Yup, I have a few of these totes and I’m using them as planters. It’s ridiculous, but I understand that people want their yards to look nice and some folks would spend that money on a specialty item like that.Just a little cross-post from the gardening thread because I think it works as well here on frugal tips...
Earlier this past summer, I talked to one of the managers at Menards and asked him why they had so many tote lids but no totes in the store. He told me people had figured out that a $20 industrial tote was bigger and less expensive than the "planter boxes" they sold in the garden center for over $100 each. Essentially, they are both plastic containers, so lots of people bought out all the large totes to grow food in but did not need the lids.
For example, a 40-Gallon Tote for $20.00...
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And their 32-Gallon Raised Bed in the garden center...
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I know the pictures look deceiving, but that is why I said the tote was 40-Gallons and the planter was only 32-Gallons. The tote is actually bigger. The Elevated Garden Bed on legs might look better but I would bet that the industrial black tote is stronger and would last longer. At any rate, lots of gardeners agreed and they bought out all the large totes for use as planters. Bottom line, you can buy 5 totes with over 5X the growing capacity for the price on only one of those elevated raised beds.