I would like to draft an article for Countryside on this subject, perhaps something on the order of "101 Creative Uses for the Plastic Five Gallon Bucket on the Homestead". Have you done something creative or unusual to reuse them?

I'll start. I have had a wet/dry vacumm cleaner for about 20-years. Eventually the metal container rusted through. I noted it was the same size as the plastic bucket, so with a little adapting, it now serves as the container. I can guarantee it won't rust out again.

As is the policy, your e-mail address will not be used. But please do identify yourself somehow, such as Patty from NY, so at least partical credit can be given.

(By the way, for those who may be wondering, I have never received any payment from Countryside for the material of mine they have used, beyond an occasion free classified ad. I have a lifetime subscription, purchased years ago, so they cannot even provide a free subscription to me. Everyone needs a hobby.)

-- Ken S. in WC TN (scharabo@aol.com), September 16, 2001

Answers

- strap two to your feet to use cleaning the ceiling or whereever you need a little lift. - use in the garden for weeds, bringing in produce. - as a wash bucket - as a water bucket for your animals - as a compost bin - to catch rain water off the roof - set one where you store your tools,fill with sand and pour oil into it. When you are done using your garden tools stick it in the bucket. Cleans and oils the tool at the same time. - as a garbage pail - tie a rope to one and use it to lift tools up and down a ladder or up to a roof - to haul cleaning supplies around the house - to plant tomatoes in (if you want to try and extend the season)

Mary R. in Maine

-- Mary R. (cntryfolk@ime.net), September 16, 2001.

FIVE GALLON BUCKET USE

Where water is taken out of creek, there is a 5' verical bank. Tie a rope to the handle and pitch it out in the center. It gradually fills as pulled back across and then it is liffted up the side.

-- ken (steelframeme@yahoo.com), September 16, 2001.

Segregating like and/or like purpose tools for easy use when the need arises. I have plumbing tools (pipe wrenches, water pump pliers, PVC cutter, PVC cement & solvent, Teflon tape, multiples of frequently used faucet washers; Electrical tools & supplies; drywall tools and finishing tools; masonry tools, etc. All have lids which keep out dirt & moisture and are ready to go into service when and where needed.

-- Willy Allen (willyallen2@yahoo.com), September 16, 2001.

Chicken slop bucket, store seeds, store food, use as a disinfecting bucket with water and bleach for rabbit water bottles in summer before returning bottles to freezer, make fermented pickles in, make wine or in my case vinegar in, step stool, seat, cooler, catch all etc.

-- Susan (smtroxel@socket.net), September 16, 2001.

We use these buckets to water the animals, as storage for various types of tools, all plumbing goes in one, electrical in another etc... My garden tools are all in a bucket that can be carried place to place. Keep one in the vehicle filled with emergency supplies like oil, brake fluid, duct tape, first aid etc... Use as cleaning and mop buckets, as a temporary seat in the workshop. Line with a trash bag for a trash receptacle in the laundry room or garage.

-- Melissa (cmnorris@1st.net), September 16, 2001.

Ken, I believe somewhere in the archives someone mentioned that they used them for nest boxes for their hens, with half a lid glued to the bottom edge of the opening, and screwed or bolted the buckets to the wall. Jan

-- Jan in CO (Janice12@aol.com), September 16, 2001.

Ken, I am going to use them to transplant all of my 23 rose bushes in until we get moved to our land and figure out where to plant them. My plan is to paint them with the textured spray paint so they will at least look nice until I can put them back in the ground. We also use them for tools, plumbing parts, garden use for just about anything, moving dirt from one place to another.

-- Brenda in NC (CherokeeMaiden2@aol.com), September 16, 2001.

5 gallon buckets, upsidedown, with wide elastic straps bolted through to the inside of the bucket make excellent stilts for when you are taping and mudding drywall or stucco ceilings.

-- mitch hearn (moopups@maileastcitlink.net), September 16, 2001.

If fishing lake or pond you can slow small boat down when drift fishing by dragging bucket through the water.

-- ed (edfrhes@aol.com), September 16, 2001.

You can use the plastic lids (and the sides of the bucket if you can get it cut out right) to make seriously heavy duty "blades" for a weedeater type of lawn trimmer. You just figure out the radius of your free cutting area, then cut out a three-armed "blade" and attach it to the hub securely. Watch out - this thing will take a toe off if you're not careful! Got this out of Tightwad Gazette, so you may need permission to print it, They also have illustrations on how to cut the blade. If you can't print it, well at least the forum gurus will be able to use it!

-- Soni (thomkilroy@hotmail.com), September 16, 2001.

