i went to Lowe's this evening and the plastic buckets are $2.78 each. The cheapest equivalent 5 Gallon plant pot was between $9.00 and $11.00.

I see a lot of pictures from Forum members who grow their fig trees in 5gal. buckets...at that price you can't beat it...plus you have a handle attached to help you move it around...win / win.

Its a good deal but still too small for other than 1 or 2 year plants in my opinion.

Agreed, I saw Drivewayfarmer's pictures and had to purchase ten. They have hundreds of blue and grey buckets. I may even ask the children to paint them after I drill some holes in them.

Will they deteriorate and crack when exposed to the sun?

Probably will begin to crack with sun exposure over time.  Also be aware that the buckets at Lowe's may not be food grade.  Some people have concerns over non-food grade plastic and some don't.

I do not know about food grade. I had planned on painting a lighter color to keep temps down and will use something with UV protection to prolong life of the plastic.

Omotm,

Thanks for the question on whether it is food grade or not. I looked on the Lowe's website and the bucket in question does NOT mention food grade one way or another. There is another bucket for $3.69 and it specifically mentions that it is food grade. So I am assuming the cheaper bucket is not food grade.

Thanks again,

Steve

Are the black pots plants come in Food Grade?

Do pots come graded as food grade?

You mean these? You can't beat them there stronger and cheaper than any nursery pot you could buy This is the 2nd year that I have my trees in them and they are still like brand new I put my cuttings once rooted directly  into these pots

There was one year Home Depot had pastel colored sheet rock buckets, green, yellows etc. but I didn't act fast enough and they were gone in a flash "they were quite attractive" 

Those are the same I purchased. I looked on the bottom of the bucket and it has a triangle with a "2" in the middle of a triangle and has the acronym HDPE.

Normally, this means that it is food grade. But apparently, unless it is labelled overtly as "food grade", you cannot it assume it is food grade. It says to contact the manufacturer. Confusing to say the least.

Those are safe if labeled HDPE 2.

http://epsplasticlumber.com/index.cfm/page/b_hdpe/what-is-hdpe.cfm 

Second paragraph last sentence
   "Also, HDPE leaks no toxic chemicals into the soil or water."

Let me pose a hypothetical question.  Suppose a HDPE bucket was made from recycled HDPE bottles that were used to contain toilet cleaner or motor oil.  Would that bucket be food grade?  Would you grow any fruit or vegetable in that bucket?  I'm not trying to be an alarmist, but I am trying to make people aware.

What I'm saying is that each person should do their homework and decide for themselves if they are comfortable or not with growing food in non-food grade containers.

The 2 with the arrow circles does not mean it is food grade but rather that symbol is used to help ID the material for recycling purposes.

If you are not comfortable growing fruits and vegetables in non-food grade buckets go to WalMart, McDonalds, Subway, etc and ask if they have any buckets that food came in (like cake frosting, pickles, mayo).  Chances are you will get these for a great price....free.

I found this info on the internet:

What Is Food Grade Plastic?

The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) requires that plastics used in food packaging be of greater purity than plastics used for non-food packaging. This is commonly referred to as food grade plastic. Plastics used to package pharmaceuticals are held to an even higher standard than food grade.

Food grade plastic does not contain dyes or recycled plastic deemed harmful to humans. However, this does not mean that food grade plastic cannot contain recycled plastic. The FDA has detailed regulations concerning recycled plastics in food packaging.

Another aspect of food grade plastic is matching the appropriate type of plastic to the food in question. Foods that are highly acidic or that contain alcohol or fats can leach plastic additives from the packaging or container into the food. As a result, you should only use plastic containers that are FDA approved for the particular type of food the plastic will come into contact with.

Finally, it should be noted that a plastic container can no longer be considered food grade if it has been used to store non-food items like chemicals, paint, or detergent.

Try stopping by a chinese  or teryaki and ask for their empty soy sauce 5 gallons... I just got 5 yesterday- FREE of costs... Also, painters use those buckets, nothing that some soap and water won't clean... but food is my favorite.  Also use them for storing my chicken food.

I am going to buy canary yellow, lime green and sunburst orange spray paint
and paint those buckets. Maybe get some stencils and put the kids to work.

I have sushi place a few blocks away that discards those soy buckets and square pickled ginger buckets every other week. Good deal.

I picked up (5) five-gallon pickle buckets from a couple of restaurants last week, and getting another 10 on Sunday.  I'm getting a few 3 gallon buckets as well.

It looks like we are eating from unsafe plastic every day

Does anyone think those black plastic nursery pots are food grade? I doubt it.

I painted all my buckets today. If my buckets were food grade, they ain't no more! They look like the houses on Burano, Italy.

Terra Cotta pots may contain lead. Styrafoam pots should thrown out when they degrade. Plastic pots may or may not be safe. They have bags that do not have negative reviews. Other than that, in the ground, seems to be the only safe method.

Sburdo, anyway you could post a picture of the pots? I'd love to see it I was going to do the same thing but I got lazy  "I was wondering if I could get a few bucks from Lowe's for advertising for them? 

Me too, I un-food graded my food grade plastic bucket I used for beer brewing in the past.  One good coat of black spray paint on the inside took care of that.