Gardening for Old Folks (Adaptative)

[jvls1942]

this is one of the things I like about the buckets.
out of the 60 buckets, I don't think I pulled out more than a quart of weeds, total..
I mix up the dirt and nutrients (Tomato Tone) in my cement mixer. 15 gallons of dirt at a time.
I pick the weeds , if any, out as I fill the buckets.
After their ride in the cement mixer, the whole root is shook free of dirt.. I don't worry about any weeds that get buried deep into the bucket, because they die and never reach the surface..
.....jiminwisc.......

 

[sharron]

I am an old gardener , I guess.
for the 2017 thru 2019 years, I did no gardening.
Bad hips ..
In 2020 I decided to plant 8 tomatoes in 5 gallon buckets.. Daughter had hundreds of tomatoes started so she gave me some more.
And then some more. I have 60 tomatoes in 5 gallon buckets and 4 green bell peppers..
I had one grape tomato plant that produced over 150 tiny tomatoes.
it was in a 3 gallon bucket.
I am experimenting with self watering buckets. .
for me , bucket farming is the way to go.
I have pictures if anybody is interested.
.........jiminwisc.......

yes, pic's please

 

[jvls1942]

I have the buckets spaced about 3 fee apart in rows about 3 feet apart. Next time I will space them at least four feet apart so I don't brush against them when walking through.
the front row are Romas. I put them into the self watering buckets when they were 8 inches tall. I never watered them agiain until after I took this picture , about 4 or 5 weeks later..
.......jiminwisc........

 

[jvls1942]

Here are some pictures of the style I like.
It requires only one bucket instead of two.
.

this is the inside view of the bucket with a piece of 4'' perforated drain tile. 10 1/2" long.
I should fit snugly.
at one end of the drain tile is a 1/2'' hole in the side of the bucket at 3'' from the bottom of the bucket. (the hole can be smaller or larger) as long as the bottom edge of the hole is about 3'' from the bottom of the bucket. Less than 3 '' is OK, it is not that critical.
when the excess water drains out, there will be about 1'' of air space in the top of the drain tile..
On top of the drain tile in the center, drill a 1 1/4'' hole.
cut a piece of 1'' thin wall pvc pipe about 32'' long. I beveled the cut to make it easier to force the pipe through the hole. It is a very tight fit.
cover the drain pipe with your potting mix so that it is well covered at least 2 inches deep and packed in so it doesn't settle.
tomatoes and peppers: I remove some of the lower leaves.
hold the plant so the lowest leaves left on the plant are about even with the top edge of the bucket. fill the bucket to within 2'' of the top with dirt. water the plant in really well. it is impossible to over water at this point because the excess water will run out the drain hole.
next, bring the bucket handle up and zip tie it to the fill pipe. at this point, the fill pipe is also the plant's stake.
we won't go into it right now, but other things can be used instead of the perforated pipe. such as plastic coffee cans or milk jugs.

this is a 1 1/4'' hole. You don't have to make it this large. in fact a 3/8'' to 1/2'' hole is plenty.. just keep in mind, the bottom of any hole determines the depth of the reservoir. .
.

 

[R2elk]

Looks like it is time to start making pickles.

This one is 30 3/4" measured along the outside curve. It is 2 1/2" in diameter at its widest point.
Painted Serpent Cucumber

 

[cavemanrich]

Looks like it is time to start making pickles.
View attachment 2300424
This one is 30 3/4" measured along the outside curve. It is 2 1/2" in diameter at its widest point.
Painted Serpent Cucumber
View attachment 2300427

There is no jar tall enough worldwide to handle that long one

 

[R2elk]

There is no jar tall enough worldwide to handle that long one

That is why it is going to end up in pieces.

 

[sharron]

Looks like it is time to start making pickles.
View attachment 2300424
This one is 30 3/4" measured along the outside curve. It is 2 1/2" in diameter at its widest point.
Painted Serpent Cucumber
View attachment 2300427

thats sure different

 

[jvls1942]

The concept is pretty simple. You have a water reservoir at the bottom of the bucket, a separator that allows water to seep through and soil above. You refill the water via a tube and any excess water comes out hole(s) in the side of the bucket to let you know when the reservoir is full.

This setup allows for a constant low-level of moisture in the soil, encourages the plants to grow deeper roots, reduces the total amount of water needed, reduces nutrients being leached out of the soil and allows for less frequent watering.

It takes some extra effort up front to build the self-watering system but is well worth it. If you can use a drill, then you have all of the mechanical skills needed. 5 gallon buckets are common, but it can be done with all kinds of containers.

Here are two very good videos on the subject:
Video #1
Video #2

these are the videos I watched, plus a few more that he made.
I also got some double buckets from my daughter.
they are a little more involved to make, and I don't think they are any better than these simple ones.
I mix my soil in a cement mixer. I mix 15 gallons at a time. I used only Tomato Tone for nutrients.
I add about a half cup per 5 gallon. while mixing.
I will take a picture of the root system of the cherry tomato that I just terminated this week.
......jiminwisc.......

 

[jvls1942]

Here is the scrawny cherry tomato bush that produced over 150 tomatoes.
It was in a 3 gallon self wicking bucket.
I don't know if you can see all of the fine hair roots ?
.

some of the green bell peppers are turning red.. this is a first for me.