What To Do With Old Plant Pots: Great Ways To Reuse Pots

It’s easy for gardeners to end up with stacks of used and currently unwanted plant containers. From transplant flats to broken terracotta and ceramic pots, what do you do with them? For anyone who cares about sustainable gardening, knowing what to do with old plant pots is both freeing and eco-friendly – and it can also save you money in the garden. Try some of these creative and eco-conscious ideas if you’re wondering what to do with old pots and don’t want to just toss them in the garbage.

👉 For more eco-friendly practices, explore our guide on container cover crops for small spaces to keep your soil healthy and sustainable.

What to Do With Old Flower Pots

There are many simple ways to reuse plant containers to avoid throwing them away. The obvious answer is to reuse them for planting, but with a little creativity and effort, you can do so much more, so hopefully these ideas can help inspire you.You might also like to consider ways in which you can be more sustainable in future. One idea is to buy longer-lasting ceramic containers. For transplants, support nurseries that use biodegradable or plantable containers that you can compost.

👉 To further reduce waste, learn how to make leaf mold fast and recycle autumn leaves into rich compost.

1. Recycle Plant Pots

Can you recycle plant pots? If you’re wondering what to do with old plant pots, your first thought might be to recycle them. Depending on where you live and local resources, you may be able to recycle plastic planters rather than trying to reuse them.

If you’ve been growing plants in plastic pots and now have a glut, look for the symbol on your plastic plant pots to determine the type of plastic they’re made from. You can then check with your local recycling facility to determine if they will accept it. You may be able to return them to a nursery so they can reuse them. Some big box stores like Lowe’s and Home Depot recycle plastic pots for plants and have drop-off locations.

2. Use Pots and Trays as Seed Starters

Reusing old plant containers as pots for other plants just makes sense. They can be particularly useful for starting seeds. You can use any old container with drainage, but the divided trays that annuals and transplants come in are particularly useful.

This is an easy way to reuse old containers. Just be sure you put some effort into cleaning them first. If you want to divide the smaller sections of a divided tray, use a sharp pair of shears.

3. Make a Bug Hotel

Support native and beneficial species in your garden by creating a habitat with old containers. This is a really easy project than anyone can do, but you might need some sharp shears or a knife, so take care when making cuts.

To make a bug hotel, simply stuff a plastic pot with plant material and organic waste that leaves space for insects to get in and nest: twigs, hollow plant stems, pieces of bamboo, and corrugated cardboard. Cut each item so that its length is the same as the height of the pot. Place the pot on its side in a sheltered area – for example, between the branches of a dense shrub.

👉 To attract even more pollinators, explore our unique yellow flowers that brighten gardens and support biodiversity.

4. Lug Your Garden Items

One of the simplest ways to reuse plant pots is to carry things around the garden. Fill a pot up with tools you need to take out to a bed for maintenance tasks. For regular garden tasks like weed control, you can use a large old plant pot to hold weeds as you pull them. Smaller containers are great for moving small amounts of soil or compost around the garden. Use a pot to harvest veggies. The drainage holes make it easy to rinse them all at once.

👉 For more clever small-space solutions, check out our space-saving raised beds for small gardens that maximize harvests.

5. Create Mosaics and Stepping Stones

Do you wonder what to do with broken plant pots made from terracotta and ceramic? Break them down further and use the shards to make mosaic designs in garden beds. The mosaics can be purely decorative, but you can also use them as stepping stones throughout beds or as walkways throughout the garden.

👉 For design inspiration, see our romantic garden ideas that add charm and personality to outdoor spaces.

Don’t Forget…

Of course, the most obvious way to reuse containers is to use them for what they were intended. You can always reuse pots from year to year, but take care. Used plant containers can carry disease and pests.

Clean old containers well before reusing them. Start by scrubbing the pot with warm, soapy water and a sturdy scrub brush. Then, soak it in a solution of one part bleach to nine parts water for at least ten minutes. You can also use vinegar to clean pots after scrubbing them down with a brush first. Rinse the pot thoroughly. If soaking in bleach isn’t practical, use disinfectant wipes, which are easier to use and effective.

👉 Once your pots are clean, you can reuse them for crops from our plants to plant in the winter guide to get a head start on the season.