Recycle Your Cat Litter Buckets Into Beautiful Container Gardens
73Tomatoes on my deck in Cat Litter Buckets
Re-use your Cat Littler Buckets
I have recycled my buckets that Cat Litter came in. You can do this too if you save those buckets or know of someone who has cats and throws theirs away. It just doesn't have to be the Cat Litter Buckets. You can use the big buckets that sheet rock mud comes in or restaurant foods such as Pickles. Be sure to wash out the bukets really well--especially the Pickle Bucket because the vinegar will kill your plants.
This year I have saved all the buckets that had Cat Litter in. I go through quiet a bit in a year being as I have 5 indoor cats. Last year I planted my tomatoes in them as well as the year before. They like it in those buckets on the edge of my deck. I just drill a few holes in the bottom for drainage. Then a layer of rock under some screen door replacement fabric so the water can drain freely. You can learn how to paint yours too Make-A-Flower-Pot-From-A-Cat-Litter-Bucket
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What Other Things To Put In Buckets
It gets so hot and dry here from Mid-July to the end of August that it is pointless for me to plant very much in the ground. The last two years have been really dry and most of anything that I had in the ground died because I just could not keep it wet enough through those months.
This year I will be putting vegetables in the buckets and burying small diameter trees in them and grouping them together to make a pole for them.
The things that I am going to plant in them are Pol Beans, Pole Lima Beans, Cucumbers. I am also going to try to do some Summer Squash on them. I am not sure if it will work due to the heaviness of the vegetable. I can only try and if it works Whooo Hooo!
For starters because it isn't time to plant anything yet here in my area, I will just be arranging the buckets and something like a pole so that you can get an idea of what it will look like later.
Get Your Soil Here
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Example Of Setting Up A Pole Container Garden
The Second Step for the Trellises
Use Them for Worm Farming too!
Watch the video below and make you used and cleaned Litter Buckets for farming Warms and getting excellent fertilizer as well. You can sell the worms and alot more.
A Very Easy Warm Farm
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Rongould, Yes, I am going to be using them also for putting my herbs in instead of wasting time and money planting them into the ground this year. If there was a way somehow to paint them it would be better, but the plants don't need a pretty container. There is some pint brand that does cover plastic and you may use that.
Tatjane, I wrote her a Private E-mail. Thanks for the heads up.
This is a great idea, LG. I'm not a gardener, yet, but even I might be able to do something like this. As to painting them, I wonder if chalkboard paint would work. I saw Martha Stewart demonstrate it on terra cotta plant pots. Once it dries, you can write on it with chalk. It's a cool idea, I think. I'd like to do every wall in my house with it so I could write down what comes into my mind immediately - and usually goes out just as fast because I can't find a paper and pencil in time!
Mindfield,
I like the idea of painting my walls with the chalkboard paint too! That way I could write down what I was thinking and not forget where I wrote it down!
Don't forget to drill holes in the buckets for drainage!
I use mine to store my 10 & 12 year olds "COLLECTIONS"; beanie babies, army men, barbie clothes, Pokemon, & Pocket Pets...at this time. I write in Sharpie on the outside what is in the...They are the perfect size to put in the closet & stack & for them to clean up & put away!
They are perfect for storing things in too! I have my candle in them n the back of the linen closet. I think they make a paint that will color over plastic now. I haven't tried it though as you see I don't need to cover them up.
I was thinking about making a cushion on the lid because these are also good for something to sit on when looking in the bottom cabints in my kitchen. They would be perfect size for children to sit on and stor things in too.
I feel a helpful hints book coming on - written by Lady Guinevere and NoJuneCleaver! Turning cat litter buckets into both storage containers and seats for small children is a winner. I could see a lot of churches, day care centers, Boys & Girls clubs, and the like wanting to put that idea into practice.
Recycle and re-use! I am resourceful! My husband just thinks that I save junk and am a packrat.
More Photos have been added!!
I added a link to My Garden Diary. You can see all we are doing and we even have picutres for you to see. Enjoy!
I do the same thing with my cat litter buckets. I did a hub about doing this with tomatoes. I grow herbs, tomatoes, peppers, I even have grown eggplant in them. I've had success with all these. I notice the sun will make them break down and become brittle after a few years. Still, there's an endless supply.
