You don’t need to have a huge backyard or even one at all. More and more people are container planting vegetables, which means they can grow plenty of food in small spaces that would otherwise go unused- perfect for those with limited space!
Trying out a bucket garden? You’ll be surprised by how many common gardening problems disappear when you use buckets. Young plants, rabbits eating your flowers and vegetables-it all goes away! Plus there’s the added bonus that they’re easy to transport around without risk of spilling or breaking anything. Give them a try next time.
You can’t go wrong with raised beds, but if you have limited space and budget that doesn’t leave much for gardening in the first place then buckets may be your best option.
Important Steps Before Planting
If you want to make your bucket stand out, drill some holes at the bottom and add a layer of pebbles for drainage. After that paint it in whatever color or pattern best suits what kind of design scheme you have going on!
Plant In Buckets
You can sow seeds in the potting soil of a bucket or plant seedlings. Both will work fine! After planting, give them water and put it where they need to go for your plants’ needs – this is an important step since you’ll want them as happy as possible once grown into their final homes!
Fertilize Your Plants In Buckets
Plants in containers always need some extra fertilizer to produce more and brighter flowers. You can use organic compost as an easy way to get your plants growing strong again!
Watering In Buckets
It is important to know the right amount of water for your needs. There’s no one-size fits all answer here, as things like weather and crop stage can affect how much you’ll need or want in order to get optimal results!
Now, take a look at 15 vegetables that you can grow even if your outdoor space is limited. We’ll cover the best ones to try, so go ahead and have a look!
1. Tomatoes
The tomato is a staple of the container planting world. You should grow bush varieties in buckets and provide cages for your plants. Make sure to place them in a sunny location, as they require 6-8 hours of sunlight per day to produce fruit!
2. Beans
You might be wondering which variety is best for your garden. You will find that there are two different kinds, vine or bush beans and they both have their advantages depending on the space you need to grow them in! The Bush type does not require a large amount of growing room – all it takes is one bucket with some soil.
You can also grow vine varieties of beans in buckets. But you have to give them trellis for support, which is cool because that means the vines will be arched and look more exotic-the perfect touch! Harvesting time will come after 50-60 days after planting.
3. Carrots
You can grow tons of carrots in buckets. Small varieties are best for this mini-vegetable garden, and they’re really easy to grow! In a 5 gallon bucket you’ll get about 20-25 healthy carrots.
Give them water and watch your carrots grow. You can harvest their leaves in 65-80 days, but they don’t have to wait that long before eating those! Add some of the edible parts into salads or soups for extra nutrition!
4. Onion
Onions are a great addition to many recipes and salads. The only real difficulty with growing them in buckets is having enough space for your desired yield, but as long as you have the room then it won’t be hard at all! You will be able to grow a good amount of onions with enough buckets.
Try out some candy hybrid varieties if you want sweeter flavors and more flavorful vegetables!
5. Peppers
The spectacularly beautiful sweet and hot peppers can be found in abundance, especially for those who love the bright colors of oranges or purples.
They thrive well within a grow box, but will do just fine if you have plenty of sunlight (and water!) inside your container too! Peppers cannot stand overly wet or overly dry soil, so keep this in mind when you are watering them.
The benefits of planting peppers in containers are numerous and varied, with one major advantage being that you can move your plant inside if continuously stormy weather threatens. Peppers come in all shapes and sizes from mild to searing hot depending on the variety; some even have barely edible spice levels!
6. Cherry Tomatoes
There are many different varieties of cherry tomatoes and they’re perfect for the garden. You can buy seeds or seedlings, but growing them from kitchen scraps is also an option!
7. Okra
The most important thing to know about okra is that it’s a delicious, easy-to-grow vegetable. It has great germination rates and you’ll find many different varieties available at your local market or farm stand!
8. Cucumbers
Cucumbers are a fast-growing vegetable commonly grown in containers. These water loving plants do best with large plastic or ceramic pots that help the soil retain moisture, making them easy to care for and perfect if you don’t have much space!
There are two main types of cucumbers: bush and vining. Either can grow in a container, but the shorter-growing “bush” variety is better suited for small spaces on your patio or balcony since they produce smaller yields than their taller counterparts with higher trellis needs.
9. Beets
Beets are a great root vegetable for containers. Choose smaller varieties or heritage stocks so that the beets have more of an impact in your container garden. Pink and white-hued varieties exist too, if you’re not into their red effects!
10. Lettuce
Lettuce is one of the easiest leafy greens to grow. There are so many types that will thrive in your kitchen container garden and it’s never difficult finding new varieties, either!
Start your own lettuce garden by planting seeds in the soil or growing them from kitchen scraps.
11. Spinach
Spinach offers an abundance of health benefits. Growing your own spinach in buckets will save you money and time, as it is too easy to grow them with the right seeds, in just about any type of potting soil!
12. Radishes
This is one of the fastest-growing veggies. Great to grow in buckets, these plants are so easy because you can control their heat by moving them into shady areas or adding water when they need cooling down!
13. Peas
Peas are easy to grow and popular springtime vegetables. They prefer a cool temperature during their growing season, but will also produce well in warmer weather.
It may be too warm for peas to fruit, but that’s no problem! You can still enjoy their sweet flavor by using the plants as green. Just two inches high and they’re perfect when your spring has been getting a little too hot around here.
14. Broccoli
Broccoli plants are heavy feeders and need more space. You can grow one or two broccoli in a 5-gallon bucket, but you should still plant them outdoors because of its long list of health benefits!
15. Potatoes
These lovely root veggies need one of two things, either a deep container or potato bag. Potato bags enable you to grow good amount of potatoes in limited space and don’t even need seed for starting plants!
If you have some potatoes that are starting to sprout, don’t worry. Just plant them when the first flower appears and start sneaking away with your new crop!