18 Best Places to Find Free Gardening Containers

Ralph Astley is a retired gardener from Philadelphia who specializes in outdoor plants and trees. With years of hands-on experience, Ralph not only cares for a diverse range of outdoor flora but also shares his extensive knowledge through well-written articles and social media posts. A trusted authority in arboriculture, he's committed to helping the community grow healthier, more robust gardens.
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Here are the Best Places to Find Free Gardening Containers that we are sure you didn’t know! Get creative and use them in many ways!

Best Places to Find Free Gardening Containers

If you are interested in making a garden and starting new plants but do not wish to spend money on getting pots, then don’t worry, we have got your back! Check our list to know about the Best Places to Find Free Gardening Containers!

Here are the best plants that you can get for free!


Best Places to Find Free Gardening Containers

The ideas mentioned in this list can help you get containers for free or at dirt cheap rates!

1. Nursery and Garden Centers

The nurseries and garden centers deal with a large number of plants, and that leaves them with many containers lying around. Ask the worker in the nursery, and you might score some pots for free!

2. Restaurants and Cafes

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The next time you get a parcel from a restaurant or a cafe, ensure that you are not throwing away the containers and cups. They work as great seed starters, and the small ones are also good for growing succulents. They will look quirky, too!

3. Craigslist

Craiglist could be a great place to look for all kinds of containers that you could put to use for the garden. You need to search in the ‘free’ category, and you could be shocked to see what you find!

4. Bakeries

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The next time you visit your local bakery, ask for:

  • Spare containers
  • Muffin and pastry boxes
  • Cake Boxes
  • Chocolate Boxes

They might be more than happy to give you a few!

5. Your Garden

You could use:

  • Old and little rusty wheelbarrows
  • Watering cans
  • Garden tools to make cool planters
  • Old tree stumps

All these will look gorgeous with blooming annuals and any other plant of your choice!

6. Your House

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Look at so many things that could be lying around in your house that could be used as beautiful planters, such as:

  • Coffee tins
  • Tea jars
  • Food cans
  • Eggs shells
  • Milk jugs
  • Glass bottles
  • Old cartons

All these work really well as containers for plants and that too for free.

7. Your Wardrobe

If you want to add a kitschy look to your garden, you can think of using:

  • Old purses
  • Handbags
  • Tote bags
  • Straw bags
  • Clutches
  • Plastic bags

You can use more such accessories to make fine-looking plant containers.

8. Pet Store

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It looks like every flea market or any big pet store could have some old bird cages or cat/dog cages to spare or on a sale for a mere $1. You could easily get home from those cages and turn them into a lovely birdcage plant container or a hanging planter.

9. Fruit and Vegetables Market

Huge containers, cartons, and plastic crates that are used to transport fruits and veggies can be awesome planters! You can easily get them for free!

10. Kitchen

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Your kitchen is surprisingly full of material that you can use as planters!

  • Mason Jars
  • Empty juice and milk cartons
  • Tea and coffee cups for succulents
  • Empty boxes
  • Wine glasses that can be used as vases

Look out for any such things that you can use to grow plants in a quirky way!

10. Neighbourhood

Ask your neighbors if they have free pots to spare. You can also ask them if they have unused tires lying around as they make for great planters. Do not forget to ask them to check their garage!

11. Shopping Centers

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Shopping centers are full of potential items that can be used creatively to make planters. They are always in excess of boxes and plastic cases, and you can ask for these items.

Walmart, Target, Dollar Tree, and Costco are some of the best places where you can ask for pallet boards too. You can easily DIY a planter using them.

12. Flea Market

If you have a weekly flea market in your area, then you could score some worthy items for a really low price or even free in these places. Do not miss going there!

13. Salvage Yards

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Salvage yards are open for barter, and you could exchange a certain old item with something that you think you can use as a planter in your garden or house. You can also find some relics that you can use as planters.

14. Pot Stores

Pot stores have broken or damaged inventories that they will be happy to give you for free or areally cheap. You can get amazing pots and containers for a bargain there!

15. Bag Store

There are many vegetables and plants that you can grow easily in bags. Visit any local bag store in your area and ask for any items they want to give for cheap or free!

16. Construction Site

It might sound weird at first, but construction sites can be full of useful items like:

  • Cinder blocks
  • Paint Cans
  • Drums
  • Tool Boxes
  • Cardboard Boxes

All these items can make for excellent planters. What’s more, the workers there will be more than happy to give you a few for free.

17. Yard Sale

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A yard sale near your area can be a great place to pick up items like:

  • Kitchen cabinets
  • Drawers
  • Old Boxes
  • Bathroom items like small tubs and buckets

These can be beautiful and quirky planters for flowers. Make sure you drill the drainage holes in them before planting.

18. Thrift Stores

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Thrift stores and pawnshops can be a treasure of things that you can get for cheap or even free.

  • Booze bottles
  • Furniture items
  • Pots
  • Colanders
  • Tin Cans
  • Baskets

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4 COMMENTS

  1. You can’t just enter a construction site and start bagging things up. That would be breaking a few different laws, you potatohead.

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