Cynthia McClure

One of my rocks for this quarter was to build and plant my first bucket garden.

We got two thirds of the buckets from our local store’s bakery for free. They ship in all their frosting and donut icing in 3 1/2 and 1 gallon buckets and were happy to hand them off. We had a couple different washing parties and it took us around three weeks to accumulate 11 buckets.

For the self watering buckets (the larger ones pictured) we ordered food grade 5 gallon buckets to fit the 3 1/2 gallon buckets into. The pipes go down to the reservoir for easy filling and also allowed us to keep the 5 gallon buckets intact in case we ever want to use them for something else.

We got compost from our friends in Fruita and mixed it 50/50 with an organic potting mix from the hardware store. I read in a book that this gives a good combo of water, oxygen, and nutrients.

For plants we got a combo of organic seeds from the grocery store and plants from Bookcliff Gardens. They were very friendly and helpful! We only got plants when we couldn’t find a seed version easily.

What we planted

In the smaller buckets: parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme, oregano, and basil.

In the larger, self watering buckets: golden raspberry, calendula, carrots, roma tomato, strawberries, and a blueberry bush.

I read somewhere that herbs don’t do as well in self-watering containers because the dry periods between watering enhances their flavor.

My husband had never been to a greenhouse before and we had a blast looking at all the plants and shrubs. I highly recommend going even if you don’t have time or energy to do a whole garden. They have house plants and cacti as well!

This little bucket garden is all an experiment, just like life is an experiment. Don’t take my advice too hard because I’m definitely a novice and still learning. I hope this blog encourages you to experiment this spring and make the most of what you have.

Much love,

C.M

What are you doing for you garden this year?