Hi Gang,

I've been coming to the Vegetable and Container Gardening forums for some time, but didn't even know this was here. Awesome! :D

I have begun an exeriment using a 3 liter soda bottle as a strawberry pot. I'm rooting my runners now and hope it works out come spring.

The problem was that I wanted some nice strawberries, but patio gardening on a shoestring is just flat out expensive! So I started looking around the house for some old junk that could be put to new use.

After removing the label from a discarded 3 liter soda bottle, I washed it thoroughly with a mild bleach solution, then (taking a cue from all the Red Plastic Mulch that's being sold these days) spray painted it Cherry Red.

I then poked holes in the bottom with an ice pick for drainage, as well as a large "half-moon" hole near the top (just big enough to get my hand in), then several "access" holes through which to plant the strawberries.

After filling with a premium soil mix, I "stapled" the runners through the access holes to the soil for germination.

Since I live on the second floor of an apartment building, these are going to have to be hung, so using the ice pick, I poked 2 holes in the cap and fed through a length of nylon lanyard that I then tied together to form a big loop. I then fed the loop upwards through the neck of the bottle. The cap is too big to fit "up" through the neck, so it act as a cork, holding the bottle securly in place. :D

I am week 2 into this experiment, so I'll update as much as possible, and post what pictures I can. (Dear Santa, Please bring me a Digital Camera [grins]).

Best Wishes

Amino-X