How to Garden in a Bucket
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 9 พ.ค. 2019
- In a thorough explanation of how and why to garden in a bucket, Gardener Scott shows the easy steps for placing plants and seeds into buckets. Gardening in buckets allows gardeners to grow plants when they might not have garden space or beds. Buckets allow gardeners to start growing plants earlier than normal weather would allow because the plants can easily be moved inside if cold weather threatens.
10 - 5 gallon buckets: amzn.to/2VU5Ub3 - แนวปฏิบัติและการใช้ชีวิต
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I am fifteen and my parents and I just renovated my entire room. New paint, new lights, carpet to wood flooring, and I am going to try this out right outside of my window, like a window bucket garden. So I can open my window and grow my own plants!
That's awesome! Have fun with it and let me know how it goes. 👍
I am 15 too
@Kathy Cerwin only has to be pp5 plastic if your growing things like portatoes as they grow inside the bucket , tomatoes grow outside of the bucket so no plastic will leak into the fruits
How did it go for you
Did it work good?
Great tip about "Frosting Buckets". Thanks!
Tip for the larger buckets, fill the bottom with twigs and small branches that you pruned from trees. It will take up the space and also rot and provide nutrients to your plants in the form of mycelium. This is called the Hugelculture method.
Great video as usual. One tip to help retain water is to put wood mulch in the bottom of bucket, especially 5 gallon ones. It acts like Hugelkultur garden.
What a beautiful gesture starting a bucket garden for your daughter!
just a little advise, always put some branches or stones/pebbles to the bottom of buckets before adding soil to make drainage easy because soil clogs the drainage holes ;)
One thing about container gardening, ornamental or veg, is that once the roots really fill up the space and become “ root or nearly root bound” is that watering sometimes flows around and or through the soil and not really soak in.
A suggestion is that when you do water may be best to sit the bucket in a larger container of water and let it soak up from the bottom drain holes until it takes in all it can. Then remove and let plant drain. This will provide a thoroughly watered plants. You can add fertilizer to the water as well.
Then once a month or so do a top down drench to flush out the salts. Especially for houseplants or other annuals.
If you drills the holes in the sides a few inches up instead of the bottoms, you do not need to water as much and less stress on the plants.
yes! and I drill two rows of tiny holes in the middle of the bucket for air pruning purposes...the "air pruning" holes plus the couple of inches of water in the bottom the roots go down deep . If all your water is draining out the bottom 1. You have to water daily in hot summer days. 2. The roots stay at the top few inches of the bucket because that is where the most water arrives. Makes for a less sturdy plant.
I garden with buckets , raised beds. My tomatoes and peppers I always grow in buckets.
I have six frosting buckets now and ask for them at least twice a week. I have my potting mix, a veggie fertilizer, and extra peat moss for bucket composting kitchen scraps, plus sheet composting all the leaves I rake up. I will also pick up some sterilized cow manure later. My heirloom seeds arrive Wednesday, so I’m ready to start seeds in plastic cups in the house for transplanting later, but I will do carrots directly in the bucket. I can’t wait!
Like the straight and simply explained approach.
When I first bought my house I found I had clay for a garden but I wanted to grow before I had time to bring in enough good soil. I set up 4 buckets an grew cucumbers and luffa sponges. I set them against my fence I planted other crops but not in buckets. The buckets plant grew better than I ever imagine. Those 4 buckets produced at least 50 sponges and dozens of cucumbers. The Luffa plants were 20 - 40 feet long.... Maybe I will do that again. Nice video.
I gave a friend some volunteer tomatoes from our garden this past year in those rectangular yellow cat litter buckets. I put a 2 inch layer of wood mulch in the bottom of them and then another 2 inch layer as a mulch on the top. This really helped with drainage and evaporation. I also put a weak fish emulsion watering in it before covering with mulch. That cut down on the stink!
Great idea to reuse those buckets. Another good idea to mulch after using fish emulsion. Thanks.
Oh my gosh, I can't wait to ask for some frosting buckets at my king soopers! Thanks for the tip Gardener Scott!!
