Buckets for the swc workshop

As previously discussed, I am hoping to conduct a workshop next spring for the Franklin County Extension Office, in which I show citizens how to take disposable plastic buckets and turn them into self watering vegetable planters. Doing so, will keep them out of the landfill and open up gardening possibilities for people without available space for a garden. When it gets approved, I'd like to have accumulated enough buckets to conduct the same workshop at Colbert and Lauderdale Counties, too. For each county, I figure at least 60-70 buckets will be needed, so I'm looking for buckets!

Anyway, Freecycle was the first place to ask, and I've already got 11 cat litter buckets from a nice lady named Angela. Here they are, all tucked away inside the shed. Yay!

Photo below - I even went to a deli/bakery at a local grocery store, to see if they had any buckets to contribute to the cause. Wouldn't ya know it? They just emptied 2 five gallon buckets that cake icing comes in! Shoot...those will work too! Of course some icing was still attached to the inner walls, so what do ya think I did? I have a dog that eats everything, and I just let ol' Jude get down with her bad self. Ha! You should have seen it....her ears were white...heehee..

After she satisfied her curiosity and gluttony, I just laid each bucket beside a fire ant mound. Here's a photo of one, and the ants are doing an excellent job of cleaning it for me. I love my ants.

I'll pick them up this weekend, as they should be as clean as a whistle by then. I went to WalMart, too - and wouldn't you know that they haven't even called me to say if I could have any or not? Boo!!!!!! I left emails, my phone number with 2 different managers, and still - nothing. I'm gonna have to bring in the County Extension Agent for this one, it looks like.

Photo below - here's the shed all wrapped up like a mummy. I must've used 1,000 staples for this job. Man, my hands had 4 or 5 blisters on them from the staple gun. No fun, I tell ya!

I also bought a steel door for it, and will hopefully install it this coming weekend. I think the roof can wait another week....

In gardening news, everything in the garden will need to be harvested before Sunday night, because it's gonna get down to 33 degrees. I went ahead and harvested the green beans, melons, and several large pods of okra yesterday, and more okra, some cucumbers, and lettuce are all that remain. With only 3lbs., 1 oz. to reach 400, this is gonna be close!

Also, I have made my final decision on the design of the hoop covers. Yep, it's changed again. Ha! Aw man...this is gonna be weird! I might be mildly retarded or something. Hehe...

Take care, and happy gardening!

EG