Bucket farming, a solution to limited space  

 

Having limited space should not stop you from farming because there are so many ways to practice farming and among which is farming in buckets.  

Drake Kizito, a gardener at Superior landscapes in Nsambya, said farming in buckets is a smart and affordable way of farming because a gardener can recycle his or her old buckets or purchase new ones.

What to grow in the bucket

He explained that vegetables like lettuce, cauliflower, broccoli and spinach, tomatoes, onions can thrive in the buckets.

"Herbs and spices will also thrive in bucket planters but a gardener should be extra careful when mixing plants because some stunt the growth of the other," he stated.

He added that the reptile and mosquito repellents like tobacco, lemongrass, rosemary, lavender, and garlic could also be planted in the bucket planter.

Where to set it

Kizito said that this kind of garden could be set in the back or front yard.

A gardener can mix and match the planters (buckets) and plants to add a pop of colour in the garden.

He said one could extend the garden to the balcony by either hanging them or placing them on the balcony floor.

Preparations

Nicholas Kayondo, an agronomist at Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) said, prepare the soil by mixing it with manure in a ratio of 1:3 or 1:4 (fertilisers being at a ratio of 1) and get half a well barrow of sand (lake sand).

"The bucket might have holes but insert in more underneath to avoid waterlogging. Put the mixed medium into the bucket, thereafter plant in anything you want," he explained.

Maintenance

Water the plants twice in a day, early in the morning and evening. He stated that after several harvests, a gardener could change the soil for better yields.  

Kayondo said a gardener should consider the amount of sun that the plants receive mostly those on the balcony. Rotating them in case the location they are receives too much sunlight.

"To keep the planters clean, simply use water and a piece of cloth to remove soil stains," he said.

However, he was of the view that to avoid the soil stains, you place small stones in the area you are to set the garden and let the buckets set above the stone.     

He added that another way of keeping the planters neat, a gardener could make a provision of wooden structure and hang the planters on it without touching the ground.