I use the pools to provide humidity and to help regulate temperature in the winter. I also use them for watering the plants. They're a rough draft, though; the plan is to replace them with bigger 300 gallon IBC totes before this coming winter.
I grew bananas hydroponically in a few wading pools last year, and it worked fairly well. I also tried putting dirt in one to use as a big planter pot, but since I just used straight dirt, I ended up with a round, sun-cooked brick. Now I see why people use potting mix
