For those of you interested in gardening/food production...

[Chris Mac]

We're trying to find ways to maximize food production if the SHTF and we don't have as much land as we'd like. Earthboxes are a good idae, but at $40-$50 a pop plus shipping, they're too expensive. Total cost of materials in a Global Bucket is about $8 not including soil,less if you source the buckets for free. Users who have made these are reporting very good results.

Checkout www.globalbuckets.org

Construction couldn't be easier.

We're trying to find a low wall square or rectangular option to grow plants like strawberrries and melons - please let me know if you have any ideas that will last several growing seasons.

Also, I'm looking for free 5 gallon buckets in the N/NE metro ATL area. If you know of anywhere I can pick these up, I'd appreciate a PM.

Thanks!

 

[jsquared]

Nice info, thanks man. I think I am going to try some of these out and see how they do.

 

[outdoorsman]

I read somewhere about planting potatoes in stacked auto tires... planting from #1 tire on the ground...up... planting each layer (tire)..
Then to harvest, remove top tire (and potatoes) and just work your way down...

I cannot confirm if this works as I have not tried it.. (yet)...

Outdoorsman1

 

[B. Byrd]

I've got a garden behind the house. Is that too simple?

 

[Chris Mac]

I read somewhere about planting potatoes in stacked auto tires... planting from #1 tire on the ground...up... planting each layer (tire)..
Then to harvest, remove top tire (and potatoes) and just work your way down...

I cannot confirm if this works as I have not tried it.. (yet)...

Outdoorsman1

Yep - that's one way to do it. Look up "potato in tires" on youtube. Pretty neat stuff. We're looking at something very similar - just a contained compost/soil pile in chicken wire. Same concept, start your first potatoes, and add 6" of soil every time the vine grows out long enough to bury it again.

Some guy tried it in single buckets (not the global buckets method), but the yield was pretty low. I think that was related to the soil quality and lack of moisture reaching the lower roots. Potatoes seem to like very rich soil/compost with plenty of moisture content.

Compost heaps mean you can just plant the potatoes in the middle of piles of soil, leaves, etc. and not have to worry about garden beds, etc. Lots of flexibility for larger yields using that method.

Found some lady on youtube growing potatoes in denim sacks filled with soil and compost.

 

[unclear.six]

I've got a garden behind the house. Is that too simple?

1) 50% to 80% reduction in water usage.
2) 100% reduction in weeds...never pull a weed or use herbicides.
3) Once planted, very little attention is required.
4) Foolproof: People with very little training (like us!) can reap bountiful harvests.
5) All you need are a few square meters of space...even rooftops, industrial wastelands, etc

Also I hope you have a huge wall around your huge outside garden that can be defended from all sides by scavengers/"wolfs" 24 hours a day.

 

[Chris Mac]

I read somewhere about planting potatoes in stacked auto tires... planting from #1 tire on the ground...up... planting each layer (tire)..
Then to harvest, remove top tire (and potatoes) and just work your way down...

I cannot confirm if this works as I have not tried it.. (yet)...

Outdoorsman1

Yep - that's one way to do it. Look up "potatoes in tires" on youtube. Pretty neat stuff. We're looking at something very similar - just a contained compost/soil pile in chicken wire. Same concept, start your first potatoes, and add 6" of soil every time the vine grows out long enough to bury it again.

Some guy tried it in single buckets (not the global buckets method), but the yield was pretty low. I think that was related to the soil quality and moisture. Potatoes seem to like very rich soil with plenty of moisture content.

Compost heaps mean you can just plant the potatoes in the middle of piles of soil, leaves, etc. and not have to worry about garden beds, etc. Lots of flexibility for larger yields using that method.

Found some lady on youtube growing potatoes in denim sacks filled with soil and compost.

 

[grandchessboard]

Great post Chris Mac. Ever looked into aquaponics?

http://aquaponicscommunity.com/

 

[woodstock]

Thats a time saver, and a good idea. I put my garden on a timer off a faucet and used soaker hose.

 

[Chris Mac]

Yes, we've looked into aquaponics. I like the concept, but the complexity of that setup is probably a little beyond us at this point. We're weighing sustainable gardening in today's world where supplies are readily available vs. gardening to sustain us when supplies may not be available for sale.

We really need the land/house set up before we move on anything on a bigger scale. I just moved here to GA and we're leasing for now to become familiar with the area. We're looking to buy, but finding 5-10 acres at a reasonable price within commuting distance to the N. Atlanta area is slow going. No rush at this point as we continue to build our local network of preppers, find a permanent church home, etc.

Great post Chris Mac. Ever looked into aquaponics?

http://aquaponicscommunity.com/