Here are some of the stuff that I use as containers: big water bottle 5 Gal, Jungle Juice container 6 Gal, Carbon Air Filter container 18 Gal?, Waste bucket with carbon air filer 10 Gal? My brother tub 13 Gal?.
Anna apple in Carbon Air Filter container
Young Fig in Carbon Air Filter container with waste bucket
Snow Queen nectarine in tub
Preparing soil in a water bottle and empty leftover fertilizer container
Went to Aldi’s in southern Indiana near New Albany yesterday. They had large thick sturdy vinyl/plastic (don’t really know the exact material) pots that look like half whisky barrels for $9.99. They measure a bit more than 22 inches in diameter and over 13 inches tall. I will have to look up how many gallons that is.
I bought three and kinda wish I had bought more when considering the price of a thick, sturdy very large pot, even at Walmart. They look fairly attractive, too.
Sandra
It’s about 18gal. Same size as the resin whiskey half barrel containers I have bought at Home Depot for $20. Being so cheap, I would see if the plastic is the same durable material or hard plastic. If it’s the durable flexible resin, I would certainly pick up a few.
@RobertH Not sure how durable it is as the sticker says made in China, but it is pretty thick, so we shall see. Does need drainage holes drilled into it. Most big pots last a long time for me as I tend to place them in their spot, fill them and leave them alone. If one were hauling them in and out of the garage, they would probably crack more easily.
Thanks for the gallon calculation!
Sandra
I am cross-posting this here at the suggestion of @kinghat
Typical cheap 12” deep x 4” wide “liners” are so flimsy that they are difficult to fill with potting mix without them rounding out badly and they are virtually impossible stand up on their own. To hold the liners upright and make it possible to fill them without deforming (I usually use ProMix for starting seeds or rooting cuttings), I set them in reused shallow plastic trays (the kind that vegetable transplants are held in at nurseries and garden centers) then I staple the top edges together with a hand stapler.
All the adjoining pots help to prevent the sides from deforming during simultaneous soil filling. After a few months of root growth (which stabilizes the soil) I remove the staples and move to liners to milk crates until they reach planting-out (or upper-potting) size.
BTW, to reduce transplant shock when either up-potting or planting seedlings in ground I have an assortment of concrete filled plant pots that I use as molds.
I dig an initial hole (either in ground, or in a larger up-pot filled with appropriate soil mix), then insert the appropriate sized mold in the hole to the proper depth, tamp the soil around it to get the precise size hole I want with no air gaps, before withdrawing the mold and placing the plant I have just removed from the pot. Big-time help! I do this with all my fruit tree seedlings, vegetable transplants, and even annual flowers. No more transplant shock from damaged roots.
I have about 8 of these and on year 6 or so… they are bulletproof so far.
https://www.ruralking.com/misco-22-5-resin-whiskey-barrel-bar18523
These are thick and fairly heavy duty. I didnt look very closely at the ALDI ones… if they are the same thickness i expect a couple of decades of use from mine.
@krismoriah The pots I got look similar to the ones in your rural king link. See photos below:
a local discount store here has them for $8.99. i got 4 but i think ill go back tom. and grab 4 more. be stupid not to. planted my fingerling potatoes in 2 of them. going to use the other 2 to up pot my citrus. they are a light tan with a small black strip near the top so shouldn’t heat up much in the sun. i keep cracking the cheap big pots for my citrus when i move them. these wont crack . very thick. tag on them says makers mark so must be a surplus from wally world.
@steveb4 That is a really good price. Might as well stock up. You know you will find a good use for them and will be glad you bought them. Big pot prices can really add up!
Sandra
My favorite large utility containers are recycled mineral tubs from the local dairy supply. They are very solid, 17" tall by 22" wide and $5.00 each. The dealer offers the ranchers a $5 refund to recycle the tubs and will also sell to the public for same. They are not beautiful but also not horrid and have a good lip for manuverabilty.
i’ve used them in the past.
I have done this in the past! 
I would have to strap these down because of picking up the chair side and meanwhile the “bed” slides off.
instead of getting square fabric grow bags or liners for milk crates i took it into my own hands. got a bolt of white felt from joanns going out of business sale. at 72" wide you can just cut a 12" section and then in half(its folded) for a 12"x3’ length that will fit perfect to line two side of a crate:
im going to transition this ch fig from my previous poly batting bag i made into its new felt crate:
the poly batting did a really good job of air pruning its roots!
not sure what to do with the overhanging flaps. will leave them for now. time will tell how long the felt holds up and does its root pruning job. i imagine it will do just fine.
Love this idea. Where do you get your milk crates? I ended up getting one from Walmart, but really thought there had to be a better, up cycling, less expensive way. Tried my kids school, but no go.
I think felt can work with the crate because it can dry. I tried putting felt liners inside nursery pots as I asked a while ago, but found that it just stayed wet. It just never dried out and was totally water logged if it rained. I ended up removing the plants and repotting them after a month. But, having discovered how to keep potted plants forever too wet, I used homemade felt liners to pot a buttonbush I needed to move (it’s super happy!) and my recovering jabuticaba.
thanks for reporting back on your felt in pot experiment!
i had some crates and was able to get some through a family member. i would keep an eye out on fb marketplace and craigslist too.
The restaurant supply stores near me have told me it’s okay for me to grab a crate from the back of the building near the trash if i wanted some… along with pallets by the dumpster lol.
Maybe ask around you? I know they throw out a lot of that stuff around me or they stack them up until they fall into the dumpsters.
I’ve noticed that big chain grocery stores have started selling their 5 gallon tubs vs giving it out for free now
