Wicking Bucket Containers - Budget Built for patio container gardening 

Yep. You are very correct. Since I use pipe I have laying around or left over. It’s often various sizes. So I cut 20oz bottles in half and put over the ends. Works great. Thanks for watching. Happy Growing.

@@A.L.B.O.E.SouthernHomestead what is your thoughts on using 2 liter soda bottles?

For a 2 liter bottle. Only difference I would do is put drain hole at 6” instead of 5”. To leave less air space and allow for more water retention, as your container volume is now less.

I think you can use mosquito bits to avoid that issue

@@cristina4436 I've seen some folks using them to keep mosquitos out and prevent them from laying eggs. Definitely an option.

Thank you. Happy I could help. Much appreciate the watch and comment. Happy Growing

Thanks for watching and commenting. Much appreciated.

Happy to help. Thank you for watching and commenting. Good luck on your new endeavor and happy growing to you.

Thank you for the kind words. That’s the hope. That anyone who watches this can be successful utilizing this method. Thanks for watching and commenting.

PLASTIC IS INJURIOS TO HEALTH.... ALREADY MICRO PLASTICS ENTERED IN OUR BODY BLOOD WITH THIS PROCESS ONE OF REASON ...ALERT ALL PEOPLE SAVE NEXT GEN

Thanks for watching and commenting. Happy Growing

Thank you for watching and commenting. My bucket vegetables did so much better this year as compared to my in ground vegetables. You’ll be pleasantly surprised how only watering and fertilizing down the tube increases the plants growth. Happy Growing.

​@A.L.B.O.E.SouthernHomestead So, I've watched many hours of growing tips. I see your video, and I am confused about what the benefit is here for this. Can you help me understand? Why not just cap the end of the PVC and drill holes in that? Then you can skip the jug. I am asking as a total novice. I don't understand the benefits of the jug, or any of this.

Will this method work for sugar baby 🍉?

@@jeremiah6462 not sure why I’m just seeing this comment now. Sorry for the delay. The jug acts as a reservoir of both water and air. At differing times. And both are beneficial to the plant. The method you speak of can work. But the water volume won’t be large enough to distribute water across the potting mix to intact the wicking process and the pipe won’t contain a large enough surface area of air to allow for air pruning. Which prevents the plant from becoming root bound. Additionally the large volume of water the jug can hold. Results in less time and need for you to go out and water the plant. Hope that helps and makes sense. Happy Growing

@@roxannrousealvarado4645 yes. Would just need a space for the watermelon to vine. Sorry for the delay in responding. I never got notified on this threads comments. Happy Growing

Thank you very much. I truly appreciate the kind words. Thanks again for watching and commenting. Happy Growing

Thanks for watching and commenting. Happy to help.

Thank you for commenting and watching. Very kind words. Happy Growing.

I just found this channel, I'm from Springville.

Thanks for watching and commenting. Happy Growing.

Great way to be resourceful. Those buckets sound perfect. It’s amazing what one persons trash can be converted to. Thanks for watching and commenting. Happy Growing

Happy to help …. You’ll be surprised on what some folks are willing to try when they watch it grow themselves. Thanks for watching and commenting. Happy Growing.

Happy to help. Thank you for watching and commenting. Happy Growing

Thanks for watching and commenting. Happy Growing

Thank you for the kind words. Details definitely matter. Glad I could help. Happy Growing

Thanks for watching and commenting. I use the French drains with landscape fabric on my large tubs. They work great as well. Thanks for watching and commenting. Happy Growing

I’ve done the same thing and those rubber made tubs didn’t last longer than a year in the the Louisiana heat and humidity. These buckets will last 5+ years without fail. Thanks for watching and commenting. Happy Growing.

