Lawn & Garden
(Makes four buckets)
- Four 5-gallon buckets*
- Four 25-quart bags potting soil mix (avoid “garden soil” for container gardens)
- Pine mulch or other mulch to conserve soil moisture
- 1⁄2 cup gypsum per plant (summer garden)
- 1 pound granular fertilizer for vegetable gardens (Use according to label.)
- Insecticidal soap (for soft-bodied insects)
- Bt dust or spray (organic-sourced insecticide for controlling caterpillars, aka worms)
- Fungicide (Fungal plant diseases can seriously affect plant health.)
- Sturdy tomato cage, twine, or other way to support large or climbing plants
Seeds or transplants for early-spring and late-summer planting (cannot tolerate high heat): beets, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, collards, lettuce, mustard greens, radishes, spinach, and turnips
Seeds or transplants for late-spring and summer planting (mature plants cannot tolerate frost): cucumber, eggplant, peppers, tomato, and zucchini
Check “The Alabama Vegetable Gardener” at www.aces.edu for a complete list of crops and planting dates.
Helpful tools:
- Hose, nozzle, or watering can to transport water to garden area
- Gardening gloves
- Hand trowel
- Hand cultivator
*When using a 5-gallon bucket as a garden container, ensure that the bucket is food-grade plastic and not previously used for storing toxic materials. Drill or punch holes every 3 inches into the bottom of the bucket to allow for drainage. A 2- to 3-inch layer of gravel or small rocks below potting mix may also promote good drainage by preventing the potting mix from clogging the holes. The volume of one 5-gallon bucket is equal to 0.76 square feet. Four 5-gallon buckets is equal to 3 square feet. Use this to understand how much fertilizer to apply.
Bethany O’Rear, Regional Extension Agent, Home Grounds, Gardens, and Home Pests, Auburn University
Revised June 2023, Five-Gallon Bucket Supply List, ANR-2663