I decided to make a new hub , next in line above so that you all can see the progress of All My Gardens 2009.
This is fantastic! I am going to try growing carrots in mine. Thought that would work since the buckets are pretty straight down and not tapered like flower pots.
That is a good idea. I may try that too becaseu I put some carrot seed int he hard rocky ground we have and they didnt even sprout. I have lots of buckets too!
Thank YOU for the hint!!
Thanks SO much for the e-mail and the heads up!! I collect these regularly as I too have FIVE cats, so this manner of gardening will suit me FAR better. MUCH appreciated hub.
Alice
Alice, Thanks for stopping by and reading mey e-mail. Some people get upset if someone posts a *helpful* link in their comments. I don't mind at all becasue as I see it I am just spreading knowledge not trying to make money or that.
Hi, Lady Guinevere. Ingenious ideas for empty cat litter buckets. I haven't any cats, so no cat litter buckets. However, the baby bird food that my daughter feeds her parrot come in similar buckets, so I may be able to use some of your ideas!
These ideas can also use Pickle Buckets, the big buckets that some carpenter supplies come in, like Spackle or drywall mud and don't forget the 5 gallon buckets paint comes in. Just wash all of them VERY good, especially the Pickle buckets.
Cool! Hubby saves all his big plastic buckets.
Habee thanks for stopping in. We also use them to hold water for our gardens. We have two large plastic trashcan for the rainbarrels and we put that water in all the buckets and put them in our garden with the lids on them. When we have to water or feed (Miracle Grow) we just dip into them. We add the Miracle Grow right to the buckets. We use a watering can so that the water doesn't wash out the soil as we water.
Super idea Lady Guinevere we have a few of those as well!
nifty, have you read everything in the comments? Lots of ideas there as well. I just need to figure out how to put them in the hub! Thanks for dropping in and leaving a comment.
Ha, I noticed you used a brand I've used before. That would work. If you wanted to use the buckets somewhere they could be seen, and wanted to make them pretty, you could always paint them to create more attractive appearance. (:v
Valerie, what a pleasure to see you here. Yes, I have thought of that.
With 3 cats we go through liter faster than our groceries. If we weren't in an apartment complex I'd probably be using them for the same thing your doing as well as keeping my rags and tools in. It's always cool to see what people do with their recyclables.
TechTrendy, We have 4 cats, We can't find the litter in buckets anymore. I also use them to hold water to water my plants.
I'm going to start my garden this week-in S. Florida...More buckets can be purchased at Home Depot..The cost for Bucket cat litter is more expensive than other brands but you get the bucket for $2.00 more vs. 5$5 @ H.D.
Scicat
Hi, this Hub is a related one to mine that I am publishing on using kitty litter buckets for container gardening. May I link this one to mine? I love your idea for pole beans! I might try that one. I voted this UP, etc.etc.
mary615, Please do and if you want some proceeds from my hub go to the bottom of this page and click on Link To the Page and take the link it gives you and paste it to your links on your page.
Hi, many thanks! Yes, I did link to your Hub by going to the bottom of the page and pasted it. You know, I didn't even know about that feature until someone wrote a Hub explaining how it works recently. My kitty litter bucket turned out great to use as a plant container. Check out my hub when you have some time. Thanks again.
What a great idea! I love the idea of using them to create pole plantings, too. How did that work out for you?
I was surprised to read that you couldn't find cat litter in buckets. We have that here at our big box pet stores, and also Amazon has a bit of a selection. Maybe an Amazon capsule of litter sold in buckets would work here?
Up, interesting, and useful. :)
Sally, thank you and I will do that.
Lady, this is what I have been looking for! I have been saving my kitty litter buckets (I have three cats) for something special because it seemed a shame to throw them out. Now, I have a purpose for them. Thanks for this! I enjoyed the read. Voted up and more.
prairieprincess, Thanks for reading and yes I didn't want to throw mine away either. I use some of them for hauling water too. Did you see my hub on Recycling Wheel Barrows into Flower Gardens?
rongould 3 years ago
That is a really good idea. We don't grow much in the way of veggies, but we do grow climbing flowers and greenery to supplement our flower shop. I can see us doing something like that for the viney stuff.
Thanks!