If you have a small backyard and you want to start gardening, there’s a simple solution.
Bucket gardening. All you need are some 5-gallon buckets, gravel, peat moss, soil, and compost.
Maybe that sounds like lots, but actually, it’s simple. For patients with small space, not only is bucket gardening a perfect option, but it also has several benefits over conventional gardening.
You have many plants to choose from! You’re not going to have to do any weeding, and you’re going to have fewer pests to deal with.
So now I will cover 27 fruits and vegetables that you can grow in buckets. These range from cherries and onions to tomatoes, cucumbers, and almost anything else in a larger garden you would normally plant!
These foods grow amazingly in buckets, so there is no need to worry about getting smaller than the average tomato. If you want a large tomato beefsteak in a container, that’s just what you’re going to get.
Whether or not you have enormous gardening space, if you want to grow your own fresh produce, you can, and we have the perfect vegetables and fruits for you to grow in those buckets!
Easy
1. Arugula
Arugula is not an especially well-known flower, but its sweet and spicy flowers have made it a favorite amongst other gardeners, along with its spicy leaves.
Best of all, since it takes no more room than the typical herb plant, arugula is very easy to grow in a bucket. Read this blog post if you would like to read more about growing arugula in a bucket.
2. Kale
It is possible to grow brassica in buckets, but kale is the easiest and simplest because it doesn’t have to make anything other than fresh leaves. Kale can be grown during all the months of the year, but it tastes best after it has had a touch of ice.
Check out this post if you would like to read more about growing kale in a bucket.
3. Lettuce
With plenty of options to choose from, lettuce is a prime choice for container gardening. Lettuce works best in shallow buckets, and you can inter-plant it with slower-growing vegetables if you want to.
The lettuce is suitable for picking in early spring and late fall. When there is a chance of freezing, you should plant lettuce and plant it again in the fall after it begins to get cold. In order to prolong the growth cycle into early winter, you can also put your lettuce pots indoors. Check out this post if you would like to read more about growing lettuce in a bucket.
4. Chard
Chards are from the same family as beets. It grows like lettuce but has a growing season that is much more prolonged. It’s cold, sturdy, and will bolt if it’s too humid for your season.
It is also a successful spring and fall double-season seed. You could forget chards if you plan to grow beets since the beet greens are very similar to the chard.
Check out this video if you would like to learn more about growing chard in a bucket:
5. Chinese Greens
Two fun cold-weather greens are Bok Choi or Sui Choi, ideal for a springtime start or an early winter garden. These two greens in stir fry are fantastic and are quick to produce.
These greens can bolt up as the weather gets warmer. Another thing to add is the flower heads always taste great and can add a heavy spice punch to your salads.
Check out this video if you would like to know more about growing Chinese greens in a bucket:
6. Peppers
There are many flavors, shapes, and forms of peppers, giving you lots of options to pick from. As a shallow-rooted herb, when grown in buckets, peppers usually do very well.
The type of pepper you select largely depends on how much spice you’re looking for. However, whichever type you go for, you shouldn’t have any problems growing a good pepper plant in a reliable 5-gallon bucket.
Read this article if you’d like to know more about growing peppers in a bucket.
Moderately Easy
7. Broccoli
Broccoli feeds more vigorously than many plants, which means it requires a little more room than you would realize to grow. A five-gallon container, however, provides more than enough room for a single broccoli plant to expand.
DeCicco and green comet broccoli are the two broccoli varieties that do the best when produced in containers.
8. Beets
Beets are similar to chard but require additional watering and deeper soil. Beet vegetables are great for buckets. To have the most fun in your bucket garden, pick smaller beet varieties or heritage varieties.
You could try yellow or albino beets if you’d rather not eat beets because of their overpowering red effects.
9. Carrots
They are easy to produce, and they are simple to spread out and even transplant in a container to make sure they thrive well.
Choose smaller varieties that do not develop a taproot that is very long and aim to balance the variety with the depth of the bucket you are using. Varieties with heritage are also sweeter and smaller than traditional varieties.
For a vibrant purple and bright orange carrot, try out Dragon. Check out this video if you would like to know more about growing carrots in a bucket:
10. Figs
Figs are one of the few plants that really grow best in containers, and while their root systems are limited, fig plants grow bigger, better fruit.
Figs are also considered to be fairly resilient plants that are fairly easy to produce. Check out this post if you would like to read more about growing figs in a bucket.
11. Onions
Onions are easy to produce and make an excellent addition to many salads and recipes. The only major challenge you might find when growing onions is if the bucket has enough room to grow a worthwhile amount of onions.
With enough buckets, though, growing a decent amount of onions is relatively simple. To search for a sweeter, more tasty onion to grow, try one of the candy hybrid varieties.
12. Radishes
Easy to grow, and a perfect spring flower. Select tiny short-season radishes so that when the sun arrives, they mature. Two brilliant colored tiny radish varieties are French Breakfast and Easter Egg, which are awesome to develop if you have children.
Moderately Difficult
13. Beans
Picking bush varieties is best if you’re going to grow this in a bucket. They have a shorter growth time than pole beans and are sufficiently compact so that it could fit any yard.
Most bush bean plants max outsize and grow well during the season. You might even try some Pole Bean types if you have a porch railing and narrow containers at the foot.
14. Eggplant
Eggplant plants share many common features with squash, making eggplant another good option for bucket gardening.
