Recently, 2nd Man and I were talking about how we didn't get our garden up and running for this year. So many other expenses we've had along the way, that was one we just couldn't justify this season (building raised beds, clearing land, putting a fence, the soil, etc is expensive). Plus we aren't exactly sure of the spot.
Still, I've had the itch to grow some veggies. Then I remembered a growing method I've seen online and after some research, off to the store I went one day on my lunch break.
An hour later, I had two 5 gallon buckets (food safe), a large bag of potting soil and a couple of plants!
Now this time of year, garden vegetable plants are few and far between. Mostly tomatoes and peppers but hey, we're OK with that.
I grabbed a jalapeño and a tomato. Got them outside and I was ready to start. I was so excited.
Got the drill with a 3/8" drill bit. That is a good size for the drainage holes, about the biggest you want to go without losing soil to draining. Also grabbed a sharpie and a ruler. The holes don't HAVE to be even but it bugs me if they're not because "I" would know, ha!
I marked them, eight around the outside and four in the middle. Then I marked four around the sides at the bottom, about an inch up. This just helps any standing water in the bottom drain out quickly.
Here they are after drilling.
I got the potting soil out. This is the brand we always used in our raised beds and it worked great for us. This one bag was enough for both buckets with about a 1/3 left over for other uses (or other buckets, ha).
You fill them up to a little higher than you might think it should be and then you water it until water runs out the holes in the bottom. This will also let it settle.
Here is a great example... you can see the soil had dropped a little and you can see the water running out the bottom. All is good and ready for planting!
Next, I had to get the tomato ready for planting. Tomatoes like to be buried deep so you should cut off the leaves and small branches on the bottom 1/3 of the plant so it can go deeper into the soil and develop a strong root system.
Here it was when I was done. Nice and bare and ready for planting.
I dug the hole deep so that it would be buried as it should and then filled in around it.
Here they are! Planted, climbing cage put in place, and now both are ready to go. Hopefully, they will provide us some vegetables.
We have a "Heatmaster" tomato and a "Mammoth" jalapeño. The tomato is determinate, which of course means they grow to a certain height and stop, which is good for container gardening. The jalapeño produces the larger size peppers like you find in stores.
This will be an experiment but at least we can have something growing. If we have to, we can use these for some Fall veggies too. It's kind of addicting, I'll have to admit, Or maybe I've just missed "playing in the dirt"!
Let this new adventure begin!
If you cut a piece of landscape fabric for the bottom of your container before you put the dirt in the water still flows through but the dirt doesn't. The thinnest, cheapest fabric works well.
ReplyDeleteOh dang, great idea. thanks! Will do for the next ones.
DeleteIf you don't already have one, Amazon and others sell a tool (in plastic - boo o metal) that is made to lift the top off of 5 gal buckets and paint cans. We've use the buckets with holes in the bottoms for watering new plants for a decade or more. Nice containers for vegetable plants!
ReplyDeleteGreat idea.. I'll check that out. And what a great idea to use for watering too. Thanks!
DeleteMy daughter has a nice size nursery here in central Florida and sometimes if the container is large, she adds some rocks in the bottom of the container. The soil goes down around them, but it gives the plant much better drainage.
ReplyDeleteI thought about that but didn't have any rocks that were the right size. I might try that on the next ones. Good idea, thanks.
DeleteGreat idea to have something growing. It's wonderful to go outside and see some vegetables growing. If you plant okra, you could have the makings of okra gumbo! Okra thrives in summer.
ReplyDeleteYes, it will be nice to seem something for our work. Do you think we could plant okra from seed now? I have some seed from some that we grew. I wasn't sure if it would get too big for the 5 gallon bucket, ha.
DeleteOkra is usually planted somewhat earlier but I think you could try planting some now. The seeds like warm soil, so they should come up. (Soak them overnight before planting - it softens the hard seed shell). They will get tall but you could support them with a tomato cage or stake.
DeleteHey, like you said, it's worth a try. What's the worst that could happen, they don't grow much? It's still playing in the dirt, ha!!
DeleteYou should get some herbs too. If you can’t find plants, some, like basil, are easy to start from seeds. Plant in pots so you can take them inside when it turns cold. The Square Foot Garden book says they give you the most bang for your buck money wise. I gotta have my pesto! I freeze some in cubes for the winter using a couple of trays I got from the dollar store which, btw, has turned into the $1.50 store 🙄.
ReplyDeleteGreat minds, have a post coming up about some herbs. Now they are in smaller pots for now but we'll see how that goes. And we LOVE pesto. Smart to freeze cubes. And yep, the dollar stores here are now like "$1.25 and up" stores, ha.
DeleteWhat fun. Looking forward to seeing the first fruits on those plants.
ReplyDeleteSame here, they've been in about a week and they are thriving. Fingers crossed.
DeleteI was wondering when you was going to plant a tomato or 2 along with a couple of pepper plants.
ReplyDeleteAnytime I use containers for planting, I will add in some grit (chicken grit) that I get @ TSC and mix right into the soil which gives it extra help in drainage.
I also prop up my containers so that they aren't sitting flat on the ground surface. They drain better when they are propped up, using old bricks, old white shelf racks, etc.
Anything that you have handy to prop the container up somewhat.
Enjoy the rest of the week and have a fantastic weekend
Yep, without a garden plot yet, I kind of forgot about it until I thought "5 gallon buckets!!". by then it was too late for many veggies but there are plenty of peppers and toms out there to be had. I'll look for that grit at Tractor Supply (LOVE that store, ha). yes, I will set these up on something a wire rack is a great idea.
DeleteThe chicken grit is found inside back room
DeleteThank you!
DeleteThis is brilliant! You can try the plants in different locations with possible different lighting, wind, etc to see where your veggies like growing best! I've planted quite a few landscape specialty plants in pots, and I've had to move a few to keep them happy. It's also been great when we've gone away, I can cluster the plants together so watering is easier, or so I can use just once water source. Have fun digging in the dirt, no matter what size your garden may be!
ReplyDeletethank you! And I love that line, have fun digging in the dirt no matter what size your garden may be! No truer words!! Thanks again.
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