Well, this is almost too obvious, but I'll mention it anyhow. I use them as a stool when I'm working on something low. I'm tall enough I don't need steps or stilts for doing ceiling work, but those baseboards are killers. ;o)

-- Gary in Indiana (gk6854@aol.com), September 16, 2001.

I use five gallon buckets to feed my chickens and water them in.my husband took a 1 inch hole saw and cut holes 1/2 way down and all around the bucket. the chickens can stick their heads in the holes and eat or drink whichever bucket their at. and they don't fall in the water or poop in their feed with the lids on. also put a garbage bag in one for an emergency toilet. gail in okla.

-- myra gail akins (dakins@cottoninternet.net), September 16, 2001.

We just finished building our house so we have quite a few kicking around. Here are my favorite uses- 1. Fill the bottom 3-5 inches with styrofoam peanuts or broken up chunks, then fill with the best potting soil you can come up with and plant stuff in them-on my back porch I have cherry tomatos, lemon cucumbers, herbs, lettuce, celery, cabbages, peppers-Its my experimental garden, Even though I have a great wonderful garden, I've been interested in container plants a long time, and I enjoy my experimental nursery. The styrofoam makes the weight a little less and also searves as a water resevoir-the biggest challange in container gardens is pants drying out too quickly. This way I can recycle the buckets and styrofoam-pritty nifty huh?

2 They make great compost buckets-especially if you cut a hole in the lid, (to let air in) and hot glue some sort of fine mesh over it (I used a piece of leftover furnace filter) to keep fruitflies from settling. That bucket full is the limit to how much compost I can carry out. If you put dried plants/grass/brownpaper/pet hair in the bottom to absorb moisture and let your coffee grounds dry out before putting them in, it dosn't smell.

3They make good trash cans for utility areas.

4 You can buy lids that go on and off easily and these then make great storage containers. I wouldn't put food in any that had say, dry wall mud in them, but often you can get food grade buckets. It also depends on your rodents- mice can and rats will chew through these-I wouldn't store, say chicken feed in a barn where there may be rats, but I store petfood and garden seeds in my pantry which is blessedly mouse free. They are good for storing relitivly fragile,awkward items such as light bulbs and candles and I store canning equiptment-canner seals, lidlifters, pressure canner gauges extra lids. Also beer/wine supplies, corks etc in one.

4I keep cleaning supplies in one and just carry it from place to place. Can also be used as an impromptu mop bucket.

5 I used to keep small garden tools in one and would also use it as a seat in the garden until a beloved soul gave me one of those wonderful garden wagons.

6They are good for carrying sturdier garden produce, also I know that one drywall bucket of peaches is what I can easily process in a morning without totally disrupting my day, a bucket of green bean would take the rest of the day.

7 they are great outdoor toyboxes-we keep a selection of trucks, shovels and small balls in one on the porch and its ready to go if we want to go camping, to the lake for the day etc.

8 You can pack camp gear in them and the advantage is you have an extra seat-they are not the most efficent packing containers though. They are good for fishing what with the seat and you can put your fish in the bucket til you get home.

-- Kelly in Ky (markelly@scrtc.com), September 16, 2001.

They're a handy size (bigger than most buckets) for taking grey water from a washing machine to carry to the garden. I've seen the bottom 40% of one cut-off to use as a basin or a dish-washing bowl when car- camping. Once cut-off, they can tend to split, but I've seen cloth tape (not quite the silver duct-tape, but tougher) wrapped around them to help prevent that - duotone speed-stripes on a hand-basin.

Food-grade ones without a strong smell or flavour are excellent for home-brewing or home-winemaking - just fit an airlock. There are smaller ones which can be good for smaller batches of wine too. For a really fast-fermenting beer you might not even need the airlock - just leave the lid not-quite-tight. They're great for inside-the- house bulk food storage, of course; but outside mice seem to have sharper teeth or bigger hunger - or bigger cousins. For that, you can often find metal grease-pails (same size), either on a farm, or from mechanics.

METAL. On that subject, you can get big oil-tins as well. You'll have to cut at least the tops out of them, but they make great buckets - if it doesn't already have a handle then fit a wire handle through two holes, with a length of hose as the grip. Or you can just cut them in half (aren't angle-grinders MARVELLOUS?) lengthwise or across for feed and water troughs. These (cut-offs) might be useful to mouse- proof the bottom of the plastic buckets, but I haven't tried it. Be careful here though - used to be those were only used for petroleum products, but these days a lot of insecticides and herbicides come in those metal containers, and the only identification on a plain metal container is often a paper label which can come off. If you don't know what it contained, and that's because it's plain - not because it's old and rusty - then assume the worst.

