Step one

One day, my dream is to own a nice chunk of property somewhere out there. Far enough to feel a little seclusion, close enough to go to the grocery store without a cooler. I want some animals; a cow, a pig, some goats, sheep,  and chickens. Maybe a few others. I want to have nice big old trees lining my drive with a swing, a roomy porch with some rocking chairs and a stream going through the backyard. I also want a hefty garden that we rotate crops year-round. Pretty nice dream eh? Do you feel like you're in a therapy session imagining a peaceful setting? That's what it makes me feel like and I want it in real life some day.

Welp, the only animal I've ever owned is a puppy that drives me nuts on a daily basis. My gardening experience is less than minimal and I have an internet/phone addiction. (First step is admitting it right?) Needless to say I've got a lot of learning to do. We're starting with learning to compost and growing a garden of vegetables this year. As I started researching what the crap you even start with I made the decision to use buckets. For starters, I don't have a lot of yard tools to cut/dig out garden beds. We're renters and I don't know how the owners would feel about that anyways. They made the yard real nice before we moved in. I could do raised beds but that's an investment we just don't have the money to make. Jake made me a raised bed a couple of years ago for my birthday (garden fail that summer, don't ask) and it cost around $100 to build it. Plus, he just doesn't have the time right now.

I started looking for 5-gal buckets on craigslist from restaurants and other such places. Then I saw online that you can go to the grocery store and ask the bakery and they'll usually give them to you for FREE! That's my kinda price. I called them two different times in a week and came home with a total of 17 buckets from the two visits. PLUS they were already cleaned out! I watched some videos and read some posts from this blog and got myself started.
   

   

17 free buckets from the bakery at the grocery store.

Drill a hole toward the bottom for drainage. I only did the one because we live in a hot and sunny area. I also read that you can drill holes in the bottom and include gravel at the bottom of the bucket before you put your soil in. I would have gone with that method in WA.

Used a drill for this but could probably be done just as easily with a hammer and a screw driver.

I've heard that chicken manure is good for gardens so I picked this soil. The bag also says it is ideal for vegetable gardens. There were so many to choose from! I'm glad they label them with extras for dummies like me.

Filled the bucket most of the way, broke up the clumps, tapped the bucket on the ground to help the dirt settle. Planted seeds as directed and put a handful or two of dirt over the holes. Took popsicle sticks and labeled each bucket. Hopefully no little hands will move them around!

This spot in our yard gets sun most of the day and it's hidden on the side of the house. We'll start here and see how it goes. To start we've got following buckets filled with a number of each plant: 3 buckets of Peas, 3 Carrots, 3 Beans, 3 Brussel sprouts, 1 Green pepper, 2 Cherokee tomatoes and 2 Cherry tomatoes.

The break down on cost:
buckets- free
seeds- $15
4 bags of dirt with about a half left over- $40
popsicle sticks-had them laying around, bought a bag at St. Vinny's thrift for $.25

Total is $55.25. If I can get half that out of produce this summer then it's worth it to me. I'm learning a skill and can have some salads and other foods made with pride this coming year.

I'd still like to grow herbs, various greens like spinach and lettuce, strawberries, pumpkins, corn, zucchini, squash, some other peppers, raspberries, potatoes and onions.