Beginnings of a five gallon bucket winter garden

[cajundetector]

Moved about 1 month ago so I had to leave my bed. Buckets seemed like a great alternative. Cabbage and lettuce is what I’m going for. This is about 2-3 weeks growth from seed. The far right bucket a the bottom are new cabbage sprouts. Did not take long at all! I’m gonna thin a usual, and like I did with the plants you see attempt to separate and put into individual buckets. Seems to be going ok but growing kinda “leggy”, so I’ve been burying the stems. Wish me luck, any advice is more than appreciated!! Thanks for viewing!

 

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[Ohiogoldfever]

Moved about 1 month ago so I had to leave my bed. Buckets seemed like a great alternative. Cabbage and lettuce is what I’m going for. This is about 2-3 weeks growth from seed. The far right bucket a the bottom are new cabbage sprouts. Did not take long at all! I’m gonna thin a usual, and like I did with the plants you see attempt to separate and put into individual buckets. Seems to be going ok but growing kinda “leggy”, so I’ve been burying the stems. Wish me luck, any advice is more than appreciated!! Thanks for viewing! View attachment 2174389

Good luck.

 

[pepperj]

Winter us challenging for growing.
It's just nature's way of letting life have a sleep.

Just planting the hoop house with lettuce now.
Should get an early crop first thing in the new year.

 

[cajundetector]

Good luck.

Thank you!!!

 

[cajundetector]

Winter us challenging for growing.
It's just nature's way of letting life have a sleep.

Just planting the hoop house with lettuce now.
Should get an early crop first thing in the new year.

Good luck 🌶️!! I’ll bet the winters you guys get are extremely challenging! Lettuce in my experience is difficult even without the extremes in temperature.

 

[tamrock]

Interesting, I've never tried what you're doing and please post the results as they go. I'm still getting a few things to dine on out of my garden. The cilantro I planted earlier grew up went to seed and died. Now I have some fresh new plants growing from those seeds that fell.

 

[robertk]

Seems to be going ok but growing kinda “leggy”,

Make sure they're getting enough light. Leggy plants are often trying to reach the light.

 

[cajundetector]

Interesting, I've never tried what you're doing and please post the results as they go. I'm still getting a few things to dine on out of my garden. The cilantro I planted earlier grew up went to seed and died. Now I have some fresh new plants growing from those seeds that fell.

Will do Tam!! I never had success at cilantro lol!

 

[cajundetector]

Make sure they're getting enough light. Leggy plants are often trying to reach the light.

Thank you Robert!! Well definitely consider👍

 

[Tpmetal]

Light in winter is an issue, that's why they stretch. Also be sure to have drainage holes in the buckets, as overwatering can be a big issue.

 

[tamrock]

Will do Tam!! I never had success at cilantro lol!

I'm gonna dig a couple up and put them in a pot in the window. Saw on the news today a clip of all the snow coming down in Telluride Colorado, which means I better decide soon on that idea. Winter is on its way. Not sure how it'll be this supposedly La Niña year by the Climate gurus, but from the way I understand it, all through the middle section of the 48 it's gonna be a normal winter and across the southern section it'll be colder and wetter than normal. Sure been some weird freezing winters in Texas in the last few years.

 

[cajundetector]

Light in winter is an issue, that's why they stretch. Also be sure to have drainage holes in the buckets, as overwatering can be a big issue.

Thanks TP!! Will definitely keep in mind

 

[cajundetector]

I'm gonna dig a couple up and put them in a pot in the window. Saw on the news today a clip of all the snow coming down in Telluride Colorado, which means I better decide soon on that idea. Winter is on its way. Not sure how it'll be this supposedly La Niña year by the Climate gurus, but from the way I understand it, all through the middle section of the 48 it's gonna be a normal winter and across the southern section it'll be colder and wetter than normal. Sure been some weird freezing winters in Texas in the last few years.

Yeah I tell ya Tam i first got into gardening as a way to relax, and it is. But so many darn decisions have to be made lol!! Also, theres nothing worse than being hopeful about some newly sprouted seedlings, and coming home one day and finding them all fallen over😪 Regardless, I’d love to compare notes in a couple months.

 

[tamrock]

Yeah I tell ya Tam i first got into gardening as a way to relax, and it is. But so many darn decisions have to be made lol!! Also, theres nothing worse than being hopeful about some newly sprouted seedlings, and coming home one day and finding them all fallen over😪 Regardless, I’d love to compare notes in a couple months.

What i learned this year was i need to think more about combating the pest in this region i live. With these fluctuations in the seasonal temperatures it will either be favorable for next years pest or work against their numbers. It's looking like next year will be just as bad as this year was and possibly more extreme if what those who forcast weather predictions goes the way they're now seeing it. Maybe I should just go with what the Farmers Almanac says. 🤔

 

[Tpmetal]

What i learned this year was i need to think more about combating the pest in this region i live. With these fluctuations in the seasonal temperatures it will either be favorable for next years pest or work against their numbers. It's looking like next year will be just as bad as this year was and possibly more extreme if what those who forcast weather predictions goes the way they're now seeing it. Maybe I should just go with what the Farmers Almanac says. 🤔

Quite often the best way to combat pests is having healthy plants. Next best way is to plant companion plants next to or surrounding your crop plants that deter these pest. Last ditch efforts will be plant treatments, being sure that you use something that will not end up in your system when you eat the plant(if it's food crops we are talking about).

 

[cajundetector]

What i learned this year was i need to think more about combating the pest in this region i live. With these fluctuations in the seasonal temperatures it will either be favorable for next years pest or work against their numbers. It's looking like next year will be just as bad as this year was and possibly more extreme if what those who forcast weather predictions goes the way they're now seeing it. Maybe I should just go with what the Farmers Almanac says. 🤔

Yes, for sure now that you have me thinking about it. I probably need to start thinking in those terms a Pest absolutely murdered my Lima beans this season. They were getting into my okra pretty bad but I did ok, I guess it’s because they started attacking at full plant stage, not when they were tender.

 

[AU Seeker]

Before I read any of the replies I was going to say the plants are reach for more light, it is IMHO is for two reasons, one being it's no longer summer so shorter days, but I also think it's more because of the plant being so low/halfway down in the buckets, most garden plants like direct sunlight, the sides of the buckets are blocking a lot of the available direct light all day long except at high noon!

Try an experiment with a full or shorter bucket and see if that plant does better!

 

[cajundetector]

Before I read any of the replies I was going to say the plants are reach for more light, it is IMHO is for two reasons, one being it's no longer summer so shorter days, but I also think it's more because of the plant being so low/halfway down in the buckets, most garden plants like direct sunlight, the sides of the buckets are blocking a lot of the available direct light all day long except at high noon!

Try an experiment with a full or shorter bucket and see if that plant does better!

Yes!! That makes perfect sense! Appreciate the reply👍

 

[ncsuwolf]

Not sure where you’re plants are located, but leggy and etiolated (light green/white) is a sign of lack of sun. If they’re green, it’s not light they’re lacking. Plants are a lot like folks….without exercise they become weak. The strength of a stalk can be greatly increased with exercise (wind). Setting up a fan a distance away from the plants (think breeze, not hurricane) will cause the stalks/trunks to toughen up/thicken and not get as leggy. As someone else said…..drill holes in the bottom of the buckets, overwatering is death. Best of luck, share pics as they grow up.

Edit: breeze doesn’t have to be constant. Couple hours a day will suffice. Also, you want to start air soon after germination….once they’re 12” tall with no support, the wind can beat them to death.

 

[ToddsPoint]

LED is the way to go indoors in winter.