Start a bucket garden with 21 easy grow fruits and veggies

Introduction

Starting your own bucket garden today is not out of the question. By reading the rest of the article you will realize the ease to starting your very own garden today!

Whilst growing up, my family always had a garden and we regularly enjoyed fresh produce such as tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers. Once we planted two watermelon plants and it covered the whole backyard. Needless to say we never planted watermelon again. If you’ve planted watermelon you know what I’m talking about. One of the challenges growing up so close to a major city, is space. We improvised by using any type of containers, buckets and pots we could get our hands on. We used any space we could find in our backyard, thankfully we had plenty of direct sun. Nowadays, with multiple constructions and second story additions, sun is become harder to find in a small yard.

Living in apartments or built up areas lack the space to have a proper vegetable garden. Nevertheless it is still possible to enjoy fresh tasty vegetables and even fruit in a small yard or balcony by starting with a small bucket garden of your very own. In some cases you could even grow them inside, as long as sunlight is available.

What type of buckets to use for growing plants

They generally come in a round shape but occasionally will be square, either will do. Because they are 5 gallon they were most probably used to carry heavy products which would make them strong and sturdy. A typical 5 gallon bucket is shown below. The most important consideration when using buckets to plant is they must be food grade plastic. They must have been used to store some type of food.

Where to acquire 5 gallon buckets

I prefer to use buckets as I find them readily available and cheap to buy. I’m staggered at times when I see the rising costs of pot plants at the local nursery. Attaining 5 gallon buckets doesn’t have to be difficult. There are many places that throw them out or simply give them away. A good place to start your search is your local supermarket or deli. They will generally receive bulk deliveries such as cheese olives or the like before they package them separately. You would be doing the environment a favor by taking them of their hands.

Some other places to try are bakeries, donuts shops food trucks outlets, restaurants, fruit shops. Don’t forget to ask them where else you might try, people are always willing to help when asked politely.

How to prepare you buckets for planting

Before using the 5 gallon buckets to start your bucket garden give them a really good clean. In most cases food products were stored in the buckets so they don’t require a too thorough clean. Best way to clean them is to use hot water with some borax or baking soda. Once scrubbed down rinse thoroughly.

Make some holes at the base of the buckets to allow for water to seep through and to avoid root rot. A regular drill will do the trick, make sure holes are about a half inch in diameter. Be sure to space the holes around the base of the bucket until you have at lease 8 holes.

Add some gravel or small rocks at the bottom, about 3 inches height from the bottom is adequate. Fill the rest with a combination of potting mix and compost. And your just about ready to go. Now decide on what you will plant. Below you will find a list of popular veggies that do well in pots and buckets.

Important tips and tricks for growing plants in buckets

Let’s cover some important points before starting your bucket garden. Growing vegetables in buckets will dry out quicker than plants in the ground so remember to water more regularly. The nutrients in the bucket can and will leech out from the bottom when during watering. Therefore giving the plants some added nutrients such as gypsum or rock phosphate is a great idea. The other option is to add fertilizer around the plant occasionally, this also helps with getting a better crop.

Remember to get food grade buckets, this is usually printed under the bucket or look for an insignia with the number 2 inside.

Another awesome advantage to growing in buckets or containers is you will see a huge reduction in snails.

A list of 21 plants to grow in your buckets

Some of the veggies are accompanied by videos which I thought best describe the process of planting vegetables and fruit trees in buckets and containers. They do a great job in describing step by step how to succeed in getting the best produce for your efforts.

To begin our bucket garden lets start with my favorite and easiest veggie to grow and work our way down the list.

1. Tomatoes

Growing tomatoes in buckets is a breeze and the most popular. You will need one or two stakes to tie the tomato as it grows. Place the stake next to the tomato just after it’s planted, not a good idea when the tomato is already maturing. Later spring and early summer are best for tomatoes. Remember to add a mixture of fertilizer containing phosphorous, potassium and nitrogen, they will thrive.

2. Potatoes

Growing potatoes is rewarding and easy in 5 gallon buckets.

To begin sprout your potatoes, cut them in 3 parts. This will help them grow quicker when planted. To sprout potatoes just place them in an egg carton indoors and wait until they begin sprouting. Non-organic potatoes have non sprout inhibitors which take them longer to sprout, some patience is required. Begin planting when temperature is at least 45 Fahrenheit.

Mix a third top soil, a third compressed peat and the other third add some cow manure in a wheel barrow and mix the 3 soils together.

