How Does Your Garden Grow, Cont'd

Early in the spring, the husby got the itch to grow veggies, but living in a residence hall, we don't quite have the space for a garden. We got approved for a bit of space near the side of the hall, and Kyle found a genius solution... a bucket garden!

Here are the baby plants all lined up.

Here they are a bit bigger (with the happy gardener).

And look! Veggies!!

Interested in making your own self-watering double-bucket planters?

Below is the tutorial Kyle followed.

(for pictures, click on the link)

step 1

Gather your materials

If you already own most of the cutting tools and the drill, this instructable costs about $13-15. We got everything at Home Depot, but you can find similar stuff at any hardware store. Materials pictured: 2 big paint buckets that stack (~5 gallons each) 1 lid 1 plastic tub OR drain grate (The height of the tub/drain grate should be approximately the same height as the…

step 2

Mark the buckets

1) Hole for wicking basket On the bottom of the first bucket, trace your drain grate or plastic tub and mark a circle on the bottom of the first bucket. Be sure your circle is smaller than the lip of the container. 2) Hole for pipe Next, mark a hole for the pipe, also 1/2" from the wall of the bucket 3) Side drainage holes On the side of the second bucket (not th…

step 3

Cut the holes in the buckets

Cutting plastic kicks up a lot of little plastic dusty bits. Protect your eyes and nose and mouth accordingly. For the big holes on the first bucket and the lid, start them with a drill, using a 1" masonry bit. Use the utility knife to widen the holes. Cut drainage holes in the bottom of your first bucket, using a 1/4" diameter drill bit. Next, cut the side drain…

step 4

Prepare the pipe

Cut an angled segment from the bottom of the pipe, using your hacksaw. The reason you're doing this is so that water can flow out of the pipe when it's at the bottom of the buckets.

step 5

Assemble the wicking basket

Either line the drain grate with mesh, or cut holes in your solid plastic container. We found these as a three pack at the dollar store. You could also use food containers, etc., as long as there is enough of a lip and they are the right height. Even though it's significantly more expensive, I highly recommend the drain grate option. They both seem to be performing equ…

step 6

Assemble the bucket!

Place the assembled wicking basket in the bottom of the bucket. Push the pipe through the holes in the lid and the bottom of the inner bucket Stack two buckets, with the basket hanging between the two. Now you're ready to plant!

step 7

Planting

Use your favorite potting mix, compost, plants, seedlings, etc., and put it all together! This part is really up to you, but I would encourage you to soak the wicking basket first, and only use a small amount of fertilizer. The bucket recycles it, so you probably won't need to add fertilizer again for a very long time. If you cut smaller holes in the lid, gently thread…

Here's a simple to follow (although a bit boring) video that shows the steps. 

Our bucket garden hasn't been without it's challenges, though. We've been battling blossom-end rot, which " may result from low calcium levels or high amounts of competitive cations in the soil, drought stress, or excessive soil moisture fluctuations which reduce uptake and movement of calcium into the plant, or rapid vegetative growth due to excessive nitrogen fertilization" (source). To beat the rot, Kyle has been spraying on liquid calcium. We are crossing our fingers and hoping it works. We also lost a plant early on to yellow leaf curl; "As the leaves develop, they appear distorted and fold their tips backwards. Diseased leaves are usually thicker and softer than the normal, unharmed leaves. The colors of the leaves are also unique. Instead of the normal green spring leaves, the colors turn yellow, followed by purple, until finally a whitish bloom covers each leaf" (source). In order to prevent spreading, we had to let it go. Wow, who knew you'd learn so much!


All in all we're very pleased with how our garden is shaping up. I think it's making the whole "living in a residence hall" thing a little easier on Kyle, too.

So, how does your garden grow?

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