vintage objects for growing herbs and salad

I really enjoyed this article from Notebook magazine (October 2009, pages 132 - 136) on using vintage objects to grow your own herbs and salad. It made me start looking around the yard and the kitchen at otherwise unused objects. It is much better for the environment too, to use items that may be thrown out (who am I kidding, I throw nothing out!). I love the cart in the first image with rosemary, oregano and lavender growing successfully in it. I once read that we should try and buy items that will last. The best example of this is the humble bucket. You can pick up plastic ones at the big hardware stores for around 79c or something ridiculously cheap. But is it really cheap? And at what cost to the environment? I know from my own experience that all plastic buckets eventually crack (even the better examples, the ones that cost around $3). Alternatively, one could buy a tin bucket (new ones probably cost around $18 at a guess). Galvanised tin does not rust and being made of metal should not crack for a very long time. I know what I would prefer to buy and use. Actually my ideal bucket is vintage tin buckets like the two above in our store (great for a Christmas tree, by the way) as they are heavier than their modern equivalents.

For this same reason, I choose to buy very good quality garden tools, especially the old ones (see previous posts from June and October). I have never, ever had an old tool break which means less trips to those big hardware stores.