I know people have asked about a cheap source for black 17 gallon tubs in the past.  You can order online for $5 each with the option for free shipping to store.  The free ship to store option allowed me to ship to my Sears which is a lot closer than my Kmart.



http://www.kmart.com/black-17-gal-tub-w/p-011W004879178001P?sid=KAx20050824x32xFatWallet&sourceName=detailpage&aff=Y&PID=361116&AID=11569893

They are a cheap way to go, members that have used those in past have had issues.  The tubs are not UV tolerate and start to fall apart after just a couple years. 

Great Info Bill! At this price, you could afford to loose some down the line! Thanks for Posting!! : )

Looks good for $5. Walmart sells identical ones as laundry baskets for $6.95 ! I only bought one to play with since a lot of members warned against them not being uv rated! I am planing to give it a coat of uv rated paint and see how it goes! I figure if I get a couple of years from it......

Check out this thread, this guy buys them at the same garden supply place that I do and resells them for $1 profit each. So, if we can purchase them for a $1 less than what he has posted, then there is no reason that other supply places should charge any more for them.


http://fortmyers.craigslist.org/lee/grq/4813186077.html

All of those plastic tubs are cheap. They are cheap for a reason! They are a waste of money! Several of us have been there. Don't waste your money. Invest in something that will last.

I have been using the black nursery pots for years, and reusing them and reusing them again, I have very little problems with them as far as endurance.

He is buying locally and reselling them, so basically we buy them from $.70 to $1.00 cheaper than what he resells them. Now, I believe that the local farm/garden supply is not making too much money on each but he gets pallets of pots at a time. If this local farm supply outlet can sell them that low then there should be some supply center in your area than can do the same.

Chris, can you be more specific about the type of paint you plan to use?  Thanks.

Good luck!

Sure, it is a white insulating armaflex( rubber pipe insulation) finish! It is available to me readily through my work, but I' m pretty sure You can get it at Home Depot or any other big hardware store! Any exterior finish with uv rating should be ok though. White color paint in general helps deflect heat!

You can buy the real deal nursery pot containers for $6 each, 15 gallon, plus reasonable shipping, online at greenhousemegastore:
http://www.greenhousemegastore.com/product/5471/containers?green=EDBDE465-C4B9-585B-98DB-03818BD7668F

For my growing (and back) the 7 gallon size is preferable and also readily available there, at $2.50 each.

Tony, it's a shame the nursery pots come with holes as I would be converting them to SIPs.  For this reason I am considering the lower quality KMart/Sears tubs.  However, if anyone knows of relatively cheap, but better quality, containers without holes please chime in.

Hi Rewton,
What about melting plastic in those holes ? Or glue a bit of some hard plastic sheet with some strong glue ?
That should do it for converting to sips .

jdsfrance, that's a good idea and I have contemplated doing something like this before.  However, assuming I was skillful enough to glue the holes shut so that they don't leak, I would be a bit afraid of what is in the glue and whether it would find its way into the fruit.  It would be nice if some clever person would come up with a way to convert a nursery pot with holes to a SIP but so far I haven't run across such a scheme. 

Edit: I just found this: http://www.insideurbangreen.org/2011/07/converting-drain-hole-pots-to-sub-irrigated-planters-sips.html

I haven't read it in detail yet but I'll most likely try it and post the results.