Hi there! I have several 5 gallon pickle buckets from DH's restaurant that I'm going to use in the garden this year. DH is going to remove the bottoms for me. I am contemplating filling them with good soil and planting my gourd seeds in them. The soil in the container would warm more quickly than the ground, and this may offer some protection to young plants from predators by getting them off the ground. They would, naturally grow and sprawl down the sides of the buckets. It would also give me more time to work on pre-emptive weed control before the roots grow out the bottom of the buckets into the ground below.

I always start my seedlings inside but lately I've been reading alot where the ones planted directly outside have had greater success some times than those transplanted. Mine did take a while last year it seems, so I thought I'd try it both ways this year. What do you think?