Bucket gardening??

[Beekissed]

You could try wood chip gardening in your raised beds. Really cuts down on the weeds and any that arrive through airborne seeds are easily pulled, even if they have grown big...come up as easy as you please.

The only areas I got weeds in my garden this year were where my wood chips were much too thin...like 1-2 in. All the areas with a proper depth of wood chips had no weeds at all. Those few weeds in the shallow chips are pulled up easily, even if I had let them get a foot tall. Even little patches of joint grass came out like pulling them out of butter and I have hard pack clay soil under those chips where you usually have to chisel the weeds out.

Easy care gardening, for sure. I'm adding more chips this fall to get the correct depth throughout and I expect I'll have even less problems with weeds next year. I don't think I'll ever go back to regular gardening after experiencing this wood chip method.

 

[catjac1975]

If you have not already taken down your raised beds you could use fabric mulch and greatly reduce your weeding. My neighbor has reused the same piece of black plastic mulch for at least 25 years. It is a giant heavy weight square-I have never seen it for sale anywhere so I do not know where he got it. The one thing that would concern me about the buckets is the kind of plastic used. They are not food safe buckets so they may leach PVC in to the soil and get taken up by your plants. Just a concern-no real knowledge of this.
There was a women whose house I used to pass by that grew enough produce to have a veggie stand-in in buckets of all kinds. She use those tubs with rope handles that you see everywhere -they were quite large. I would experiment with how many in a pot. But one tomato, for instance, would probably be enough in a pot. I would also put landscape fabric under the pots or you will be weeding around your pots.

 

[catjac1975]

Did the math, will need 60 buckets for the same # of plants I had growing this year.

There are giant landscape black buckets that the landscapers just throw away-the size a tree would come in-maybe call around.

 

[secuono]

There are giant landscape black buckets that the landscapers just throw away-the size a tree would come in-maybe call around.

Have tried this before, for smaller pots. No one wanted to let go of their pots. Either store policy to throw away or they send them back.

I looked online for buckets, but they are hours away.
Weirdest part is that plastic company websites who sell wholesale, they're buckets are the same price as in store! Zero savings. I don't know how or where else companies get their empty buckets to fill with their product. =/

 

[ninnymary]

Did the math, will need 60 buckets for the same # of plants I had growing this year.

Have you checked craigslist to see if there are any free ones?

Mary

 

[dickiebird]

All of my buckets come from local restaurants, most held pickles so I know there is no problem with growing in them.
Bakeries are another source for buckets.
I have also used some smaller ones that held car litter.
One thing to watch is your moisture, containers dry out real fast!!!

THANX RICH

 

[thistlebloom]

What dickiebird said. I used to get free 5 gallon pickle buckets from a local burger joint, but now they are apparently competing with the home stores that sell their logo ones and charge. Still, stores that have bakeries will give away their empties, it would be worth a try.

 

[secuono]

I'll try again to ask for some.

CL is where I found the ones far away, $2 or $2.50. No free ones.

 

[catjac1975]

Have tried this before, for smaller pots. No one wanted to let go of their pots. Either store policy to throw away or they send them back.

I looked online for buckets, but they are hours away.
Weirdest part is that plastic company websites who sell wholesale, they're buckets are the same price as in store! Zero savings. I don't know how or where else companies get their empty buckets to fill with their product. =/

I meant to check with a landscaper who bought plants for clients and then has to throw them away. I buy 2 gallon pots on e-bay really cheaply.

 

[Nyboy]

I think it depends on area , I also hear people say they get the blue 55 gallon barrels for free. Not around here you pay for everything !!