30 Amazing and Cheap DIY Garden Pot Ideas

Good planters cost too much at garden centres. The thirty ideas below are under $10 apiece (most under $5), and fifteen are effectively free from things you'd otherwise discard. Each one works — with one safety caveat on tires noted below — as long as you follow the two non-negotiable rules: adequate drainage and non-toxic materials when growing edibles.

Free / repurposed (10)

1. Old rubber boots. Punch 6–8 holes through the sole with a nail. Fill with multipurpose compost and plant trailing herbs or annuals. Good for 2–3 seasons before rubber degrades.
2. Tin cans (punch drainage). Punch 6–8 holes in the base. Treat the inside with a thin beeswax coat if rust-prone. A trio with coordinated labels looks intentional; ideal for windowsill herbs.
3. Chipped teapots and teacups. Drill a drainage hole through the base with a diamond-tipped tile bit (£8–15 — the same bit works for every ceramic repurpose on this list). If drilling isn't possible, plant succulents or cacti and water only when completely dry.
4. Plastic milk jugs (cut at the shoulder). Score and snap off the top; punch 6–8 base holes. UV degrades these within one season — treat as single-use seedling starters. Food-grade HDPE (recycling code 2) is safe for edibles.
5. Wooden crates. Line with stapled hessian; apply exterior wood treatment before lining to double lifespan. Good for trailing herbs, salad, or nasturtiums. Position before filling — heavy when wet.
6. Broken clay pots (layered for a fairy garden). Stack pot shards in overlapping horizontal layers around a mound of compost. Works well in shady corners for ferns and mosses where direct drainage isn't needed.
7. Colander baskets. Already have drainage. Line with a coir liner to retain compost while allowing water through. Good for compact strawberry varieties.
8. Old watering cans. Remove the rose head; the opening becomes the planting cavity. Lay at a slight angle for a dynamic display. Good for trailing nasturtiums and ivy.
9. Laundry baskets. Line with a thick plastic bag and punch 8–10 drainage holes through both. Large capacity (40–60 litres) is ideal for courgettes, sprawling herbs, or companion plantings. Handles make repositioning feasible.
10. Vintage suitcases (open, lined with plastic). Line with heavy plastic, fold to fit, punch drainage through both lining and case. Fill with compost and plant with a mixed seasonal display. Position in a sheltered spot — most vintage cases aren't weatherproof without a liner.

Under $5 (10)

11. Terracotta pots (painted at home). Paint with chalk paint, exterior masonry paint, or patio paint; seal with outdoor varnish. Terracotta is porous — compost dries out faster than in plastic, so water more frequently in summer and group pots together to slow moisture loss.
12. Plastic buckets. Drill 6–8 holes in the base. Food-grade buckets (marked with a fork-and-knife symbol or recycling codes 2, 4, or 5) are safe for edibles. A coat of exterior masonry spray paint transforms the look in ten minutes.
13. Paper milk cartons (biodegradable seed starters). Punch base drainage, fill with seed compost, sow, and transplant the whole carton directly into the ground — the cardboard breaks down in a few weeks without disturbing roots. Ideal for sweet peas and beans.
14. Concrete poured from molds — or hypertufa. For a lighter, more durable result, use hypertufa: two parts Portland cement, three parts perlite, three parts peat moss with water to a firm but workable consistency. Pour into any container as a mould. Hypertufa is 30–50% lighter than concrete, develops a natural stone-like patina, and costs pennies per pot. Allow 48 hours before unmoulding, 3–6 weeks before planting.
15. Cardboard tubes for seedlings. Toilet roll and kitchen roll tubes stand upright in a tray, filled with seed compost. Plant out the whole tube — it decomposes in 4–6 weeks without disturbing roots. Best for sweet peas, sunflowers, and deep-rooted seeds.
16. Mason jars for herbs (with layered gravel). Layer: 2–3cm horticultural grit, a thin layer of horticultural charcoal, then compost. Choose lower-water herbs (thyme, rosemary, chives) and water only when the top 2cm is dry. The clear glass lets you monitor moisture levels.
17. Thrift-store ceramics. Any ceramic takes a drainage hole from a diamond-tipped tile bit. Glazed ceramics retain moisture longer than terracotta — good for mint and other moisture-loving herbs.
18. PVC pipe sections. Cut 100–110mm diameter pipe into 30–40cm lengths; cap one end; drill 4–6 drainage holes just above the cap. Stand vertically in a line or mount horizontally on a fence. Excellent for strawberries, lettuce, and shallow-rooted herbs on a small balcony.
19. Cinder blocks (stood on end). Stand vertically so the two holes face up, creating two planting cavities per block. Stack in staggered rows for a built-in planter wall. The concrete thermal mass moderates soil temperature, which benefits roots in both summer heat and autumn cold.
20. Plastic drink bottles cut and inverted. Cut at the shoulder; remove the cap; invert the top half into the bottom half. The top section holds compost and plant; the bottom acts as a water reservoir, drawing moisture up to roots. Change reservoir water weekly to prevent stagnation. Good for tomatoes, peppers, and herbs on sunny windowsills.