@@A.L.B.O.E.SouthernHomestead .... I'm in South Florida so I know about heat n' humidity! 👀

_New subbie!_ 😊

@@byDsign thank you 😊

If you are talking about those storage bins… they are worth it but if anyone reading this wants to use those… get the black HDx type containers (w red and yellow lids)

Thank you for watching, commenting, and the sub. Much appreciated. Happy Growing

Thank you for watching and commenting. Happy growing

Thank you. Happy I could help. Happy Growing

Thank you. Happy to hear that my message came across well. Much appreciated. Happy Growing

Happy to help. Thanks for watching and commenting. Happy growing.

Thanks for watching and commenting. Such a kind and thoughtful comment. Much appreciated.

I AGREE 100%

Thanks for watching and commenting. You’ll be amazed by the results and less maintenance required. Happy Growing

Thank you for watching and commenting. The kind words are truly appreciated. I also appreciate the suggestions. I’ve done some bare root transplants before. And have done well with them - definitely agree with you on this method. And I also agree on catching the overflow/excess water if possible. I have some buckets set up on cinder blocks with landscape timber crosses. And I’ve caught the water below and used it before. Definitely a means of saving money and collecting the precious fertile water that would be otherwise lost. Thanks again. Happy Growing.

Can’t beat that price. I’ve seen them at big box retailers for up to $8. With a little searching. Can always find a better deal. Great find. Thanks for watching and commenting. Happy Growing.

@@shelly-sun-energy-garden thank you so much. I’m happy to help. Happy Growing this upcoming season.

You are very welcome. Happy to help. Thanks for watching and commenting

Thank you very much. I tried to explain it the best way I could for the most comprehensive understanding. Thanks for watching and commenting.

Thank you for watching and commenting

Thanks for watching and commenting. I’ve never had issues with mosquitos and the side holes - or at least to the extent where I’ve noticed them. But definitely on the fill tubes. I like using bottles over the fill tubes to keep evaporation down. And it allows me to squeeze my watering tubes in when needed. Caps are probably even better. Now that you say it, I can probably drill a hole and put watering tube in. And truly keep any and all mosquitos out. Thanks for watching and commenting. Happy Growing

Good tip. Thanks for watching and commenting. Happy Growing

Also wear gloves cause of skin diseases

Wow, I HOPE you are Healthy and thank you for the heads up!!! I never heard of that until you spoke up so Many THANKS Friend!!!

I was worried too when I saw all that dust flying around when various products were added to the potting mix. Many bacteria can lay in the dirt without us ever knowing it (including tetanus). It's okay to get the loose soil on your skin but if you breathe it into your lungs you can be in real trouble. Always wear a mask and gloves when dealing with soil and additives. Better to be over-cautious than to endure the woes that might arise.

I was unaware that can happen! Thanks for the heads up.

@@spir5102 thank you for watching and commenting. Happy to help.

We are getting down to freezing or at least very near tonight. Moved all bucket plants inside. The beauty of the method. Praying it’s the last time. Thanks for watching and commenting.

I’ve read a lot about electro culture. I’ve never done it myself. But plan to look more into in here in the near future. This bucket method will inspire you for sure. It’s definitely an ideal growing method. Thanks for watching and commenting

Thanks for watching and the great comment. No criticism inferred. I agree it is everyone’s job to do our best for our native soils. The potting mixes I’m using here all have published npk values of very negligible amounts 0.4-0.5-0.4 respectively. So all less than 1. That being said, the bioavailability of these nutrients are not readily available on day one of plant placement. So substituting with a water soluble fertilizer or more readily available and easily broken down formulation is required to bridge the gap. The other ingredients such as the sustain are long length slow release fertilizer. So they take longer to be used. In a more controlled manner. Adding the additions I’ve shown helps to ensure enough food for the plants for the duration of their lifespan. And optimizes the amounts to promote the max growth possible during the growth period. Hope that helps. Thank you.

Over fertilizing is a problem, especially with the huge and corporate farms. For containers, the soil the plant can pull from is limited; they can't send out roots to find what they need. Plus, water will overflow the drain holes and washing away the needed fertilizer. Be careful, but consider who is really doing the overfertilizing/harming the enviroment.

