Using old paint pots for container gardening

[noplasticbags]

Only my second year gardening and still learning so please bear with me! I'm running out of pots to plant my veg on into. Much to my children's dismay, my other new passion is skip-diving, and there seems to be a ready supply of large plastic industrial size paint pots about. Can I use these for my veg (didn't really intend to do that much cleaning to them first?) or am I likely to poison myself

Have picked my first one up today, put holes in the bottom, but only planted some flower seeds in it until you all tell me if I can

PS. I did know not to dead-head the strawberries at least

[Thomzo]

Hi
I've used them in the past. I did try to clean out all the paint first - chipped off the worst of it and then scraped the rest off. It seems to come off quite easily once it's dried.

Modern emulsion paints are supposed to be quite ok (think young childrens' bedrooms etc) but I'd be wary of using a pot that has had some nasty chemical in it. Use those for the flowers and keep the other pots for your herbs and veg.

Zoe

[noplasticbags]

Hi Zoe,

Wow - that was instant!

This lot is only emulsion, and still wet - so will just give the next ones I pick up a good wash!

Thanks

[JulieSherris]

Yep, I would do exactly the same!

Plant pot from the shop might look pretty, but all the plant wants is some good soil to spread their roots - they don't care what the outside looks like!

Oh... and don't forget, you need to earth up any runner beans that you have to 6 inches of the top of the plant.

[Thomzo]

Hi Zoe,

Wow - that was instant!

Thanks

All part of the service

Zz

[noplasticbags]

Oh... and don't forget, you need to earth up any runner beans that you have to 6 inches of the top of the plant.

[/quote]


Oh Julie - I wish you could have seen my face I had to have a really good think about it

Just off to buy some tartan paint!

[JulieSherris]

Just off to buy some tartan paint!

And don't forget the tin of elbow grease! Hehehehe!

[noplasticbags]

Well my flower seeds must like emulsion - they're coming through already! Maybe I've hit on an instant fertiliser!