The Five-Gallon Garden

About the book

A five-gallon bucket is the right unit for this. It is cheap, it is everywhere, it holds enough root space for a full-size pepper or a compact tomato, and you can still pick it up and move it when the light changes.

Most first gardens fail the same way: too much kit, the wrong soil, a hose with nowhere to coil. This book takes the opposite route. You start with a single five-gallon container, learn exactly what one plant needs, and add the next pot only when the first one is thriving.

Chapters follow the order of decisions you actually make, from measuring your light to choosing a container, mixing a potting blend, timing the planting, watering, feeding, staking and fixing what goes wrong. Every number comes from U.S. university Extension services and the USDA, and is cited at the back.

What you'll be able to do

• Map how many hours of direct sun your space really gets
• Match each crop to the right pot size and mix
• Build a self-watering bucket from parts that cost a few dollars
• Diagnose yellow leaves, blossom-end rot and common pests
• Plan succession plantings so the harvest keeps coming

What's inside

1. —Start with one bucket
2. 01Find your light
3. 02Pick the right container
4. 03Mix the dirt that isn't dirt
5. 04Choose plants that fit
6. 05Plant at the right time
7. 06Water like you mean it
8. 07Feed a plant that lives in a box
9. 08Stakes, strings and wind
10. 09Fix what goes wrong
11. 10Harvest, replant, repeat
12. AQuick reference: 20 crops in containers
13. BYour season planner

A look inside