Thank you. I truly appreciate it. I have some videos I feel would be beneficial to record. And hope to be able to do just that and edit them soon. Happy Growing

Thanks for the comment. I think you’ll be very impressed by this method. Thanks for watching. Happy Growing

Thanks for watching and commenting. Wicking for me has been far superior to any other method I’ve tried before. Happy Growing.

Thanks for the sub, watch, and comment. Enjoy your new grow method. Happy Growing

Thank you very much for the kind words. And thank you for watching and commenting. Happy Growing

Happy to help. Thanks for watching and commenting. Happy Growing

No problem neighbor. Good luck this upcoming year. The beauty of this method is that you can move these plants to shelter if need be. Happy Growing. Thanks for watching and commenting.

Awesome to hear .... some of the earth boxes and emsco planters I use have covers to help retain moisture much like your mulch is doing. I have wicking tubs with blackberries in them and I always keep a good layer of mulch on them. It definitely helps. Happy growing and thanks for commenting and watching.

What kind of soil are you using?

@@angelxoxo1010 I make a mix of about 75-80 percent sifted and pre-moistened peat and make up the rest with perlite and vermiculate. I add fertilizer based on what I'm growing. The mixture of peat, perlite and vermiculate wicks really well. I tried using a mix with compost before and it didn't wick as well and I had issues with roots rotting

Any loose potting mix will work. But not potting soil. The potting mix has to have a high peat content.

Yes I kept waiting to see what kind of mulch he put on top to keep soil from getting on bottom leaves and washing in the rain. Pine straw will work also to help keep moisture in and rain from splashing. Great video! I will have to try putting the gallon jug in there with the holes for watering. I have seen soda bottles in upside down to save on potting mix.

Thank you very much and thanks for watching and commenting

Thank You for putting up your plant projects for us all to watch. And your welcome regarding the comments.

Thanks for the feed back. Glad the plants are doing well. Happy Growing

@@AvrilA-l7z thanks you for watching and commenting. Glad I could help. Happy Growing

I've never had that issue but probably because I pack my soil down pretty well. Could also be that most often I'm transferring a plant from typically a 1/2 - 1 gallon pot to the bucket - so that adds additional dirt and space being occupied. For my fruits in wicking containers. I intentionally leave the dirt low, which allows me to add mulch on top the dirt for warmth and moisture retention. And is an additional source of nutrients for the plant. Thanks for watching and commenting. Happy Growing.

Thanks for watching and commenting. This is by far one of my favorite ways to grow. Happy Growing.

Awesome ideas. Sounds like those ideas would work great. Thanks for sharing.

I'm going to keep it simple and just drop a plastic solo cup over each pipe .

Great ideas, thanks 4sharing 😂❤❤❤❤

Thank you for watching and commenting.

Thanks for watching and commenting. There are many variations of this method. But the premise is still the same. And I’m sure his results were great too. Wicking tubs and buckets are so convenient. It’s my favorite type of grow container

It reminds me of the old Larry Hall rain gutter grow system. I stoped growing in them buckets only because I became a hoarder of buckets. I sure miss Larry Hall from Brainerd Minnesota RIP 🙏

You are very welcome. Thanks for watching and commenting. I think you’ll be very satisfied with this method. Happy Growing

Thanks for watching and commenting. Much appreciated.

Great idea. I like moving my buckets when needed to optimize their growth. I’ll keep this in mind this spring. Thanks for watching and commenting. Happy Growing

Thanks for the heads up .... These will stay in containers for a bit. Happy Growing

Thanks for the info because I just ordered a couple small trees lol

Thank you very much. Happy Growing

Thanks😁👍 Im a very excited newbie

I have a drip system on some of my larger pots. It’s literally a zero work system except for fertilizing. Thanks for watching and commenting. Happy Growing

When I go away for a week, I set my pots into about 6” high plastic or rubber bins from tractor supply, depending on height of pots, then fill with water before leaving. If it rains, the bins fill again. Semi shade while you’re gone if it’s really a hot and dry place. Berry bushes love sitting in water it seems. I’ve got small pecan trees I’m growing for 2 years now and they sit in water while outside. I’ll bring them inside for one more year and plant out next spring . Hopefully all goes well. Good luck in your back yard !