Under $10 (10)

21. Fabric grow bags. The breathable material triggers air pruning: roots reaching the bag edge stop circling and branch into denser feeder networks. Research from the University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension confirms air-pruned root systems have better nutrient absorption than plastic-pot equivalents. Trade-off: fabric dries out faster — check daily and water deeply when the top 3–4cm is dry.
22. Wooden pallets (vertical planter). Use only heat-treated pallets (marked HT). Avoid pallets marked MB (methyl bromide treated). Staple landscape fabric or hessian across the back and bottom, fill with compost, prop against a fence. Good for strawberries, herbs, and succulents.
23. Galvanised buckets. Drill 6–8 base holes; plant directly. Long-lasting and attractive as they weather to a matte grey. For edibles, consider adding a landscape fabric liner between the metal and compost, since zinc can very gradually affect soil pH.
24. Large fabric bags with handles. Reusable shopping and market bags double as potato or leafy-green containers. Fold down the sides as the plant grows to expose more light. Rolls flat for winter storage.
25. Old wheelbarrow. Drill additional drainage holes in the base. Very large capacity for sprawling crops; the wheel lets you reposition into better light as the season changes. Expect 10+ years from a metal wheelbarrow treated with exterior paint annually.
26. Wine barrel halves (secondhand). Very large capacity (100–150 litres), strong aesthetic, long-lived. Position before filling — a planted wine barrel is essentially immovable. Line inside with polythene if using for edibles and the previous contents were wine.
27. Tires painted bright — ornamental flowers only. Free from tyre fitters, striking when painted with exterior masonry paint. Do not use for edibles: tyre rubber can leach zinc compounds and additives such as 6PPD into surrounding soil — a widely-recognised precaution supported by horticultural extension services. For ornamental flowers, the risk is considered low; for anything you eat, use a different container.
28. Wooden window boxes. Treat the inside with exterior wood preservative or line with polythene before adding compost — untreated wood in contact with wet compost rots within 1–2 seasons. Fix to walls with proper masonry fixings, not just rested on a sill: a fully planted box at height is a significant weight load.
29. Self-watering sub-irrigated planters (DIY from two buckets). Drill an overflow hole in the outer bucket 2cm below the inner bucket's base. Suspend the inner bucket inside the outer, connected by a wicking cup or soil-filled pipe. Fill the reservoir through a fill tube; compost draws up moisture by capillary action. Particularly good for tomatoes and peppers — consistent moisture reduces blossom-end rot. A single fill lasts 3–7 days.
30. Hanging baskets made from coconut fibre lined baskets. Soak coir liners thoroughly before planting — dry coir repels water initially. Mix water-retaining gel into compost; top-dress with coir to reduce evaporation. Water daily in summer. Good varieties: trailing petunias, lobelia, fuchsia, trailing begonias.

Practical rules for any container

Any container works if you follow three rules. First: drainage — 6–10 holes of at least 8–10mm diameter in the base; without them, roots suffocate in waterlogged compost. Second: non-toxic materials — for edibles, avoid painted containers unless the paint is confirmed food-safe, treated wood, tires, and any container that previously held chemicals. Third: compost depth — most vegetables need at least 20–30cm; herbs and flowers work with 15–20cm.

Lighter-coloured pots heat up less in direct sun. Dark pots in full sun can raise soil temperature enough to stress roots during summer heatwaves, so choose pale or reflective finishes for south-facing positions.

For the gardening fundamentals that make container planting succeed — watering, mulching, companion planting — the gardening hacks that actually work covers the evidence-backed practices. Once your containers are planted, creative ways to display and arrange your plants makes the most of what you've grown. For building a complete outdoor space, how to create a zen garden is the companion project guide.