Grow Tomatoes in a 5 Gallon Bucket with style : An Easy DIY

My neighbour Milie and I are two peas in a pod! Since she moved in right next to me last summer, we became fast friends.

Our kids go to the same daycare, and we each take turns picking them up. We even take each other’s kids one evening a week so we can have some child-free time!

Milie always comes up with great ideas. This year she thought it might be fun to get tomato plants for our kids and have them take care of the plants. The problem is that we have limited space with our condo lifestyle.

So we came up with a great way to plant our tomatoes in 5-gallon buckets! If you have limited space, or you’re planning on growing a vegetable garden on your deck, this is a great idea.

Here’s what you’ll need for your project:

5-gallon buckets (we bought three, one for each child, but you can buy as many as you need)

An electric drill

Soil (the one below is highly recommended for tomatoes)

Tomato plants (you can start with seeds; in our case, we bought plants that were already started- 1 yellow, 1 red and 1 blue!)

Burlap (you can find burlap at any fabric store, in garden centres and even at the dollar store!)

Twine

Mulch (it helps retain moisture and keep some bugs away!)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Drill holes in the bottom of your container (this is crucial for drainage)

2. Cover your bucket with the burlap, making sure that some of the fabric overlaps into the inside of the bucket, and secure with twine.

3. Fill bucket with soil until about an inch from the top, and place tomato plant in the middle.

4. Add mulch at the top of it, along with support for the plants (tomato plants need a lot of support, and it’s better to add it before the roots get in the way)

5. Place your tomato plants in a sunny location (south-facing is the best). Milie and I decided to put the plants on the landing between our two row houses.