About a year ago, I created guidance for the Bootheel Arts Garden Shed Garden Bucket Project. This small community in Gideon, Missouri was a farming town that’s now a few generations removed from family farms. We gave away kits to allow about 200 families to create tiny, portable gardens to generate fresh food and gardening knowledge. The kits were a hit and I’m putting the gist of the project in writing as it’s a snap to replicate. See below how to make a bucket container garden!

Five Gallon Buckets

While you can use most any kind of large container to create a bucket garden, the most simple and cost-effective solution is a plastic, five-gallon bucket. Just drill a few holes in the bottom for drainage and they make great planters. this five-pack from Uline are non-logo’ed and come in at just over $15. The original idea for this project was to allow families to have a small (manageable), portable and productive garden with easy to grow items that families would use. We wanted to show folks how easy and enjoyable it can be to grow your own food.

They really are perfect for so many plants since they are deep enough to accommodate larger root systems, retain water and are a cinch to keep weeded.

What to Plant?

When learning how to make a bucket container garden, my advice would be to not over plant and to plant what your family enjoys. A few popular themes include a “Salsa” bucket (one small tomato plant like “Patio” or “Sweet 100”), cilantro (“Santo” is a good, non-bolting variety), a few onion bulbs and a chili pepper plant such a “cayenne” or “jalapeño” give you everything you need to create salsa.

Another fun version is an “Italian” bucket. Again, select a tomato (“San Marzano” is a terrific Italian paste tomato great for pizza or pasta sauce), then add a few cloves of garlic, a basil plant (“Genovese” is delicious) and oregano.

The original buckets we created had seeds for a tomato plant, pole beans (add a stake to your bucket for the beans to climb up) and radishes (“Cherry Belle” is very tasty and I love to add radishes around the edge of the buckets since they grow below the soil AND because they grow so fast. It’s nice to have the instant gratification of a quick, albeit small harvest especially if you have kids that are helping.

How to Create it:

First, acquire your container. If you are recycling one, that’s great but be sure it hasn’t held chemicals if you are using it to grow food. Next, drill a few holes in the bottom to create good drainage. Fill your bucket with a nice quality potting soil.

If you are using plants, you’d want to fill the bucket about 3/4 full with soil, then settle your largest plant near the back and fill in with smaller plants. When you are happy with your design, fill the remainder of the bucket with soil, press plants into place and water well. If you are using seeds, fill your bucket to the top. Decide on where you’d like the plants to end up and add seeds per package instructions. It may be helpful to add a few plastic plant labels so you remember what you’ve planted and where. Water well.

Finally, In either scenario you’ll want to place your bucket outside where it can get plenty of sun. Keep it watered and enjoy the spoils of your tiny garden!

Other Plants to consider

In addition to the ideas mentioned previously, The Old Farmer’s Almanac shared these suggestions and I concur!

Broccoli
Container: 1 plant per 5 gallon pot, 3 plants per 15-gallon tub
Varieties: ‘DeCicco’
Carrots
Container: 5-gallon window box at least 12 inches deep
Varieties: ‘Danvers Half Long’, ‘Short ‘n Sweet’, ‘Tiny Sweet’
Cucumbers
Container: 1 plant per 1-gallon pot
Varieties: ‘Patio Pik’, ‘Pot Luck’, ‘Spacemaster’
Eggplant
Container: 1 plant per 5-gallon pot
Varieties: ‘Black Beauty’, ‘Ichiban’, ‘Slim Jim’
Lettuce
Container: 5-gallon window box
Varieties: ‘Ruby’, ‘Salad Bowl’