Thank you for watching and commenting. Happy Growing

Thanks for watching and commenting. Happy Growing.

Thank you very much for the watch and comment. I’m not sure what it is about these buckets. But haven’t had any mold as of yet. I’ve done the blue buckets before as well. Same result. Happy Growing

You are very welcome. Thank you for watching and commenting. Happy Growing.

Thank you for the kind words. Glad to hear you found it useful. Happy Growing

You wont be disappointed. Happy Growing

Great to hear. And thank you for the kind words. Container gardening really lets you have control over numerous variables that can ultimately better the plants growth and production. I think you will enjoy this method and the product that results. Thanks for watching and commenting. Happy Growing

Works great for fruit trees. I have multiple fig trees and blackberry bushes in a larger version using cattle feed tubs. Plan to do a video soon if I can find more tubs. Happy Growing.

This will definitely keep the gophers at bay. Thanks for watching and commenting. Happy Growing

You won’t be disappointed. I’m thankful for the ease of moving them for protection during the recent freeze. Happy Growing.

Thanks for watching and commenting. Happy Growing. I think you will enjoy.

Yes the gallon jug reduces the amount of soil needed as well. Many variations of this technique floating around. All with great outcomes. I imagine pea gravel can get expensive. I too use a long funnel when adding fertilizers to the water in the gallon jug via the pvc fill tube. Works great. Thanks for the comment and watching. Happy Growing.

​@@A.L.B.O.E.SouthernHomestead❤

Thanks for the awesome comment. Happy to help. Enjoy your new found container gardening method.

I’ll see what I can do. Always room for improvement. Thanks for watching and commenting

😂

😅

Thanks for the comment. Do you have a link?

@kimfroman2023 what snap on handle do you use?

You can also use a small size pool noodle split in the middle and cut to size to put over the carry handle.

Thanks for commenting and watching. Happy Growing

Thanks for watching and commenting. This will definitely help maintain great growth and excellent plant health during those long hot days. Happy Growing.

Thanks for watching and commenting. Happy Growing this upcoming season.

GREAT VID. PERFECT DEMO. TY! I use weed barrier to separate the soil from the bottom. It keeps the soil out of the water. I LOVE SELF WATERING CONTAINERS!!! Just showed 2 of my neighbors how to when I gave thrmm extra cherry tomato starts. They are' new to this. I think I'll forward this vid.

@@thegiftlady1 thanks for watching. Commenting. And sharing. Happy growing

@@thegiftlady1 Is it that you just crumple the weed barrier at the bottom of the bucket up to the 5" drain hole? Thanks!

Thanks for watching and commenting. Much appreciated.

Leon has great info for the cattle protein tubs converted to wicking tubs. A bit hard to follow. But he is a wealth of knowledge. And a great asset to the gardening community. Thanks for commenting

Thanks for watching and commenting. I’ve done the wine corks and stick method, marked the stick with markers to tell the level of water in the jug - which likely works just like the pool noodle. But with these particular buckets in this video, you can see the water level with the naked eye through the opaque bucket side. Any method to stay on the top of the watering is ideal and key. Happy Growing

Thank you very much. Thanks again for watching and commenting.