Add about 4 inches of the prepared soil from the bottom then cover with another 5 or six inches. Once you see sprouting add another couple of inches of soil. Continue to water them when needed and once

3. Cucumbers

Cucumbers are another vegetable that do really well in buckets perfect for our bucket garden. A few pointers to keep in mind are they are a vining plant so do require two or three stakes around the plant. You must keep them well watered preferably daily, so no need to over water them . They will require adding some fertilizer occasionally such as blood and bone or chicken manure. Keep in mind also that flowers may fall off early in their growth this could be the temperatures are too cold. As the weather warms this should alleviate that problem. If flowers continue to fall it could be that they need more water.

4. Egg Plant

Here’s another one that thrives in warm weather best in late spring and summer. The easiest variety of eggplant is the black beauty in United States and Canada, this may vary depending depending on where you live.

5. Melons

There are many varieties of melons to choose, I recommend the cantaloupe with a wire circular wire mesh surrounding the bucket to give you plenty of height and space to grow the cantaloupe. You can grow watermelons of course but they will spread across the ground as they grow, this will require more space than cantaloupe.

6. Squash / Zucchini

Another popular vegetable that most people wouldn’t think of growing in pots is the zucchini. Check out the video to show what is possible.

7. Peppers

Sweet and Bell peppers do great in buckets and containers. They are tasty and packed with Vitamin C. The process for preparing the buckets is described in earlier section. Peppers require lots of water so water regularly and plenty of holes at the bottom for drainage. You will also require a stake to tie the plant as it grows.

8. Beans

You could plant around 3 pole beans in the one bucket with stakes for each plant. The stakes should be at least 6 feet tall. The bean plant will most likely continue to grow past the tip of the stake. You can alleviate this by cutting the tips so as not to get out of control. By cutting the tips it should make the plant bushier and make more flowers and therefore more produce.

9. Spring onions

My favorites are spring onions, they are superb in salads and so easy to grow in buckets. They can be grown in the cooler months and grow fairly quickly. You could easily plant about a dozen spring onions in the one bucket.

10. Strawberries

Here’s a spring time favorite that can planted in buckets in a unique way. My preferred method is to plant them in a traditional way into the bucket with 4 plants. You can get great results this way but if your adventurous and want to get more strawberries from the one bucket check out the video below.

11. Lettuce

Here’s is a vegetable that can be grown in cooler temperatures and successfully grown in buckets of all types. This is also another quick growing veggie. They also have a shallow root system so smaller containers will do just fine.

12. Carrots

Planting carrots in 5 gallon buckets is like any other vegetable. They can be planted from seeds or ready grown from the nursery. They do great with some added phosphorous and vermiculite. You could easily grow 20 or even more in a bucket size surface. Make sure to place the bucket in a sunny spot as they love sunlight.

13. Radishes

Do you like vegetables with a kick, then radishes are for you. Very easy to grow in buckets with similar soil composition as carrots. Can easily plant 12 or more radishes in a bucket size opening.

14. Beetroot

Beets will require 6-8 hours of sunlight per day. Other than that they are a breeze to grow. Place the seed directly into the soil about 1.5 inches deep. Space them 2-3 inches apart, so you could get at least 12 plants in the one bucket.

15. Sweet Peas

Similar soil composition to beans they are easy to grow. They are a vinning plant so use plenty of stakes. Easily plant around 5-6 plants in the one bucket.

16. Raspberries

I haven’t planted raspberries in containers myself but found Jack Shiiley describing the process brilliantly.

17. Grapes

Grapes are hardy and easy to plant in 5 gallon buckets. Make sure to use a tomato cage or several stakes as grapes have a tendency to grow all over the place. Remember to use a good fertilizer as with all your vegetables.

18. Cabbage

Cabbage is a hardy plant and can withstand cool to mildly cold temperatures. For the soil preparation you will need to mix compost and peat moss. Due to their size only plant one cabbage in each bucket and water regularly as they do use a lot of water during their growth.

19. Broccoli

Another cool weather crop which will require 6-8 hours of sun daily therefore place in a sunny spot. They do get very large so plant one broccoli for each bucket.

20. Cauliflower

Plant the cauliflower in winter as it doesn’t mind the cold weather. Even though they do take a fair amount of space when fully grown you could get away with planting 2-3 plants per bucket.

21. Garlic

This little beauty is ideal in cooler months and perfect for our bucket garden. The video below will show you how easy it is to grow garlic in containers. He separates a garlic clove and shows you how to sprout and plant. Great idea and one I will be trying myself.

Final thoughts

If you’ve read this far you would have realized that growing vegetables and fruits is easy. The limitation is your imagination and willingness to try new things. Being limited for space is no excuse to start your own bucket garden today. This list I have provided is only the tip of the iceberg Just about anything can be planted in buckets. In some cases you will yield a better crop from buckets than in the ground. No matter the weather there’s something you can plant today that will have you eating fresh fruits and veggies in a matter of weeks. I hope you have enjoyed this article and come back regularly for more prepper articles.