-- Don Armstrong (darmst@yahoo.com.au), September 16, 2001.

Cut them off and it is a perfect mold for steeping stones. I didn't really make stepping stones but we use them a grave marker for our favorite pets. We decorated them and put the animal's name on it.

-- DW (djwallace@ctos.com), September 16, 2001.

We just built the cabinet for a sawdust toilet, which has a five gallon bucket for the tank. A toilet seat sits atop the bucket. The cabinet lifts off of the bucket for emptying. Should last the 2 of us for a 3 day weekend. Quite a satisfying evening for 13 dollars in lumber.

-- rick and ann (Spencer West Va) (rick_122@hotmail.com), September 16, 2001.

I remember reading a ladys post in gardentown on the net, she had a outside gold fish pond and did not want it to freeze up in the winter. Well the pond was deep enough for them to be on the bottom but her son came up with cutting the bottom out of a 5 gal bucket and puting one of those hanging lights in it so it was suspended I don't remember what he put on the top to make it float but he turned it upside down in his moms pond and she could feed her fish just by droping a little food around the light to hit the water where it was never frozen and they could come up for air. She said it worked great and she did not have to buy one of those expencive tank heater. LOL

-- Teresa (c3ranch@socket.net), September 16, 2001.

House use; we have some food grade type 5 gallon buckets that we keep large qty. of flour, rice , beans, etc.

If you have lids for them you can buy a swivel for a boat seat($5.00) and install on the lid, also a piece of plywood for the seat and you now have a little stool with a swivel seat. Can be used for working in the garden, fishing, hunting, etc. Inside can be used to store tools, tackle, food, etc.

-- r.h. in okla. (rhays@sstelco.com), September 16, 2001.

We use them for trash cans all over the house since we don't care what our trash cans look like. They are more durable than regular, store-bought trash cans.

They make mega sand castles at the beach, then carry the kids' treasures home in them (shells, smooth stones, live crabs, etc.)

Our landlord in Texas tied a rope to the handle and used one to empty the last of the water (below the pipe to the pump) out of our cistern when he cleaned out a lot of rust build-up.

We empty the feed sacks into them so we can store the feed outside with the chicken tractor; saves running back and forth.

The kids used one tied to a rope to get things up and down, to and from their tree house.

We cut some in half to use for nesting boxes in the chicken tractor: cut in half from top to bottom; nail in place so that the bottoms of the buckets face in toward the chickens; the open top goes against the back wall, which is on hinges and opens up for easy access to eggs and cleaning of boxes.

Have also used them for collecting apples, cucumbers, corn, and other garden produce.

Give each child a bucket to fill with weeds after being away from home a week or two.

I plan to try fastening some sort of seat belt to one to use as a milking stool so the stool is always where it needs to be while leaving my hands free to carry milk buckets.

-- Cathy N. (keeper8@attcanada.ca), September 17, 2001.

We have removed lids and bottoms and nailed them parallel to the rafters of the barn. Long pieces of rod, steel, posts, fishing poles, molding, 2x4s, wire, etc, are stored in these buckets, out of the way. Depending on the length, we use 2 or 3 buckets end to end.

-- Charleen in WNY (harperhill@eznet.net), September 17, 2001.

I have been hand washing laundry weekly in them for almost 7 years now. Placed on a secure garden bench, I also don't have to bend down. Of course, the water is recycled in the commode or for perennials.

-- Sandy Davis (smd2@netzero.net), September 17, 2001.

I forgot to mention that when you make a swivel seat on top of the bucket, you can cut a opening out in the side toward the top and have easy access to reach in to get your tools or place your garden beans in while your picking them. In a matter of fact I might just delete this and get me a patent on this ideal. Could market it for garden centers and make a lot of money!

-- r.h. in okla. (rhays@sstelco.com), September 17, 2001.

I have to homestead a little differently from others as I have RA. We have a vast collection of buckets as use them for many of the uses you described. I also have some that just sit in the veggie garden, at each flower garden - any where that I weed. As I weed I just throw the weeds in the bucket. Then my husband walks around and empties them for me as I cannot carry my weeds to the compost bin.

I also use them to sit on and rest although we have decided to cut logs and sit them on end though out the property as my resting seats.

My husband also uses them to take water to the orchard to water our new trees. We hope to come up with a better system next year.

-- Chris from PA (CLMngs@aol.com), September 17, 2001.

Down in Cajun Country they use a 5-gal bucket and lid to make an inverted tomato garden. This method of growing tomatoes keeps the plants and produce out of the reach of cutworms, chickens, and other ground-based problems.