Thanks for watching. Happy Growing

Thanks for watching. Happy Growing

Thank you very much. Appreciate the kind words, the watch, and the comment. Plan to have more here shortly. Winter was rough with the drought and I let my in ground garden rest. Happy Growing

Thank you subscribing and watching. You’ll love this bucket grow method. Hope to bring many more great videos your way. Happy Growing

@@A.L.B.O.E.SouthernHomestead Heck Yeah! I'm staying tuned in, for sure. #Keepupthegreatwork

@@A.L.B.O.E.SouthernHomesteadi!VVyyye N g'

Thank you for watching and commenting. Many blessings for you as well. Happy Growing

Thanks for watching and commenting. Happy Growing

Great to hear that my video has helped instill your confidence. Stick with it and you will be great. Happy Growing. Thanks for watching and commenting.

The jugs are necessary to hold water and air. The water reservoir allows for plants to use water as they need it. Allows for less frequent watering. And helps prevent over watering or drowning the plants. The pipe alone won’t do any of those things as it’s not large enough. The jug also results in less soil use. There are commercially available grow boxes using the same premise of growing as seen in this set up with a water reservoir but for $30-50 a piece. And people buy them like crazy. The proof is in the research and the growth differences between this method and a regular grow pot. Hope that helps. Thanks for watching and commenting. Challenge him to planting both this way and however he thinks is necessary and then compare the outcomes. He will get it then.

This method works great for squash. I had great success with keeping vine bores away, as soon as I started planting squash in containers - which led to a longer harvesting season. Happy Growing. Thanks for watching and commenting.

Thanks for watching and commenting. Happy Growing

Thanks for watching and commenting. Hope the information was useful and helps you to grow some great plants in the future.

@@A.L.B.O.E.SouthernHomestead We've had gardens for 60 years. Still I think your content is fantastic for those who have no space for a garden or simply want a few containers. I believe that acknowledging great content will bring others to you.

@@anthonylawrence9307 much appreciated.

Thanks for watching and commenting. Really any sort of pipe will work. Whatever you can source. Happy Growing

Yep. Gallon jug will last a couple years. Just add fertilizer Year after year and remove any retained salts of non organic. And you’ll be good to go

Anytime you can source some for free, it’s a win win. Thanks for watching and commenting

1” below the top of the water reservoir container or jug - at minimum. So that an air space exists at all times. Hope that makes sense. Thanks for asking. Thanks for watching as well

Thank you for the kind words and watching. Happy Growing.

That’ll work. Happy Growing. Thanks for watching and commenting

Gardening in itself is expensive initially. But once established. The costs for years after the start up year come down drastically. As you already have the buckets. Lumber. Pipes. Soils. Etc established. The method in this video just gives alternatives for easily sourced items to build planters that waste less water and provide the plants with exactly what they need, when they need it. Propagating your own plants and seeds will help reduce the cost as well, especially if you save seeds from the previous year’s harvest. And knowing where your food came from and that no harsh pesticides or chemicals were used in their growth is priceless to me. Thanks for watching and commenting. Happy Growing

Maybe try Rubbermaid totes so you can grow more in the same space.

​@A.L.B.O.E.SouthernHomestead I completely agree with your perspective. Only discrepancy is that what is readily available for some is not necessarily readily available for others. I do love the sharing of ideas, and understanding. Hopefully even if you don't have much one might be able to take this understanding and some creative thinking about how to use what is available. I don't have alot of access however am considering where I could ask to take other people's "rubbish" that I can sanitise and use to make a balcony a garden. End goal doesn't have to be anything in particular however if we don't make a start we'll never know what's possible

You can get many of the materials for free, or relatively cheap. This guy got his 5 gallon buckets free from local businesses. The one gallon jugs can be saved over time. Lumber and pvc can be found on FB for free or cheap, and you can make your own potting mix cheaper than you can buy it.

Go to a local restaurant that has pickle slices. Guaranteed they get them in a 5 gallon bucket that they just throw away when it's empty. Best way to get free food grade buckets in my opinion.

So very awesome. Thanks for sharing that information with me. Im very humbled by knowing I'll help educate future gardeners. Thanks for watching and commenting. Happy Growing.

Thank you. Truly appreciate the watch and the comment. Happy Growing