The little finger and fairy tale eggplants are a couple of fantastic eggplant types to consider. Check out this post if you would like to read more about producing eggplants in a bucket.
15. Cucumber
Cucumbers are mainly vining plants, so pick bush varieties for your container garden or practice vertical planting and grow them on the side of your house, porch, or deck.
Lemon Cucumber is an amazing small bush cucumber, and in short seasons, it fits well. Check out this article if you would like to read more about growing cucumbers in a bucket.
16. Parsley
Parsley develops very well in buckets, so this is the ideal herb to grow on the balcony or porch if you love to add fresh parsley to your meals. Parsley grows well in small buckets and needs minimal sunlight, so it is okay if it’s grown in apartments or other tight spaces.
For the best results, you will have to keep the soil moist and take good care of your plants. It grows best at temperatures ranging from 40 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit, making it suitable for container gardens in winter.
Just remember to carry it indoors at night to prevent it from getting too chilly.
17. Basil
You can grow basil pretty much anywhere, and it’s perfect for adding to soups and other meals.
You could grow a bit of basil for your favorite dishes, even if you don’t have an all-out herb garden. You’re going to need a six-inch planter, some fresh potting soil, and basil, of course.
Bear in mind that you need to avoid making the leaves and stems wet when you water basil. It’s best just to dump water onto the soil.
Every day, you will need to provide it with a bit of direct sunlight, so if you intend to grow it indoors, make sure you use containers during the sunniest part of the day that you can easily transfer to the deck.
18. Peas
Peas grow best during the cold of spring or during the cold, slightly frosted days of fall. Pick varieties of nutritious pods and get the most food from your vegetables.
It would be best to consider using pea plants as green when it is too warm for peas to come to full fruition. Pea plants are extremely fresh whenever the plant is just two inches tall.
Check out this article if you would like to read more about growing peas in a bucket.
19. Squash
In bucket gardens, summer squash, bush zucchini, and other tiny squashes are great. Bush zucchini and summer squash need fairly deep soil, rich in nutrients, but only around 4 square feet.
You can get more than enough zucchini for a summer-only by getting two zucchini plants.
By the way, if you’d like to learn whether you can plant zucchini in a 5-gallon bucket, click here.
Vining squash for bucket gardens is not advised unless you have a wide patio or outdoor area to cover them. Check out this video if you would like to learn more about growing squash in a bucket:
20. Tomatoes
Probably the go-to plant of bucket gardening, tomatoes are common in containers. When your bucket garden room is limited, choose smaller plant varieties.
Cherry tomatoes are amazing producers, and if the plants over-produce, the tiny tomatoes are easy to dry. Cherry tomatoes typically fruit earlier than the larger varieties of tomatoes.
Check out this video if you’d like to learn more about growing tomatoes in a bucket:
Difficult
21. Blueberries
Blueberries develop well in buckets, but regardless of whether or not they are planted in a greenhouse, they are considered to be quite a difficult plant to produce.
Blueberries need lots of water, lots of sunshine, and acidic soil. However, if you give them these three things, growing a safe, successful blueberry plant in a bucket is completely possible.
Check out this article if you would like to read more about growing blueberries in a bucket.
22. Cherries
Short trees with a tiny root system are cherry trees, making them suitable for growing in a bucket. A lot of sunlight will be needed for most sweet cherries, while most sour varieties do better in the shade, so it is necessary to understand what type of cherry tree you are planting.
Check out this article if you would like to read more about growing cherries in a bucket.
23. Lemons
Yes, in climates that are too cold for outdoor growing, lemons can be grown in buckets. Meyer lemons are more like a bush and are the smallest variety, and grows extremely well in buckets.
For container or indoor cultivation, you can also try other citrus-like kumquats or mini oranges. Check out this article if you would like to read more about growing lemons in a bucket.
24. Melons
Melons are large fruits with similarly large root systems, which means that growing them in buckets can also be difficult. With that said, if you use the correct method, it is entirely possible to grow several varieties of melons in buckets.
Try sticking with smaller melon varieties such as cantaloupes and miniature watermelons if this is your first attempt at growing melons in buckets.
If you want to learn more about growing melons in buckets, check out this video:
25. Potatoes
These lovely root vegetables require one of two things, a deep jar or a potato bag. Potato bags help you to grow a decent amount of potatoes in a very small area, and you shouldn’t need seed potatoes to start planting.
If you have potatoes that have begun to sprout, you should only plant them. You should start planting potatoes as soon as the potato plant begins to develop.
If you’d like to see more about growing potatoes in a bucket, check out this video:
26. Strawberries
They’re a terrific container plant, especially if you get a strawberry tower to help optimize space. Always grow for a steady harvest from July onwards, or try a blended planter of different varieties.
If you have a selection of runners, you can also trap runners in small pots and maintain your stock of strawberry plants. A strawberry plant typically has a fruitful life of three to four years.
27. Raspberries
Raspberries come for both summer and fall-fruit varieties, which ensures that you will enjoy a harvest that is months long if you grow the right seeds.
It is also worth noting that summer-fruitful raspberry plants seem to do well in buckets because they are smaller, less bushy plants.
If you’d like to learn how to store water in a 5-gallon bucket, click here.
Final Thoughts
I hope you found at least one fruit or vegetable that you would like to grow in a bucket. I really enjoyed making this post, and I have personally done all of these, and they were all possible to do and definitely delicious. If you don’t have them already, here are some great 5-gallon buckets.
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These are all really great plants. I really like potatoes and lettuce.