# New use for a truck bed tool box, thoughts? opinions?



## Dingo762 (Jan 11, 2015)

I am just getting started in gardening. And when I mean just getting started, I mean I have two strawberry plants and a tomato plant in pots. The tomato plant is producing tomatoes of varying sizes from cherry size to a little bigger than golf ball size and the strawberries, well, they produce but they come in red right from the start and misshapen and I have yet to get anything edible from them. I want to read and learn as much as I can before I start spending a lot of money.

Anyways, I have a old aluminum truck bed tool box that I was thinking of re purposing into a raised bed. Thinking of starting small and planting herbs in it or maybe something else but I was wondering if there would be any issues using it that I would need to worry about?

Oh and if anyone can tell me why this is happening.....




and the tomatoes..... small but tasty


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## zombieresponder (Aug 20, 2012)

No comment on the tool box, but plants use phosphorus to set and grow fruit. Nitrogen stimulates overall plant growth. More than likely, there is already enough phosphorus in your soil, but it isn't bio available to the plants. Could be a PH issue or something else. Also looks like(from the leaves) the plant pictured needs a little more water.


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## cowboyhermit (Nov 10, 2012)

Toolbox should work fine, as long as it has enough drainage on the bottom for your climate.

Aluminum is kinda a valuable material for that, but it should last a long time.


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## ZoomZoom (Dec 18, 2009)

If you're going to use the toolbox, keeping it drained so things don't rot will be important. 
I'd suggest:
- Drilling some 1/2" holes near the bottom. If it's going to sit on the dirt, drill the holes on the sides, as low as possible.
- Put about 2-3" of stone at the bottom. Cover that with a gardening screen or cloth.

Excess water will then sink into the stone and drain out. If you don't put the stone in, your drain holes will quickly clog up and having too much water can hurt your plants.


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

You know....

You can sell the truck box for some decent $$$... and you can build a LOT of raised beds for what an aluminum truck box would sell for.


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## kappydell (Nov 27, 2011)

Id bury it and use it for cold season storage since I have no root cellar (yet)
I assume it is too old/rusty/holey to sell?


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## Dingo762 (Jan 11, 2015)

LincTex said:


> You know....
> 
> You can sell the truck box for some decent $$$... and you can build a LOT of raised beds for what an aluminum truck box would sell for.


I've had the thing posted on a local board and Craigslist for a while now with no luck.



kappydell said:


> Id bury it and use it for cold season storage since I have no root cellar (yet)
> I assume it is too old/rusty/holey to sell?


It's in really good shape. It is painted though and needs new struts but that's it. I have recently been thinking of burying it and using it for storage. Just dont wanna trash it and I'd only get about $20 in scrap if that.


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

Dingo762 said:


> I've had the thing posted on a local board and Craigslist for a while now with no luck.


Either one of three things is true:

1) No one in your area drives pickups
2) Your ad was worded improperly
3) Your asking price was too high

In Texas, if they're not more than 70%-80% the price of new, they'll sell in the first 2-3 days. I just sold a 50 gallon electric water heater on craigslist for $150, and it was 7 years old


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## zombieresponder (Aug 20, 2012)

LincTex said:


> Either one of three things is true:
> 
> 1) No one in your area drives pickups
> 2) Your ad was worded improperly
> ...


I have seen at least 30-40 of them in the scrapyards around here, only a few were beat up. Evidently nobody around here buys them used, or the owners aren't smart enough to figure out that someone else might buy it. :dunno:


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## cowboyhermit (Nov 10, 2012)

Around here, anything aluminum that isn't too pretty stands a good chance of being chopped up by me. It is such a useful material for so many projects and so bloody expensive for a sheet.


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## Dingo762 (Jan 11, 2015)

I had the the thing listed for 60 bucks. No takers. So I figured might as well re purpose it. Have been thinking of another use as well but its gonna require a big hole.....


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## cnsper (Sep 20, 2012)

You could use it for root storage such as potatoes and carrots. Just get some dry sand and put in a cool place.


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