http://www.treehugger.com/files/2010/08/two-brothers-two-buckets-take-on-world-hunger.php
although these kids are trying to end world hunger, the use of 5-gallon buckets as minimalist gardening would be useful in my small urban plot if we had a teotwawki event. And if I had any seeds. :->

I made a wrong turn somewhere in Vancouver, WA, and passed an apartment building with vines growing from buckets on a second-floor balcony (facing south -- if it wasn't for my car compass I would be lost longer and more often).

But these appeared to be really healthy squash vines, far more robust than you usually see growing out of buckets. The vine had grown over the railing and were just short of touching the ground.

I wonder if they had used the boys' idea?

Philip, WHY don't you have seeds? They're small, light, store well in cool dry temps, and in a bad time, they're tradable.

Sue

> WHY don't you have seeds?

Just hasn't been on my list. I'm not a teotwawki believer. I think I'm likelier to be in an earthquake. I won't be here long enough to harvest a crop. :->

Although anything with the word "hugger" in it always makes me cringe for some reason, that's an interesting site, Philip. Growing your own food certainly isn't that easy in San Francisco, particularly with the crappy weather this year.

I applaud these two young men for doing something other than sitting on the couch playing video games. Regrettably, they won't solve world hunger, which is not really a production problem but rather a stability and distribution problem. But noble actions are built on noble values. More power to them.

I generally browse through TreeHugger.com once a week. You have to shovel through a lot of fertilizer, but I get a lot of useful ideas and positive motivation nonetheless.

Sue, wrong turns often turn up the most amazing finds. Getting creatively lost is one of my most rewarding pastimes. Like the man says: "...crooked roads without improvement are roads of genius."

:-> Glad he realized a profit on others' mistakes.

Continer gardening isn't new, I've been wanting to do it or a while but with large enough containers so actually grow a decent amount. My uncle works at a machine shop and he brings home crates to cut up for firwood so I've ask him to keep me a couple, I'm going to paint them, line them and fill them with dirt.