I hear ya. My Costco went to the white plastic square jugs that stack well but are otherwise useless in my garden. I can't even use them for winter sowing. At least they're recyclable.

For you, what comes to mind would be to cut the top off and use the bottom to pot up tomatoes before transplanting outside. Others may have more creative uses.

Good luck finding many to make use of the many containers you probably go through in a year.

Here is a link that might be useful: Sinfonian's garden adventure

They will work excellent as cloches, for protecting tomato and pepper plants from possible late frosts. Just cut the bottom out, and place over the plants. The screw on top will need to be removed, unless frost is predicted.

EG

Really? Cloches you can't see through? I wouldn't have thought that'd work. Interesting.

Sinfonian - not to leave in place permanently, just overnight, if there is danger from frost.

EG

if you winter sow, you could use them, but also use them gallon size baggie's or heck i use lots of that syran wrap stuff, the cheap stuff, and you can tape it on, or however you manage to keep it on, then poke holes in the top, :') also yes, i'd use it also to plant other things in it, if you don't winter sow. but really, ummmmm who doesn't?? besides crazy rednecks **big grinn**
Sinfonian, really?? i'd cut some of the top off, and then use some of the syran type stuff or what ever you find around, heck you can find TONS of the clear stuff in the big box stores dumpsters and then somehow keep it down, normally i'd say yarn, but these would have to be tape, i guess????? but then eventually that will fall off! Just an idea :') ~Medo

Everyone at my church has been saving those for me to use to grow seedlings. I promised to grow tomato seedlings for pals at church and word got around. I've just used the gallon ones, but I'd sure try the cardboard ones. Can't hurt, right? There was a layout in the newspaper on using paper machete to make seedling pots, so I'd think they'd be sturdy enough.

trust me, they are just perfect!! yes, this one guy has a template for making your own "pots" for going into the ground, awesome idea also. we also used the kid's milk carton's from school when they were still in school, they worked perfect for the morning glory seeds and flowers, vege's. it was awesome :') ~Medo OOPS til hubs said, throw those things away!!! **grinn**

Here is a link that might be useful: Barehanded Totally Nutso Gardener **big grinn** :'}

Can you compost them? You might have to shred them if they have a waxy coating. Otherwise they will just repell water.

Wax coated cardboard doesn't decompose well as I understand. It is on of the things our expanded yard waste program won't take. Of course over a very long time I may be wrong.