Five-gallon buckets?

[genevra-mcneil.livejournal.com]

I've decided to embark on a small container garden using self-irrigating five-gallon bucket contraptions. Does anyone know of a business that uses those sorts of buckets and is willing to give them away to budget gardeners? I can just start wandering into stores and asking but thought maybe you guys could direct my search to make it more fruitful.

Thanks.

Comments

[rmd.livejournal.com]

Not quite 5g, but I have several big plastic cat litter containers. My guess is around 3g, maybe 3.5g.

[badseed1980.livejournal.com]

I can attest to the usefulness of these containers as a base for self-watering planters. I have four of them in my own container garden. I've successfully grown a couple good-sized jalapeño plants in one before, and now I have four of them with pepper plants this year. The friend who taught me to make them has said she finds them to be really great for basil.

[koshmom.livejournal.com]

Hardware stores and paint stores sell those buckets. Doubt that you'll find them cheaper than at home depot where the website sells them for $2.60 each.

[clevernonsense.livejournal.com]

The orange hd buckets are not food grade. They and loews have food grade versions for about $4.

To the original q: you can ask Chinese restaurants since they go through a ton.

[magid.livejournal.com]

Do they need to be food grade to grow food, rather than store food?

[clevernonsense.livejournal.com]

Definitely! Chemicals leach into soil, end up in whatever is growing, often concentrating in the edible parts.

As an aside, be sure to use potting soil or mix your own without using backyard dirt, unless you test it first. (Even then, normal topsoil is not appropriate for container gardening so will need added organics)

[pierceheart.livejournal.com]

off the gardening topic - which ones are food grade at loews/HD? Beer brewing bucket ...

[clevernonsense.livejournal.com]

At Lowes, it's the white bucket that conveniently says "Food Grade" above it :) Not positive, but I think that's the only bucket Lowe's sells.

I think HD does something similar but most of theirs are the orange kind.

I think--but do your own research first--that any plastic with "2" on the bottom is food grade, though if it's dyed/painted that could also be moot.

The beer buckets at the home brew shop are only about $7, fwiw. The lids are dumbly expensive though.

[42itous.livejournal.com]

You could try large restaurants and caterers. Season to Taste (2447 Mass Ave), Foundry (255 Elm), Dunkin Donuts. Anyone who might go through 5 gallons of something like iced tea powder or soy sauce.

[mytheria.livejournal.com]

Last time I needed one, I was able to get a pickle bucket from a sub shop.

[emcicle.livejournal.com]

we've had success getting them from Greek Corner in the past.

[emannths.livejournal.com]

Dave's Fresh Pasta said they had some when I inquired a couple years ago.

[plumtreeblossom.livejournal.com]

I should have thought of this before paying $12 each for gardening containers at Pembies.

[teresaelsey.livejournal.com]

Late to the party, but for the future reference of those interested in buying buckets within walking distance of Davis ...

Supreme Paint and Wallpaper (http://www.city-paint.com/) in Ball Square sells 5-gallon plastic buckets for $5. They are plain white; not sure about food-grade, but they are marked number 2. Just bought a bunch for my tomato plants.