Look around the house for containers that would make good flowerpots. Pretty coffee mugs fit on a windowsill and make the perfect holder for herbs or small plants. Drill a drainage hole in the bottom with a carbon-tipped glass or masonry bit, or place an inch of gravel and some charcoal in the bottom of the container to keep the roots from becoming waterlogged.
Larger kitchen containers, such as ceramic milk jugs and the baking dish that sits abandoned at the back of the cupboard, are good choices, too.
Cleaning a plastic flowerpot requires nothing more than a stiff brush and hot soapy water, but the stains and ingrained dirt on an old clay pot may prove more stubborn. Soak the pot in a solution of 4fl oz / 115 ml bleach per gallon/4.5 litres of hot water for 5 minutes, then remove, rinse and scrub; repeat as necessary.
If a pot has housed a diseased plant, sterilise it before you fill it up with a new plant. Soak it in boiling water or run it through a complete cycle in the dish-washer after first rinsing off any grit.
