You might like this site, which I just found through an Internet search. I read a book called (I think) "1001 Tips for Gardeners," and remembered that milk jugs--which are shaped somewhat like detergent containers--can be used for cloches on seedlings, to retain heat in questionable early spring/late fall weather.

But there are MANY MORE ideas at this new site. My search criterion was simply "milk jugs" + cloche, so there are bound to be zillions of uses that I didn't find!

in el cerrito

Here is a link that might be useful: 35+ Uses for Plastic Milk Jugs

"1,001 Ingenious Gardening Ideas: New, Fun and Fabulous That Will Change the Way You Garden - Forever!" by Deborah Martin (Rodale Garden Books, 1999) is the book where I saw the mention of milk-jug cloches. The book is an absolute GOLD MINE of frugal tips; I checked it out from my local library and am very glad I did.

in el cerrito

Cynthia thank you so much for posting the link. I knew there had to be something I could do with them. :)

Except detergent bottles aren't opague as is needed for a cloche...unless you are willing to remove the "cloche" every morning and replace every evening. I have large cat food containers that I poke small holes in the bottom and place around newly planted shrubs & trees which I fill with water which slowly water the newly planted. Also, I keep niger seed in them too. I only buy niger seed in 5-10 lb quantities and the mice eat through the bags so I've found these containers are great for this purpose. I can carry the container out to the niger feeders and fill the feeders directly from the container. Also, when I fill the rest of the feeders I fill an empty container with black oil sunflower seed and tote the container around to all of the feeders. But I like your idea of using them for plant pots, I'm starting to repot seedlings and am running out of pots.

What I've done in the past is to paint them black and fill them with water. Then I use them for heat traps under my little plastic greenhouse. It extends the season for a few weeks. Here in Maryland, it doesn't get really cold until late December, and warms up again in Feb. So if I can hold my lettuce and greens over a few weeks, I have vegs virtually year round!

Florrie

Great ideas gals!

Karen after reading your post about the large cat food containers I was thinking I could probably wash a couple really well and store the dry catfood in them - we only have 1 cat but I buy the big bags of cat food. Often I have to throw the tail end of a bag away, stale (picky cat), and there goes my savings. But I would do it only if I could get the bottles really, squeaky clean - if the detergent smell leached onto the cat food I know Ozzy wouldn't eat it.

Florrie year round vegetables sounds heavenly!

I have used milk jugs full of water in early spring and late fall to keep some of my plants warm on the cold nights. I didn't paint them, just filled them up and circled them around my pepper plants. Your bottles might work for that.

I doubt you'll want to use them for the cat food. First, I don't think the smell will come out very well. But I also read that there's a difference between plastics intended for use with food and other items. They say the vitamins from the food will be absorbed into the plastic from the cat food. Of course, I store dog food in a cat litter bucket, but by the time I read that, I had been using the same bucket for several years, so I figured the plastic probably stole it's fill of nutrients well before I ever learned that. Also, with 2 large dogs, that bucket's gone in about 10 days. Not so with the cat food.
Good luck with the picky cat. I have 2. Feeding them in a way that makes them happy (and not yelling at me) is an ever-changing challenge.
If it makes you feel any better, you could possibly use the cat food he won't eat as a protein fertilizer for your lawn...

I have been saving my empty Gain liquid detergent bottles also. Someone posted a picture of one turned into a watering can. It was painted black and on one side was painted a garden picture like a flower and water can. Nice. Am taking paint classes now. Maybe one day I will paint some water cans too.

I cut down a lot of plastic containers & poke holes in the bottoms & use them for flower pots.

If you cut off the top, but leave the handle, they make great big scoops. We tie them to the canoe to bail out water when (not if) we get water in the boat. Or you can scoop cat poop out of sandy garden areas, move mulch, carry around divided perennials to transplant, carry large amounts of bird seed.

They make great scoops.

Amaryllis what a great idea! You will have to post a picture after you paint a watering can. I would love to do that but am not very artistic.

Sylvia that was my first thought - they would be great pots for what I am working with in the winter months.

Pseudacris another great idea - you have handy scoops tied right to the canoe, brilliant! I dont know why but your idea made me remember seeing an above ground pool with a cover to keep the leaves out that was weighted down with several detergent/milk bottles filled with water tied to the cover. There must have been places (holes) in the cover to attach the string holding each bottle. I love the scoop idea - there are so many uses for a good scoop like you mentioned bird seed, mulch, etc. They can really come in handy.

They might be a fun project to do with a group of kids at a birthday party. Rinse well, cut and let them paint their own beach sand scoopS, or snow scoops for yal Yanks! :)

I keep the biggest hard plastic containers I can find , filled with rain water to use to flush toilets .
We are currently awaiting storm # 8 here in FLorida .
It's heading straight for us .
I have wells and a septic tank and when the power goes out - there goes my well pumps . These plastic containers sit by each toilet and can be poured into the tank to flush the toilet and the easily refilled from buckets outside .
The containers are also great to use for re-filling birdbaths or watering plants .

I cut the milk gallon jugs 1/3 off the top, they make rooting planters with peat moss...the water bottles are cut same way for water rooting..so I can follow the progress.
The big gallon+ of vinegar is cut in 2, the top part make a very good funnel, the bottom part a planter.
Now I must admit I did not understand the part of the heat traps?...We are in Texas and as now it is 100* under the pergola!

I was also thinking they might be useful as a base for something made with papier mache. Or, if you cut of the top you could use them as a mold for cement flower pots.