Recycled Planters for the Garden
by Bonnie Alter, London on 05. 8.06
Finding outdoor containers that are good-looking, sturdy, and environmentally-friendly is a real challenge. Here is one, made of recycled tires. Since tires have different tread marks and colorations, each one is bound to be unique. The design up the side is made of heavy-duty stitching and there is a metal button to give it an extra bit of style. There are two models--one is rounded, the other is upright and a few bunched together would make a nice display. If you prefer the look of lead, then fibreclay pots are another eco-friendly choice. They look like distressed lead and they are light, and frost-resistant. Because they are made out of a mixture of clay and other natural materials, they use only 10% of the energy needed to make clay or plastic pots. When considering plantings, don’t forget about fresh herbs such as basil, thyme, chives, sage and mint. They look good, grow to large sizes and bits can be easily snipped to add to cooking for extra flavour. ::Urban Garden::via Times
My solution was less elegant! With 4 cats in the house I had a handy supply of plastic litter pails. They made great planters ( see pictures at www.globurban.com/blog.htm#112364399136153748 )
I'm all for recycling, no doubt about it. But I wouldn't recommend growing any food crops (herbs mentioned above) in the tire containers. You have to think about what the containers are made of and what they might be leaching into the roots. This in turn gets transfered into the plant.