Sowing seeds directly in open ground doesn't come without drawbacks. The fluctuating weather conditions at the start of the season, predators and fungi can make you lose precious time during this crucial spring period. Sowing in buckets allows you to save valuable time and control growing conditions to encourage germination and the development of your seedlings. Discover our tutorial to get ahead of the season and create a vegetable garden that will make your neighbours jealous!
What is bucket sowing?
Bucket sowing involves planting seeds directly in a pot or bucket for future transplantation into open ground in the garden. It differs from broadcast sowing or row sowing done directly in open ground in a cold frame or garden.
This technique is frequently used in spring for plants that don't tolerate bare-root transplanting or need to start their growth in warm conditions.
It's also generally applied to plants that take up significant space in your vegetable garden and shouldn't be sown in large quantities.
Which plants are suitable?
This sowing method applies to several classic garden vegetables. It's practised for species with large seeds or where the number of plants in the vegetable garden is limited due to their size.
Notable examples include tomatoes, aubergines, peppers, all members of the cucurbit family (pumpkins, courgettes, squash...), sunflowers, artichokes, peas, broad beans.
Some perennial plants can also be sown in buckets. Examples include zinnias, nasturtiums, lupins, cosmos, etc.
Sowing cucurbits in biodegradable buckets
How to proceed?
First, obtain containers. You don't necessarily need to buy pots. You could use toilet roll tubes, yoghurt pots, newspaper, or use a paper potter...
There are also biodegradable turf pots that can be left in the ground during transplantation.
Next, obtain good quality sowing compost. This should be impeccable to ensure good seedling emergence. Good sowing compost is light, fine, well-draining and healthy.
You can use different types of buckets, as long as they're deep enough. Mix sand into your substrate to lighten it.
If you decide not to buy commercial "special sowing" compost, ensure your compost is well "matured" to prevent your seeds being attacked by pathogenous fungi (damping off). Adding sand or perlite always benefits seeds by lightening the mixture.
Fill the pots with sowing substrate or homemade substrate and level the surface with your hand.
Then make a hole using a pencil or your finger. Be careful not to cover the seeds too deeply! Generally, a depth of 2-3 times their diameter is sufficient. Remember that in nature, many seeds germinate on the soil surface without being buried.
Place 1-3 seeds per pot and water the buckets without completely saturating the soil. Overly compact and wet substrates encourage seed rot.
Sowing cobaea and tomatoes in buckets
Use a fine watering rose or soak the buckets by letting the compost absorb water through capillary action. Let them drain completely.
Seeds don't appreciate alternating wet/dry conditions. To prevent this, cover your containers with clear plastic or under a mini greenhouse to increase temperature, maintain humid conditions and stimulate emergence.
Water gently and cover your buckets
Place them in light and near a heat source.
As soon as seedlings emerge, remove the plastic and place your seedlings in a very bright location.
Otherwise, they would become leggy, fragile and weak. Plants in buckets are transplanted when roots emerge in large numbers from the drainage holes or when the plant starts yellowing, indicating exhausted compost nutrients.
What are the advantages/disadvantages of this technique?
Advantages
- The gardener can control the main growing parameters: temperature, humidity and substrate type. This is much harder outdoors with unpredictable weather.
- They'll also have better control over parasites and pathogenous organisms attacking seedlings. Keeping plants separate also prevents disease spread.
- Sowing in buckets saves seeds by avoiding over-sowing.
- Transplanting bucket-sown seedlings causes much less stress as roots are hardly damaged during repotting.
- Sowing in buckets lets you keep the strongest seedling if you've sown several seeds in one pot.
- This technique also extends the season by encouraging early germination in warmth.
Some disadvantages
- The small soil volume in a bucket leads to rapid drying out. You'll need to monitor watering carefully, especially if plants are in a greenhouse.
- Sowing in buckets requires organisation as it takes up space! Remember to label your buckets clearly to avoid mix-ups!
- Transplanting into open ground is simple but will inevitably require time.
- Commercial sowing compost is often quite expensive.
Sowing in buckets requires extra time for garden or vegetable patch transplantation
Most root vegetables can't be grown in buckets even at the start of cultivation. Avoid sowing carrots, parsnips, black radishes, salsify or other root crops in pots.
Before transplanting your buckets into open ground, regularly take them outside to gradually acclimatise them to cooler temperatures. This prevents excessive stress during final transplantation outdoors.
Also watch out for late spring frosts!
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