Cheap plastic 2x3 boxes

My husband and I used 6 of these to make my mother two 8' raised garden beds last weekend. They are made of 2x4 pressure treated lumber with 2 supports going across the bottom of each of the tubs, with the tops of the tubs 30" off the ground. My mother is ecstatic!! I can't get the photo to show up here, but here's the link:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/johnsonjlj/8346761104/in/photostream/

Wow, those beds look well built and sturdy. This year i intend to make something like that, but with just one plastic box and put it on wheels to move it inside the garage when it gets too cold. Thanks for posting that picture.

johnsonjlj that looks fantastic! I'm glad to see you supported the bottoms, as another member reported that hanging them just by their rims did not end up being enough to support the weight and the sides began to bow in and a corner cracked.

Thanks so much for sharing the picture!

Beautiful garden Johnsonjlj. I think if I had those raised beds I would never use my other sfg beds! Great job on the framework for those plastic boxes.

So has anyone looked at the bottom of these tubs to see the stamp showing what type of plastic it is. These look really good and I very much like the idea of working at waist level instead of bending over or sitting/kneeling on the ground. I can see two rows of these with the cattle panels bowed over the top and then I have my green house with easy work.

Those of you that have purchased these boxes, have you looked at the stamp on them to see what the code is on them?

mine is full of MM and garlic. Can't check


Kay

deriter, I did the research for you. All the information you needed was on-line in the product descriptions:

• The Home Depot cement mixing tubs are stated to be made from PVC. This is a toxic plastic and should not come in contact with food items.
  
  
• The Lowe's cement mixing tubs are made from HDPE. This is a safe plastic that is not known to transmit any chemicals into food or drinks and will not leach any toxic chemicals into soil or water.

Hope that helps.

Thank you very much gwennifer! This is good info and you deserve a reward or some sort of recognition on a job well done. So Lowes it is!

Mine says 5/PP

I bought mine at Home Depot. They are not stamped with anything and the label does not say what plastic they are made from. I searched on-line and as gwennifer said, they are made of PVC. I have two of them that I have not used so I can return these for a refund.

I also searched lowes and theirs say High Density Polyethylene. I assume that means HDPE.

Check givvmistamps link on page 5:

HDPE (High Density Polyethylene): SAFER
Common Uses: Milk Jugs, Plastic Bags, Yogurt Cups

gwennifer wrote:Hey everyone,

Remember the cool garden cart boffer made using these cement mixer tubs?


Well I recently heard from him and sad to say, the tubs have not proven able to handle the weight when being supported by their rims only. Here's a quote, shared with his permission:

After a month of use, one tub developed a crack in the corner, so I put support under the bottom of it. All summer, I've been watching the sides, of both the 2x3 and the smaller size, begin to slowly bow inward, so that just the corners were carrying the weight.

His findings go along with the reviews I saw for these tubs online at both Home Depot and Lowes (basically people saying they cracked and weren't built like they used to be). He still believes the tubs to be a worthwhile purchase, but you simply need to plan on supporting the bottoms if using them in a raised fashion.

Lets hear from others who purchased these tubs. How are yours doing?

we are thinking about building a couple table tops for the kids using these tubs.....thanks for the info on needing more support

and please tell BOFFER we said Hello

happy gardening
rose

I am still thinking of building one of these. A couple of thoughts or questions I have. What do you figure one of these boxes filled would weigh? And what are your thoughts of needing these anchored so that a storm or strong wind wouldn't knock it over? Hate to lose the mm!

My neighbor and I together can move a fully loaded tub and my handyman moved it by himself after harvest, but with a strain. Mine withstood a hurricane resting on top of 2 rubbermaid bins filled with compost.

Sweet Potatos Sep2012
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Kay

For what it's worth - I went to Lowes today to purchase one of the safe HDPE cement tubs. Unfortunately the ones at my Lowes store are made by the same manufacturer of the ones sold at Home Depot. (Centrex Plastics LLC centrexplastics.com) I went to their website and they do not mention the type of plastic used in the manufacture. There is nothing stamped on the bottom so I assume it is not HDPE. I am assuming the tubs sold in the store are not the same as displayed on Lowes website because the website mentions the HDPE. On Home Depots website, they say these are made from PVC. I have e-mailed the manufacturer to find out what type of plastic is used because the label on the tubs does not mention this.

I followed the link on page 5 of this thread so I realize some plastic leaches various chemicals. But do the plants absorb these chemicals and transfer them to our food. I could maybe understand not planting root vegetables in one, but what about other types of vegetables.

When I asked if anchoring was needed, I was thinking of having them in or on a table type of frame about 30" high. My thinking was that being off the ground like the one displayed like what johnsonjlj built of page 6 might be at the winds mercy.

That is somewhat disappointing that Lowes maybe has the pvc type also. Please advise what you find out from the manufacturer yolos please. I would think the above ground plants would be alright, but the root crops would be the ones to be concerned with. But we may need to listen to others for their input as I don't know if a plant absorbs the chemicals or not or whether it is just in the soil.

I found some online. Maybe you have to order ..ship to store maybe?


HomeDepot

Lowes

Menards

Menards has a smaller one that is smoothsided

Well I finally have my cement tub tabletop SFG garden.  I let my girls pick their favorite colors to paint them.  Oh my!  Too much fun.
I did the different heights just for fun, but it's turning out kind of handy too - putting taller growing things in the lowest table for instance, and in the tallest one I planted cucumbers and mini pumpkins that I will let vine over the edge.  

It wasn't my intention for these to be on the patio when I cooked up the idea, but now that they are there I like it!  Patio was too small to use for anything else anyway and I've enjoyed just stepping out my back door to pop in some seeds or to spy for sprouts.

Gwennifer - LOVE the colors!

GG

Sure beats my cinderblocks.  

kay

The colors are growing on me; even the pink!  

It looks to me like it would be pretty simple to add boxes on the bottom, and double your space!  

Gwennifer,  Absolutely love them.    

I painted some old redwood barbeque tables and benches that color of purple and a lighter version of the turquoise.  I was thinking about a spot of pink here and there and I like your shade of pink.  What brand and  color?

It looks like you used 1 x 4's.  What are the heights?  I know someone out there will want to make one.  Or two.  Looks like they can be accessed by physically challenged??  Can be adapted to all kinds of situations.

Oh, hi Boffer, I was thinking seedling trays on the bottom, even wrapping in 4 mil plastic for early seedlings.  Christmas lights for warmth on frosty nights.

Gwennifer,  Have you started something here??

sanderson wrote:...I was thinking seedling trays on the bottom, even wrapping in 4 mil plastic for early seedlings.  Christmas lights for warmth on frosty nights...

I like that idea too. You could have fresh lettuce well into winter.

Or put table drapes on them, and each kiddo could have a hidey hole!

Goosegirl wrote:Gwennifer - LOVE the colors!

GG

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