I recently started using tote boxes to garden. I fill the bottom 1/3 with yard waste and the rest with soil. I drill drainage holes about an inch up the side of the tote so it will hold a small amount of water at the bottom. So far it's working great :)
What do you like to plant in there best
@@shaunaconnell9102 tomato's , cucumber and green beans worked well last summer.
by far the most informative video i have watched. thank you so much
I grow everything in buckets as I have such a small garden and only one side of it gets the sun. I have mixed success but I love it and I have enough success to keep me growing. Your video's are so helpful. Thank you 👍🙂
this is the best video i have seen yet !! my wife. and i cant wait to try it, we will be sure to post our result thanx so much!
Due to a recent knee injury, raised beds and in ground gardening just was not an option this year. In comes container gardening in 5 gallon buckets and it is going quite well! Thank you for all of the information!
Such an easy explanation for everything!!!👍👍
Thank you for this video! Full of awesome information! We are trying bucket gardening this year to cut down our food expenses and to have fresher vegetables right at home. Hopefully the Midwest will be kind to us first timers. Lol! Thank you!
This video answers a lot of the questions I had with the bucket system. Live the carrot tape idea. Thanks. I’m learning a lot from you
I'm glad I can help.
Thanks for all your videos.
Thank you so much for these clear explanations, my sister has no garden at all (apartment in a city...) but has a great balcony. I will show her your advices and I`m sure she`ll have a good spending time for herself growing some plants. God bless you and your family !
Thank you. I hope she is able to grow good plants.
That playhouse/slide! 😍
Thanks for the video. Just started my bucket garden
Good for you! Enjoy it!
Great video!
Thank you! This is really valuable content ❤🌿
You're welcome. I'm glad it was helpful. Thanks.
I purchased a stack of 8 gallon buckets from a bakery/donut shop. Spring and early summer were great. Mid and late summer i had very hot bucket soil and rotten potatoes when I tried to harvest. Might need a soil thermometer and shade cloth on the buckets while the plants enjoy the sun.
Thank you so much for this video! I want to start gardening with buckets and my husband who works in a grocery store suggested the buckets the icing comes in for the bakery, he told me they just throw them out. So this was perfect, thanks for posting :)
I'm very glad it was helpful. Thanks.
Yes I am going to ask at my local grocery store because that would be way better then spending a lot of money on buckets. I love when things can be repurposed. Such a great idea!
Very nice information. Thank u so much u explained like a good teacher
Thanks. Glad to help.
You have to be very careful with your feet when you use buckets for gardening because the last thing you want to do is kick the bucket. Lol 😂
😂
🤣
Thanks for sharing.
Great video! Thanks for sharing
You're welcome. Thanks.
I love your videos. One question I have is about fertilizing what kind and how often to fertilize. Thanks for all of your help.
Thanks. I add IV Organic fertilizer to my potting mix and that's enough for the first part of the season. If the plants need it in mid season, more IV Organic or an organic fertilizer like the one I make in this video: th-cam.com/video/O0mkhsqpbrw/w-d-xo.html
IV Organic Fertilizer: ivorganics.com/store/
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Cool video Bro, great idea for small spaces too.
Thanks.
Thanks for the tips! When you add the plants I saw you didn't break up the roots first. I always thought it helps them spread faster that way.
For smaller plants, avoiding root damage is important. Many plants don't do well when their roots are disturbed so keeping soil around the roots can help. New roots will spread just fine.
@@GardenerScott Awesome I learned something new again thanks!
This is good. I have several food grade buckets in my garden.
Thank you
I love bucket growing.
Cut the lid in half and make a hole for the plant. Put the lid back on to stop evaporation or too much rain.
That idea came from my wonderful husband. Thanks, honey!
Or use black plastic :-) :-) :-)
Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved, and Thy house. KJV :-) :-) :-)
Don't know if you've seen on the news, but where I live, we have a radioactive creek that was caused by a company dumping its waste in the creek that runs all through different neighborhoods in St. Louis County. Well my house is about 2 streets over from the creek itself. They found radioactive contamination at what was my son's elementary school, which is also about 5 streets over from me but about the same distance from the creek that runs in back of both of our properties. So I got interested in learning to garden about 3 or 4 years ago. I learned most of what I know from Gardner Scott - BEFORE we knew our soil may be contaminated. We built a great raised bed and enclosure. I set it up with Hugelkultur and our one time garden did pretty well. So, I thought I'd search for how to garden in a bucket and I think that's what we are going to do. Thanks, Gardner Scott for teaching me something else!
