wine cooler ashtray

Great idea :)

if it had been a bit stronger it might have done as a planter - but it's only plastic and has obviously seen a lot of use

Great idea Fran. What I did once for a base was to fill up an old large plant pot with cement (remembering to put a tube in the centre) when it sets you can turn it upside down and put the base of your ash tray in it...I stuck tiles around the outside too, see below:-

http://www.growsonyou.com/richardpeeej/blog/9727-further-update-on-ball-planter

thanks for the link, and the idea, Richard!

I've never used cement, though I'm planning to make some concrete troughs - one day (hypergufa's too complicated!).

I'm not so much low-tech as no-tech - my only power tool is a small cordless drill/screwdriver, and I've only had that a month or so. Bought cordless specifically so I could use it outdoors, but, sigh, so many plans, so little idea of how to bring 'em about!

You are welcome Fran..I bought a little bag of readymix cement, I think I got it from a garden centre. You just mix water with it put it in the pot and it sets hard...

I made some large wooden plant troughs and I grow my runner beans in them every year :-)

my local hardware shop has ready-mix concrete - as I'm visually imapired and would have to be very close to the work I'm wary of the inhalation hazard with the fine cement that hypertufa demands - besides, while I'm learning, the fewer steps the better, not so many chances of me getting it wrong!

I keep saying I'll do it - one day - maybe I should take the plunge and go for it, but some "recipes" call for the trough to be left for six weeks to set, and where the heck am I going to do that in a garden that's ten feet "long"???

A concrete trough would be quite heavy to move into place too. Though once in place you would find it interesting to grow different things in it as I do :-)