14 Vegetables To Grow In 5-Gallon Buckets For Compact Gardening

I recently had my house repainted after a good ten years of tolerating bad, deteriorating paint. The necessary step left me with an opportunity: tons of empty 5-gallon buckets. 

I decided to fill the buckets with some potting soil and sow a few seeds to see how a fully grown plant would look inside it. To my surprise, it looked absolutely fantastic!

In this article, I’ll be walking you through a list of vegetables you can grow in 5-gallon buckets for a perfectly compact garden. Let’s get right into it! 

14 – Peppers

Peppers are extremely easy to grow and maintain in buckets. You can sow pepper seeds directly into potting soil after the last frost date but keep in mind to drill holes at the bottom of the bucket for drainage. 

13 – Onions

Though you’ll be surprised to hear this, a 5-gallon bucket can actually grow up to 10 onions at a time!

They’re an excellent source of vitamins and antioxidants. Plant bulbs 8-10 weeks before the last frost date and enjoy a good summer harvest. 

12 – Tomatoes

Tomatoes can be grown quite well in buckets. Sow seeds directly into the potting soil 8-10 weeks before the last frost date and water them very often. Juicy tomatoes will call for large amounts of water and a lot of mulch. 

11 – Carrots

Since 5-gallon buckets are quite deep, you can even plant vegetables that grow beneath the soil like carrots, and have no problem.

Sow carrot seeds around early fall 3-4 weeks before the last frost date and let the light frost enhance their flavor for a sweeter harvest. 

10 – Peas

Peas are extremely easy to grow and they don’t require as much attention as some of the other needy vegetables. Because they tend to climb, I personally planted peas in my garden to add some vertical interest.

Early spring planting, around 6-8 weeks before the last frost date is ideal for planting peas because they thrive in slightly cooler temperatures. 

9 – Spinach

Another tasty vegetable you can grow in 5-gallon buckets: spinach. Consider early spring planting, 5-7 weeks before the last frost date since cooler temperatures will be beneficial for enhancing the overall flavor of the leaves. Ideally, you should be able to fit around 18-20 spinach plants in a bucket (if planted densely). 

8 – Kale

Kale will taste sweeter after undergoing a period of frost. Many people suggest planting it 3-6 weeks before the last frost. Although you won’t be able to fit a lot of kale in a 5-gallon bucket, it’s still plenty. If you have more than a few buckets lying around, that would be ideal. 

7 – Potatoes

Potatoes can be planted in buckets easily and they’ll grow fairly well. You can grow up to 2-3 pounds of potatoes in a regular 5-gallon bucket! It’s simple and takes up very little space in the garden or anywhere for that matter. 

6 – Broccoli

Yes, even bad old broccoli can be grown in a 5-gallon bucket. Just make sure the soil is adequately deep and keep the bucket in an area that receives plenty of sun. Plant it 5-7 weeks before the last frost date and harvest around late fall. 

Enjoy your broccoli then I guess…

5 – Bok Choy

This peppery-flavored, cool-weather green can be grown in a bucket effectively. Because it needs a lot of water, the 5-gallon bucket ensures adequate soil and moisture can be held inside and plants will be well hydrated.  

4 – Eggplant

With high quality, well-draining potting soil and frequent use of a balanced fertilizer, you can grow eggplants in a 5-gallon bucket fairly easily.

Start seeds 8-10 weeks before the last frost date and ensure there’s no risk of frost as it can definitely damage the plant. 

3 – Squash

Although it will be a little difficult to fit large quantities of squash in a 5-gallon bucket once they’re fully grown, you can still do it very effectively. I mean…I grew tons of butternut squash in my empty 5-gallon buckets, so it’s definitely possible. 

When the temperature warms up adequately and the last frost date is past, only then consider sowing squash seeds. 

2 – Cucumbers

We all love some juicy cucumbers, don’t we?

Well, good for us they can be planted in empty 5-gallon buckets easily. You can fit up to 3 cucumber plants in a bucket of that size! Once the risk of frost passes, you’re free to plant cucumbers whenever you want; that can be 2-4 weeks before the last frost date or right after it. 

1 – Mustard Greens

People who don’t know about mustard greens are always quick to think it’s some kind of a plant that pours out mustard. Yeah…that’s not the case.

It’s a leafy green that has leaves similar to cabbage, except they’re a little peppery and bitter. You can grow them easily from seeds in a 5-gallon bucket by planting them around mid-spring and letting them thrive in slightly cooler conditions. 

Final Words

Compact gardening done in buckets is simple, cheap, and sustainable. Many gardeners consider bucket planting a limitation or some kind of “discourtesy” to plants but, in reality, it’s just efficiency.

Pick up your empty buckets, select the right vegetables, and begin compact gardening today!