So sorry to hear about your contamination problem. Containers sound like a great solution. Check out my GreenStalk videos. They are a good way to grow more plants in a small area.
*FREE FROSTING BUCKETS?* Well whattaya know...you always have awesome tips. Thank you!
You bet!
I feel as if the limitations of using a bucket is what makes it a more manageable way to grow plants. You work on one at a time and can move the buckets at will, but you can't move a garden bed. You'd have to cover a garden bed or build hot boxes. It's easier to move, fill, empty or replant the buckets and to protect them from hungry critters. No building is required and they'll last for many years.
Even here in Florida, we experience some cold nights or the sun beats down on the plants and they need some shade. And one bad storm or hurricane can wipe everything out.
Good video, well explained and easy to understand.
Thanks. I agree with you completely.
Thank you.
I’m doing a bucket garden this year.
I have a dozen suckers I pruned off my indeterminate tomato plants. I put them in water for a couple days, then into individual pots. They're growing nicely. When they get bigger, they're going to go in buckets. Come September, I'm going to put up my portable greenhouse and move them in there to hopefully get a second, late tomato harvest.
Such a good idea!
New sub. I liked your video. This is a great system! Thanks for sharing :)
You're welcome. Welcome to the channel. Thanks.
@@GardenerScott :)
Love to hear the robin in springtime.
My husband works for a pub in England, and they have loads of those. I am sure they don't mind being given away
I place my drainage holes an inch and a half From the bottom of the bucket on the sides. This creates a small reservoir of water and is low enough not to create root rot.
The only downside for using buckets is the amount of water they take if you are not careful, they can dry out real fast. I am using 10 gallon grow bags to double down on my potato crop this year to see if I can get a better yield. I had 7 gallon bags last year and had a massive yield. Also I need to get some kind of large storage area where I can upgrade old compost. Otherwise I see no reason why people would not even include this option to grow crops. I love being able to move them into the garage if there is frost.
Hello,thank you for your videos, i have recently found your channel and i love your videos. I'm learning alot as a beginner from you.I will be planting in buckets for the first time due to I live in an apartment for now,and would like to know if I'll be able to grow cucumbers and eggplants in buckets?!. I live in Worcester Mass and I believe my zone is 5b,is it possible to grow sugar baby watermelon in my zone,will most likely plant it at my parents yard as they have plenty of space.
Thanks, Michelle. Cucumbers, eggplants, and melons will all grow in buckets. Be ready to add some fertilizer before the fruit.
Scott i saw a video today where the guy used 5 gallon buckets , he drilled a hole about 5' up then filled the bottom with empty milk cartons with tops on and a hole drilled at about 2' from the bottom and 2' from the top , he then filled with compost and planted up , he'd created a wicking garden , best type i've seen , i don't know how busy your daughter is but this method would save her a lot of time watering and more time doing fun things , just a thought Scott ! , and it wouldn't use much more compost than your way !
That sounds like an interesting idea. I'll have to experiment with it.
Started out using buckets and still do for some vegetables. You need to stay on top of nutrients and fertilizing as they tend to get used up
faster especially with tomatoes. They tend to develop blossom end rot and benefit from some additional calcium as well as good watering practices. I enjoy your videos.
Thanks. You're right. Buckets require more fertilizer than in the ground planting.
I'm about to attempt my first garden, and just discovered your channel, which I find to be a Godsend. I plan to use buckets placed on the backyard paver patio. My question is: What would be the best way to make sure the animals don't gobble up the plants? Hoops? Chicken wire netting placed over the buckets? We live in a suburbia but our house adjoins public parkland so we get many birds, rabbits, deer, raccoons, and the neighbo'r's cat. Thank you for your fine channel.
Hoops with bird netting is a good way to keep pests out. If the raccoons and deer get through that, chicken wire is stronger.
@@GardenerScott Thank you. Will give it a go. I feel empowered just at the prospect of growing my own food! Grateful for your guidance.
