Decorative planters are a great way to add variety to your garden, porch, and sun room. Sure, garden stores and hardware stores have a wide variety, but the prices for indoor and outdoor planters can easily break your gardening budget. Finding cheap planters is easier than you think and you can even get them free if you know where to look.
Finding Cheap Planters Online
Two great places to find cheap planters online are craigslist.org and freecycle.org. Both sites have local sections that cover locations all over the map so you shouldn’t have trouble finding cheap planters near you. The most effective way to find decorative planters on either site is by making a request post. If you are unsure how to go about doing so, just read the FAQs on the sites and be sure to check out the safety tips they post there as well.
Of the two, your odds are better for finding free planters on freecycle. You may think it is unlikely someone would just give decorative planters away for free, but many people who are moving or cleaning out basements and garages are eager to get rid of their small and large planters just to get the extra space. Keep in mind that the decorative planters you get from freecycle may not be exactly your tastes, but that’s part of the fun of using the site. Any garden planters you get that you don’t like or won’t use can be re-listed and be given to another gardener and it may be just the type of plant container they are looking for. I’m one of those people who has given away outdoor planters and many other items on freecycle so I can assure you it works!
Finding Cheap Planters Locally
If you prefer window shopping to get your decorative planters, think about the second hand market. Thrift shops and yard sales are an obvious source of cheap planters, but a little known outlet (especially for extra large planters) are “going out of business” sales for stores, offices, and hotels. Many businesses use decorative planters in their reception and outdoor areas. When they reach the final days of the closing sale, they start to say “Everything must go!” and they mean it! I bought two large red burnished aluminum planters at this type of sale for ten dollars each and they would have easily cost over $100 in a designer store.
Find Cheap Planters – For Next Year
If you have no luck finding cheap planters for this season, wait a few months and hit the end-of-season sales at garden, hardware, and big box stores. They won’t want to hang on to those potential breakable or bulky decorative planters and their desire to get rid of them fast will be your gain. You can store your brand new cheap planters and haul them out for next year’s planting season.
