This five gallon bucket supply list is a part of the Alabama Extension Grow More, Give More project.

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 impact 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 listing of crops and planting dates.

Helpful tools include:

• 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.

Translations

• Download a Chinese translation PDF of Five Gallon Bucket Supply List, ANR-2882.
• Download a Korean translation PDF of Five Gallon Bucket Supply List, ANR-2882.
• Download a Spanish translation PDF of Five Gallon Bucket Supply List, ANR-2882.

Bethany O’Rear, Regional Extension Agent, Home Grounds, Gardens, and Home Pests, Auburn University

Reviewed May 2022, Five Gallon Bucket Supply List, ANR-2663