I save the little net bags that fruit and veggies come in at the store. I split them and put on top. Works great. I have heard tulle works too. The bags are free though. Lol
Thanks for the video's. I have been learning quite a bit from you! What are your thoughts for setting each bucket up with drip irrigation? Is it practical and what do you recommend?
Thanks, Thomas. Drip irrigation can be a great option when growing in buckets. It can be practical, but it will require a little extra effort to plan and install. You also need garden staples to hold the line in place. One issue is that the buckets become semi-permanent and aren't easy to move, if needed, when a drip system is in place.
Hi gardener scott. Thanks for the videos. I was recently gifted the care of a rubber tree, and I've noticed there are five tress in what appears to be an 8 inch pot. The roots are growing out desperately at the bottom, and I think it's time to repot. I want to see about breaking the five plants up and potting each one in individual containers that are between 8-10 inches. Should I do that, or would it be better to keep them all in the same container. There are five trees, and I have five windows that would look good with a tree. I've also never cared for a rubber tree before.
I've never grown rubber trees either so I can't give you good advice. You might try separating one of the plants when you repot and see if it survives and then repeat if it does.
Also if you like to support your first responders, buy some from firehouse sub shop if you have one in your area. There 2.00 each and the money supports first responders.
That's a great idea. Thanks.
@ Gardener Scott, Could you put a layer of bark in the bottom of the bucket to help retain water? Gardener Nanci
Yes. I use wood chips or branches in most of my containers and big pots.
Restaurants and cafes often get oil and other food items in large bucket, so they're another source. And since they're used for food, you know the plastic is OK for growing food too.
Absolutely. Good idea.
Thank you Gardener Scott for a great, no nonsense video. Please don't think this is nonsense on my part, but I am afraid of all creepy crawlers/worms. Bugs are ok. My aunt once had a garden in her yard with tomatoes and had huge unsightly horned-head green worms. I'm in an apartment with a second floor balcony and need to know if worms will somehow appear in my bucket or on my plants? Please help as I would love to try this. Thank you so much!
It's possible the tomato hornworm can find bucket plants, but not likely. I grow a lot of tomatoes and it's been years since I've seen one. They startle me too, but I encourage you to grow and not worry too much about it.
I was looking through some of the comments and I noticed you even replied to a few of them one person asked if it was possible to grow cucumbers and mellons. I have even known people to grow potatoes in buckets.
Yes, potatoes can do quite well in buckets.
Great video!!!! I’m heading to the bakery to see if I can get frosting buckets.
Oh, are these buckets deep enough for potatoes? Or should I invest in 5 gal buckets?
They are rather shallow so potatoes would probably do better in 5-gallon buckets.
Doing bucket vegetables and companion plants this year under an above ground 8x10 hoop house. Was going to build a shed but switched gears. We get lots of rain in southwest Georgia and wanted to protect my tomatoes 🍅 from getting too much moisture on the plants 🌱. Experimenting with plastic and fabric pots, both are doing well but I think the fabric pots have a cooler root zone as they’re able to breath. My question Scott is: I used my own soil blend like you and would like to re-use it next year by letting the old plant roots decompose and then dumping/amending and re-potting. What would be your concerns in doing so? Thanks
I re-use a lot of my own soil blends and do it very similar to what you're thinking. I add leftover/used seed starting mix to my potting soil and then blend all the leftover potting soil together. At the start of the next season I add some new material. I've never add a problem, but if you happen to notice a lot of insect damage or any disease I wouldn't recommend re-using the soil from that container. Insect eggs and disease spores/bacteria often reside in the soil.
Hello Gardner Scott. Thank you for the wonderful videos and ideas.
Question: at work we have lots of large styrofoam coolers are thrown out and I want to re-use them as containers for my vegetables garden. What are your thoughts on that idea?
They can work. As long as you add drainage holes and can keep them from being damaged and breaking, it is worth a try.
These places like same or Costco won’t give buckets away in my location. They have other uses which is fine since the buckets are being used
what potting soil do you recommend? We would love to grow with organic plans and soil if possible. When its raining outside do we leave the buckets outside as well or shall we bring inside the house ?
