makeshift planters

This might fail, but I'm trying anyways. It's completely free, just a bit of work. I've been making temporary planters out of plastic, cardboard boxes, and various things with holes in them for drainage bases.

Of course I have to cut the bottom out of the box, so after filling with soil, I won't be able to move them around much or they will probably fall apart. I'm carefully watching how the light moves across my balcony and planning what will go where so taller plants don't overshadow shorter ones.

These have recycled pegboard bottoms

others have a cut-up shower mat; I've also got some old window screening mesh to use.

I figured if you can plant vegetables in a grocery bag, why not a lined box?

I'm planning on using the heavy plastic bags the soil actually comes in, to line most of the boxes.

This is only probably going to work because my balcony stays so dry from the rain, but I anticipate the base of the boxes will eventually get damp from drainage when I water, so they might collapse and certainly won't last more than one season. By that time I'll have figured out something else to plant in ...