Saw a wild setup on a fire escape in Brooklyn that made me rethink my pots

I was walking through Park Slope last weekend and spotted a third-floor fire escape absolutely packed with greens. The whole thing was just a bunch of those cheap, five-gallon buckets from the hardware store, each one drilled with holes. They had kale, lettuce, and even some small pepper plants growing in them, all tied to the railing with zip ties. It looked a bit crazy, but it was clearly working (and honestly, kind of genius for a tight spot). Has anyone else tried using plain buckets instead of fancy planters? I'm curious about drainage.

3 comments

3 Comments

the_kim2mo ago

Yeah I did buckets last year. Drilled a ton of holes in the bottom and sides, worked fine for my tomatoes. Ward.piper has a point about them cracking though, mine got pretty faded by fall.

wesley_hart2mo ago

I used to agree with ward.piper about buckets looking bad, but that fire escape garden actually looked pretty cool. It's a smart way to use space if you don't have a yard.

ward.piper2mo ago

Kind of genius" is a stretch. Those buckets are an eyesore and a real problem waiting to happen. They're not made for that kind of weight or sun exposure, they get brittle and crack. I've seen one split open on a balcony, dumped three gallons of wet dirt onto the sidewalk below. Plus, drilling your own holes almost never gives good drainage, the roots just sit in mud. You're way better off with a single, proper planter box built for the job.