy gardening! :-)
Thanks for sharing your knowledge and trucks of the trade. God bless!
Another great video Ben. Out of interest what brand of compost do you normally use? I'm assuming you are peat free?
If bought in, then yes - always peat free and whatever is best value.
Mineral deposits on terracotta is very pretty. Don’t remove!
yes it can look lovely!
I agree! I actually hate brand new terracotta pots, and love when they get mossy and minerally. 🤗
As always, thank you for the tips! just added some more to-dos to my fall gardening list!
Really great suggestions! I'll be trying some of them. Thanks.
❤Hello Ben and Rosie.
Thank you for another great video ❤.
I have an interesting question for you, please 🤔.
Do you fancy a little bit of a challenge 😉?
I have a plant🪴 / fruit bush for you that you have never ever grown grown! I am 100% sure 😅🤣.
There is a bit of a story about it..... I was born in the north of Russia. My city (Cherepovets) is surrounded by bogs, forests, rivers, and lakes. The forests/bogs are full of different edible berries 🫐 (like blueberries), mushrooms 🍄.
But there is a berry that is specific to such a cold climate. It's the most delightful and delicious above all (apparently, it also grows in Northern Scotland 😊).
It's called Cloudberry. And I am attempting to grow it myself. I have investigated the matter. You can't buy an already grown plant in the garden centres, as it's so rare. But you can buy seeds.
I have raised a question growing from seeds in the Russian part of YT. Many garderners have succeed. Apparently the soil must be similar to blueberries, acidic (as they grow together in the wild).
So...... would you like to grow this cloudberry as well? I would love to use your expertise here.
PS. Forgive me for such long comment 😅😂. And finally...... I have just remembered a little funny story "How we (my family) went into a forest to harvest wild raspberry and met a bear 🐻 doing exactly the same!"? If you would, I write it for you 😉". It's really funny 😁 one 🤣.
Yana
Hi Yana. Meeting the bear while picking raspberries must have been both scary and exhilirating, but hopefully the bear was happy to share the berries!
Cloudberries are indeed in the north of Scotland also. I'm not sure I'd be able to grow them very successfully here as our soil isn't acidic, and I already have a few pots of blueberries which grow well. So I'll concentrate on other berries like raspberries and my currant bushes. I hope you manage to grow them successfully though - they sound very hardy and it's great to grow fruits from the area you were born. :-)
Brilliant ideas, especially the tomato collars! Have a fab weekend all🕊
This is a very, very good idea for a video - we needed this! Thanks for the tips.
I ordered your book, hard copy and I’m going to enjoy reading it out loud to myself mimicking your great accent. Thank you. And thanks for all the great tips for those extra pots…. I do have many many pots. 😂
Haha - that's fab! Thanks so much for your kind support. Happy gardening! :-)
I've been gardening for 30 years and that earwig straw trap idea is new to me. I am curious and will try it.