Making my first eBucket-does it look like I did it correctly?

Deb,

Looks perfect to me. Be sure the planting mix is packed fairly firmly around the colander, so it can wick the water up correctly.

David

Thanks, David! I want to make several of them:)

@Gymgirl has made many of these and I think did a tutorial somwhere. I gave her a shout out so I hope she checks in as well.

Deb,
Looking great! Are you going to us the lid on the bucket? If so, try to position the fill tube as close, and as vertical to the side wall as you can get it.

Stand it up and mark where it hits the colander. Then drill straight down to cut the hole. You want the tube out of the way of your plant. Also, you might need to drill the fill tube hole at an angle through the lid the way it's positioned now.

http://garden.org/thread/view_...

Look at the position of the fill tube in the SECOND pic with the smooth topped colander.

I borrowed the first overhead pic, and didn't notice the fill tube position before now.

Deb,

The only tip I didn't see as part of Linda's tutorial is that the bottom of the PVC fill tube should have a little bit of a slant cut off on one side. That allows the water to flow freely into the reservoir. If the tube is flat on the bottom, it could form a weak seal and make filling more difficult.

Thanks for the input! I want my buckets to be right. The colanders I found at my local dollar store have a fairly steep angle on the sides ( they were the only cheapie ones I could find around here...) but I can try to get the fill tube hole over a bit. I'll have to look for Dollar stores on my way to work-maybe I can find a better shaped one.
I haven't quite decided about the lids, but I should at least give them a try just to see what happens :)
Thanks again!

david_reaves said:Deb,

The only tip I didn't see as part of Linda's tutorial is that the bottom of the PVC fill tube should have a little bit of a slant cut off on one side. That allows the water to flow freely into the reservoir. If the tube is flat on the bottom, it could form a weak seal and make filling more difficult.

Thanks, David, I actually wondered about that

I looked around today and found some different colanders-also $1 each. They are rounder but have fewer "holes" in them. Which ones do you guys think would be best, or does it even make a difference? I was thinking that with the rounder ones I could get my fill tube more toward the side of the bucket?
Thanks!

The one on the left is the one in the photo below and the one on the right is the new one I bought today.

Sooo....the new colander I found today is to squishy. I relocated my fill tube on the existing colander-do you think that this will work out OK? How big should I make the plant hole in the lid?

The tube is about 1-11/2 inch away from the side of the bucket.






There's not much of the fill tube inside of the colander, though, does that matter?
Thanks!

Hey, Deb!

Wasn't on the net much this weekend, so just catching up, again!

David made a good call on angling the bottom of the fill tube so it doesn't sit flat on the bottom of the bucket and stop the water up when you fill. Thanks, D!

Regarding how much of the fill tube goes through the colander - not important. You just want it as close to the side of the bucket as you can get it, so you can center your plant in the eBucket.

Regarding the TYPE of colander you buy -- my only test is to put it on the floor in the store, kneel down, hold it on each side, and lean my weight into it. If it holds me up, without collapsing in the center or on the sides, it'll hold up a bucketful of wet potting mix, LOL!

You did a great job!

Once you gather up all your components, you can put an eBucket together in about 3 minutes!

P.S. Just remember to size the length of your fill tube according to what's growing in the eBucket! Consider how lush your foliage might get (or not). Trying to find a short fill tube in a forest of tomato vines is a total pain, LOL! I usually cut about 22-24" for the tomatoes. It'll look funny, at first, but once it's surrounded by all that greenery, you'll be very happy.

Hugs!

Deb,
How's the eBucket garden coming along?

I'm busy making buckets-my goal is to make 15-5 for home, 5 for the cabin and 5 for my mom and dad:)

That is a lot of buckets!

Okay. I give. What the heck is an e-bucket??

Here you go. Gymgirl is expert at it.

The thread "Make an eBucket!" in Vegetables and Fruit forum

that is great. Thanks so much. I have several buckets. I was wondering at the cost of materials but considering how short on ground I am and getting stuff out into the sunlight, these are great. I looked at her facebook and saw all sorts of self watering devices. So interesting. I just love DIY projects.

Oberon46
Uh, who's Facebook? Mine? Is that still up???!!! LOL! I don't do facebook...

David_reaves,
No. SIXTY (60) is a lot of eBuckets, LOL!

Which is what I sent to my cousin in College Station, GA via a gardener passing though Houston with an almost empty trailer, LOL.

I'm doing raised beds, now.

And, these, too...
ARCADIA BROCCOLI
The leaves really are blue-green. This plant is just beautiful. I'd grow it in an edible landscape, or in the garden, just for the foliage. Not to mention the side shoots are humongous after you cut off the crown!