Why Buckets?
Global Buckets in particular, AKA Double Dutch buckets. Whatever you call them, they are a form of sub-irrigated planter. Dirt above an enclosed water reservoir, in point of fact.
Bucket vs raised bed- Salad mix summer 2019-
I had two plantings of mesclun mix (mixed greens) last year- purchased a ready to go mix on Amazon.
Planting one was a global bucket, total of 103 square inches, just under 3/4 of a square foot. Soil was a purchased mix made locally of peat and compost. I scattered a little time release fertilizer every three inches; soil was 13 inches deep in total. Top of soil was about 2" below the top of the bucket.
Planting two was a 4-5 square foot patch in a raised bed. Soil was good, not great, mixed with sand and some of the same time release fertilizer mixed into the top three inches. Bed had privacy fence on the east side, full sun exposure to the south and west, roughly 7 to 9 hours of sun per day.
Both plantings were cut high and allowed to regrow. Harvests were not weighed, so claims of yield are subjective estimates. I was able to cut the bucket 3+ times, while the bed was harvested only twice. Plants in the bucket were much denser than in the bed, and harvest was 100% useable. The raised bed lost some to bugs, and later to burning in the sun. Bucket grew more quickly than the bed. We ate 12 or 14 side salads from the bucket, and 16 from the bed. Additionally, leaving the soil two inches low in the bucket made cut and come again harvesting easy- I ran a kitchen knife along the top edge of the bucket, leaving 2" of plants to regrow.
- Yield on the bucket was more than 75% of the yield on the raised bed in 25% of the space.
- Sprouting the bucket was quicker than in the bed- I covered the bucket until seedlings appeared; sunlight on the bucket raised the soil temp faster than the soil in the bed
- the bucket started the season in full sun- three hours more than the bed had
- water efficiency in the bucket is superior- all the water was available to the planting, while water in the bed was able to migrate away to the surroundings (including the neighbor's yard)
- as the roots grew down through the bucket they had access to new fertilizer every three inches
- the bucket had no bug activity, the bed had minimal activity, but more than the bucket. I guess bugs interested in greens didn't crawl up the bucket.
- mobility contributed to higher yield in the bucket- I was able to move the bucket into increasing amounts of shade as the season grew hotter. By late July when the bucket was spent it had been moved to only get about 3 hours of direct sun on the southeast corner of the garage. As the season progressed the bucket grew at a faster pace than the bed
At the end of the year, the roots in the bucket had penetrated more than 13 inches deep- through the soil and into the reservoir below. Roots were so dense breaking them up was difficult. I found no sign of any fertilizer, indicating it was used up.
What else have I bucketed?
- Spinach- very successful. Three plants in one bucket, no bugs, 100% yield.
- Basil- also very successful. Planted one of those little potted packs you get at Wegmans- the kind with multiple spindly stems, that would make one nice batch of pesto. By the time the season was done we'd eaten all the fresh basil and pest we could want, frozen another 12 dinners worth of pesto, experimented (and failed) at freezing basil in oil and then blanched and froze enough basil
to get through the year. Major home run there.
So buckets beat the bed in yield, pests, nutrients and water efficiency. They score in mobility- you can change the direct sun conditons as the season moves on.
They also let you garden on the driveway. The patio. Second floor porch. Table top (sturdy table- they're heavy!) Flat roof. No more excuses about not having land for a garden.
Go grow something.
BfloBif
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