Stacks of Color
Pots of Verbena Superbena ‘Royale Cherryburst’ pop against a divided soda crate. For display, set a crate garden on top of an overturned crate or two. The attractive stacked look helps protect deck and porch floors.
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New Life for Old Tool Boxes
Rather than hold blacksmithing tools, a farrier’s caddy now spills over with pots of Calibrachoa Superbells “Holy Moly’. Wooden crates with handles offer convenient hauling, especially if the weather turns bad and plants need to be relocated to a protected location.
Tiny Herb Garden
A vintage fastener drawer now serves as an impromptu herb garden planted with pennyroyal, lavender, purple sage, purple basil, and thyme. The box makes a charming and handy container for a kitchen counter. Never plant edibles in a crate that looks or smells suspicious. Water lightly, and continue to serve drinks when the soil is dry.
Bouquet Corral
Painted periwinkle blue, a fruit crate can tote glass jars holding bouquets of freshly cut Sweet William. A deep vintage fruit crate with reinforce seams makes flower arrangements easily portable, less likely to tip over during transport, and ideal for a rustic touch.
Soda Crate Storage
Partitioned soda crates make ideal cubbies to store and display a variety of small terra cotta pots. When Coca-Cola began bottling in 1894, it required crates for easy transport. The metal trim designed to protect corners and sides during shipping also helped keep vintage soda crates in surprisingly good condition. Many soda crates were fitted with dividers to prevent glass bottles from rattling. Those dividers now create perfect sections to cradle seedlings potted individually and small objects.