You can sterilize them and then line them with newspaper.

Dig a hole about a foot deeper than they are and use them as a root cellar by throwing a foot of dirt on top.

soil bins
bulb bins

cut hand-sized holes randomly around the sides, from 6" from the bottom, to 6" from the top, plant potatoes in layers -> on the bottom put 6" soil + potatoes/starts + 4" soil on top of them; when the plants grow 6" of vegetation, top them with another 6" of soil, and continue this layering, never adding more potatoes, until you reach the top. harvest potatoes later through the holes!

ps this keeps pesky potatoes from invading your whole garden! and saves garden space for big vertical yields!

We were left with a few of those as well. We have two dogs and three indoor only cats (we use pine litter) so we made ours into a pet waste composter - similar to a septic tank.

Drill lots of 1/2" holes all around the trash can and cut the bottom off. Dig a hole deep and wide enough for the whole can to sit in with about 6" sticking out above grade so you can put the lid on it. Make sure it's not near food crops though. Just put the pet waste into the can and occassionaly sprinkle septic tank enzymes on it and water it a bit to get it going. You can also add some greens to make it go a bit faster. When you need to empty it, you can use the compost for ornamentals (not food crops).

www.cityfarmer.org/petwaste.html

You can cut holes in them for drainage and use them for a root crop like burdock. Fill with soil and with lots of compost you should get a nice deep root, that is easy to harvest.

Clean it really well and you could use it as a meat smoker.

MP & BB
John
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