Q.With Large Garden Planters, Do I Have To Fill The Whole Thing With Soil Or Planting Compost Or Can I Half Fill It With Large Crock
or newspapers ? Fairly new to using very large pots !

Certified GKH Gardening Expert
I think your best bet is to put the plant's container into the larger container on top of whatever lightweight filler you decide on. It could be a long time before your plant is ready to be transplanted to a large planter. Newspaper will get wet and heavy, so you may want to consider something lighter. You can fill the bottom 1/3 with crushed aluminum cans, milk jugs, or nonbiodegradable packing peanuts. Here's more:
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/special/containers/using-styrofoam-in-containers.htm
https://web.extension.illinois.edu/containergardening/soil.cfm