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Was wondering if anyone has tried this. Planting in 2-gallon buckets.
I have an unlimited supply of 2-gallon food grade plastic white buckets. I know the norm is 5-gallon buckets but I have 2-gallon.
I have about 20 extra cucumber plants I have no place to plant so I thought of using the buckets. Drill holes in bottom and throw in a few stones for drainage. So I'm going to try a few and see what happens. But was just wondering if anyone has tried 2-gallon with good results.
Was wondering if anyone has tried this. Planting in 2-gallon buckets.
I have an unlimited supply of 2-gallon food grade plastic white buckets. I know the norm is 5-gallon buckets but I have 2-gallon.
I have about 20 extra cucumber plants I have no place to plant so I thought of using the buckets. Drill holes in bottom and throw in a few stones for drainage. So I'm going to try a few and see what happens. But was just wondering if anyone has tried 2-gallon with good results.
I haven't, but you can surely grow a lot of things in them like peppers and herbs, among other things.
Don't drill holes in the bottom. Drill them on the side at bottom level. If you live in a very arid area, drill an inch up. I learned that decades ago from a Master Gardener.
Cucumbers with unlimited space can spread quite a bit, but you can prune them. Living things want to live, so they'll probably be OK.
Feast or famine, you'll have learned something. Next year, you can tell us all about growing cucumbers in two gallon buckets.
I hope that you do, and I'd love to hear about it.
I agree with Gerania. What do you have to lose? There is no right or wrong way to garden. We all do it differently and we all figure out over time what works best for our individual and family needs. Skip the stones in the bottom - there's no need and you will want the extra soil working in smaller containers.
In my experience, peppers (just one plant per bucket), herbs, green onions, kales, chards, lettuces, peas, radishes, carrots would all do fine in a 2-gallon bucket as long as you have a way to keep the soil from drying out. I use timed drip irrigation, along with EZ Straw as a mulch and it is amazing stuff. Cucumbers may do okay (I would only do one plant per bucket) and, personally, I wouldn't attempt squash/zucchini unless you want a dwarfed plant with limited production. You'll want to get yourself on a very regular fertilizing routine - slow-release granular at planting, then weekly water soluble feedings throughout the season. Then maybe another slow-release top dressing mid-late season. Plants will use every bit of nutrition in the limited space and, since it can't get anything from the earth, you'll need to provide.
I would reserve tomatoes for 5-gallon containers at a very minimum. I actually used to grow quite a lot of tomatoes in self-watering 5-gallon buckets several years ago, but found over time that they were a lot of work and required constant watering during the height of the season. They're also very susceptible to being blown over, as they get quite top-heavy when plants get 4-5' tall. 15-20 gallon containers (e.g. whiskey barrels or the like) work much better for tomatoes and squash/zucchini and also give you lots of space to plant multiples of almost anything else. They're low and wide and very heavy when filled with moist soil and a mature plant.
Good luck to you and do please report back. I'm curious to see your experience!
Thank you all for the info. I will skip the stones and put holes on sides. Could also do both and experiment.
NickMan 7 gave me an idea. I also have a source for 55 gallon food grade barrels. I could cut then in half and have nice size containers. At present I am making compost tumblers out of them. Also rain barrels.
Recently I was at a gathering (party) and the host had these same barrels cut in half and was using them for beverages. Half barrels were filled with ice. He had 6 halves labeled with specific beverages so you weren't digging thru ice to find what you wanted.
I also plant in straw bales. I have 27 (had 30, gave 3 away). Tomatoes do awesome in these. 10' - 12' high if you train them on supports. Main thing is that they do very well and produce a lot of fruit. They like the hot, moist atmosphere. And no ground water splash to cause disease.
washer and dryer tubs make good planters, too, hold 10-15 gallons.
The used appliance place where I used to live sold them for $5 each.
Dryer tubs are just cylinders, so roots can grow into the ground.
Washer tubs have small drainage holes all around, but their center post makes them a poor choice for plants with tap roots.
Some are stainless steel, some are fully enameled and will stay white, others will rust or can be painted.
We also used a washer tub as a fire container. The glow through the holes was really pretty.
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