Recycling plastic coffee can containers for plants offers an inexpensive solution that keeps plastic out of the landfill and saves you money. The standard container holds approximately one liter or a little more than quart of material, and that’s fine for annual flowers, and some vegetables like lettuce, but larger plants like tomatoes need at least twice the amount of space to develop a healthy root system.
Using coffee containers as planters
As for as I know the only container suitable for stacking comes with Folgers Coffee inside. So, having a few of those lying around and not being used I decided make some planters.
You’ll need two cans for each planter, a sharp knife, possibly a small saw, silicon caulking, and a 1/8″ drill to provide drainage holes in the bottom can.
The hard part of this operation is cutting the lid and a hole in the bottom of one can. But the end result is worth the trouble as you can see from the photo on the right.
The two containers together are about 12 inches tall, and the finishing touch is to wrap them with aluminum foil to reflect light and keep the roots from overheating.
You should keep in mind that if you’re using the planters on a tile patio or on concrete the potting mix can stain the surface.
So follow along and I’ll step you through the process of modifying the cans, filling them with potting mix, and getting a tomato planted. You’ll want to prepare the container at least two days prior to planting to allow the silicon to cure, but altogether you the whole process only takes about one hour.