I prefer to make my own. It's easy and cheaper than buying it in a bag. I usually leave the buckets outside in the rain. It saves me a day or two of watering. If it's going to be a prolonged rain and I'm worried that the soil in the bucket will be too saturated, I will bring it in. Here's my video on making potting soil: th-cam.com/video/yOO1y73GbeU/w-d-xo.html
Are you using determinate tomatoes? If not, are they to be supported by the railing? Enjoyed this video very much.
They are not determinate, but that would be my recommendation for buckets. I plan to use different types of trellises for these indeterminate varieties and see what I prefer.
If we are using grow bags, would you recommend a saucer underneath so that the soil/roots can wick up any excess moisture as it needs? I'm a bit concerned about my plants drying out even tho I'm using a mix of 1/3 peat moss 1/3 compost 1/3 perlite in my grow bags.
I don't use saucers. The soil underneath tends to stay moist and help moderate the bag moisture, but either way the bags will need water more often than other beds.
@@GardenerScott Thanks for your responses. I don't know where you find all the time to do all of this, maintain your garden, and respond to us!
Please recommend how to clean and disinfect used pots and buckets from last season? Thanks!
A solution of nine parts water to one part bleach can work.
@@GardenerScott thanks!
Why drill holes in the bottom of the bucket? I would like to create a small reservoir in the bottom oft he bucket. Could I drill the holes, say, two inches up the sides of the bucket? Put some stones in the bottom. So basically water collects in the bottom of the bucket but if there’s too much in there, it would leak out of the holes I make. Planters I am buying at the moment have built in reservoirs and I am trying to emulate that. Thank you.
You can have a reservoir at the bottom. It is a good idea to have drainage holes on the side so that too much water doesn't pool in the bucket.
Thanks for the video! I accidentally got indeterminate tomatoes instead of determinate, but my space is small. If I crowded, say 2-3 tomatoes per 3 gallon container, would that help keep their size small without compromising yield too much? Or would one tomato with all that room produce more?
One tomato will produce better. You can prune it at the height you want and manage its size that way.
@@GardenerScott Got it, thank you!
What if you drilled 35 holes?
Wish me luck... last 3 houses we lived in(military moves) have said their buckets are all spoken for...thy are all held for the Amish in my experience...grocery stores and Walmart and Sam's etc... the struggle is real when you live in a more "populated" sigh...
Good luck.
So can I put beans in bucket ? Its end of July here zone 6 can i put them in the bucket by seeds?what other SEEDS can i plant in bucket this time year ? Ty
Yes you can. I have a few other videos that discuss what you can choose for fall gardens and how to do it.
what your technique to cleaning all the frost from inside buckets
Much of the time the store has already cleaned the buckets. If not, I just put some soap and water in the bucket and clean the inside with a sponge. It can get a little messy, but isn't hard.
can you use screened top soil
mixed with peat moss and garden soil?
If you know the source of the topsoil it can be okay. Compost would be a better option than peat.
Can you give me some ideas about staking plants in a bucket
Bamboo stakes can work and placing them against a raising or fence can support a trellis.
Do you need to feed vegetable and fruit plants grown in buckets/potting soil?
It depends on your soil. If your potting soil has added fertilizer you may not need additional feed. However, it's often a good idea to add fertilizer as plants grow.
Just what I need first to know, next video must be about seed tape :-D
Scott, I am trying to find some information on what to do with the soil/bucket over the winter. I live in Colorado as well, in the Denver Metro area. Do you have any tips/suggestions? Thank you!
I usually dump the soil into my raised beds as extra amendments and stack the buckets in my garage over winter. You can save them together ready to plant in spring.
@@GardenerScott , thank you. Is it possible to re-use the soil in the buckets and store them in a shed over the winter? All roots are out of the soil.
@@beckyjohnson321 Sure. You will probably need to add some fertilizer in spring, but soil can definitely be re-used.
@@GardenerScott, wonderful! Thanks so much! I appreciate your help!
Some videos suggest drainage holes 1” high from the bottom of the bucket. Is that okay for the plant?
It is. The plant is growing higher in the bucket and the holes are to avoid saturated soil.
Nicely done. How many basil plants per bucket?
I usually do 6-10.
I have a ton of 5 gallon and 3 gallon buckets. They come in so handy! One year I had to use them to cover my pepper plants because we had a late frost. What zone are you in?
I'm in Zone 5B, though that doesn't mean much when an unexpected freeze hits. I've used buckets to cover plants too and am glad to have a supply ready to go.
You I need to put something foe the tomatoes to grow up onto in the bucket?
Yes, if you're growing indeterminate tomatoes you should have a trellis. You can put the buckets next to a fence or wall and grow them up it.
Do you use the same dirt every year that’s in your bucket, or do you have to get new dirt?
I use the same soil and add more to it. I show the process in this video: th-cam.com/video/UaZ68X87OgU/w-d-xo.html
My indeterminate tomatoes died so fast in containers but the determinates did fine. I noticed that the indeterminate needed so much more room for its root growth. I will try again this spring but with a much bigger pot. Fingers crossed. Also in container growing do we need to fertilize more often?
Yes, containers often need fertilizer more often than amended beds.
@@GardenerScott Thank you! It seems logical but it’s still hard to know how much is too much or too little. My okra didn’t take a drop of fertilizer this summer and produced continually. I guess the plant determines much of what’s needed too.
Can I use planing soil to plant.
I'm not familiar with planing soil so I don't know.
I sow tomatoes seeds indoor about a week ago it is germinate successfully but very tiny bugs all around the plant is it ok or not?
It depends on the insect. Often they are fungus gnats that don't pose many problems.
I'm fairly new to growing crops. I have been using buckets but almost always have problems with fungus gnats. The killed my citrus plant. I don't feel that I'm over watering and try to avoid using pesticides. What can I do to avoid those gnats?
If you allow the surface to dry out periodically it can help. Increased air circulation aids with that. I've had good success placing yellow sticky traps near the plants. Cinnamon on the surface and hydrogen peroxide can also help.
@@GardenerScott I have let the surface dry out, I've used cinnamon and the yellow sticky traps. The traps caught some of the gnats but there seems to be a fungus that grows on the cinnamon after a while. I'm new to this so I guess I have to find a solution that works for me in the type of climate we have here in Houston TX.
What do you think of drilling the holes on the side, 1" up from the bottom to create a water reservoir for them hot summer days?
I think that can be a good idea, Raul. A few others have suggested that and I think it is worth trying.
Do you add any other remedies to the soil such as fertilizer or any other nutrients?
I use slow-release fertilizer in my potting mix for container gardening.
@@GardenerScott thank you, this is my second year gardening and I don't have a lot of space but wanted to try this out. What is a good slow release fertilizer I could use. I am based out of Anchorage Alaska
@@Tophat970 I've been using IV Organic. They probably deliver to Alaska. ivorganics.com/store/
Use Promo code "GARDENER" for 10% off
are there any vegetables you do not recommend for buckets Tomatoes or potatoes etc
Tomatoes can work, but potatoes should have more space than 4-gallon buckets. I don't recommend perennial vegetables like rhubarb and asparagus.
Gardener Scott, if I plant tomatoes in 5 gallon buckets, would they need to be transplanted into the ground at some point in time to prevent damaging the root system or will they be fine?
You can continue to grow them in the 5-gallon buckets if there are holes drilled in the bottom for drainage. Avoid overwatering and plan to fertilize a few times.
Thank you for the information.
Just finished the 2nd raised bed planter. My wife is putting out the plants that she wants in the raised beds now.
Hi, can we use 3.5 gallon bucket because we couldn't find 4 gallon bucket from any local stores.
Yes you can. It will limit the number of plants you can grow in a single bucket.
Thanks Scott
you do not mix peatmoss with your gardening soil?
I may mix some peat into my beds, but mostly use it for potting mixes.
We're do u get carrot strips?
I make them, as I show in this video: th-cam.com/video/O2lddIWm-o8/w-d-xo.html
Could you have open bottom containers so they can have direct access to earthworms and microbes?
Absolutely. That's a good idea if you have the space.
@@GardenerScott thanks for the reply. Since I don't have an established vegetable bed yet I'll give this a try.
Thanks internet dad