1. Cut about a 2" dia hole in the bottom center of the bucket.

2. To keep the soil in, cover the inside bottom of the bucket with a layer of newspaper or weedmatting.

3. Hang the bucket 2 or 3 feet off the ground so that the bottom can be reached from both the inside and the outside.

These next steps are easier with two people.

4. Over the hole, cut an "X" through the matting and stick the rootball of a tomato seedling up through the X from the underside of the bucket.

5. While one person holds the seedling in an upside-down position from the outside, the other person begins to fill the bucket about 2/3 full with a mixture of potting soil and some of them moisture holding granules (some folks cut up an old sponge or two and mix them in with the soil). Pack the soil firmly around the rootball.

6. Drill a dozen or so 1/4" diameter holes in the lid to let rain water or irrigation water drain into the bucket.

7. Securely hang the bucket 6 or more feet off the ground. (Make sure it's secure enough that it doesn't fall on small children.) Hang the bucket somewhere that protects it from the prevailing storm winds, yet gives it the normal amount of sunlight. The southern eaves of your home are an excellent location providing you screw the anchor hooks into a rafter and not just the soffit.

At first, the confused little tomato plant will curve and try and grow upwards. But, as it gets bigger it eventually gives that up and adjusts to it's new upside down environment. Feed and water as you would tomatoes in the ground.

-- Steve in So. WI (Alpine1@prodigy.net), September 17, 2001.

Make an escape proof worm bed: I drilled 2 large openings about 1/3 of the way down. On the outside I taped on screening. These were now the air vents. With the lid on tight it stays dark and it is portable so that I could bring it in during our cold weather. Oh, and I had drainage holes in one (near the bottom on the side), which I then placed in an old pan so that any excess moisture could be removed.

I also store charcoal and lighter fluid and the mason jar that holds the starter briquets in lighter fluid in one that hides beautifully in a cedar bench, keeps the bench very clean.

The latest use is being tried as we speak. My friend has a drainage problem on a steep gravel driveway. The ditch has been dug out and a five gallon bucket fixed in two locations with drainage holes (many) for water to get through but gravel to stay put. Hopefully this will keep her from losing gravel down into the drainpipe that runs under the drive and clogging it- as well as keeping it from going into their pond. Until the new water-path is established, it should be rather easy to lift the bucket out and pour the gravel back onto another part of the drive. Not real attractive, but affordable.

-- Anne from WV (HealthyTouch101@wildmail.com), September 17, 2001.

We make mini brush piles for attracting fish. Take some branches, 4 to 5 feet long, maybe add the top of a cedar tree. Fill the bucket half full with cement, and before the cement hardens, stick the brush in to that it sticks out at various angles. Let it set up overnight, then take it to a part of the lake you want to make a fishing hole out of, and toss it overboard. Fish will start coming to it in no time.

Rickstir

-- Rickstir (rpowell@email.ccis.edu), September 17, 2001.

We used the plastic buckets to store carrots and turnips for the winter. We put a layer of sawdust in the bottom, then a layer of carrots, then more sawdust, etc... You have to water the sawdust every couple of layers but you don't want it really wet, just slightly damp. We just used a watering can and gave each layer a 1-second shower.

-- Rebekah (rebekah_swinden@hotmail.com), September 17, 2001.

Uncle Brad's best way to grow tomatoes. I actually use 4 gallon buckets, available (if you are scrounger) from restaurants, donut shops, etc. But either works. If using a 5 gallon bucket, cut off the bottom, leaving a lip of 3" or so. Use these to feed livestock, make stepping stones (see above), or anything that adapts to such a plastic pan. Now, take the bottomless part and remove the bail (handle). Use this as you see fit, such as a hook to remove Osama bin Laden's lungs through his nose. What you are after is the top portion. When you plant your tomato seedlings, press the bottomless cylinder about 4" into the soil around it. It will protect the seedling from the wind, and with a simple cover will protect against frost for several degrees. But the real beauty emerges when you must water. All water introduced inside the bucket (I use a couple of gallons once a week when conditions are dry) will go to the roots, and not be wasted watering nearby weeds. Once every 3 weeks or so, add a water soluble fertilizer (Miracle-Gro, Rapid-gro, others). You will have tomatoes that are the envy of your gardening friends. GL! And if you use this in a book, I get 1% of the profits and 25 free copies!

-- Brad (homefixer@SacoRiver.net), September 17, 2001.

Well, I haven't seen this one so here you go. My Grandma puts a bucket with a couple small holes in the bottom of it beside her bushes in the yard, so that in the dry hot summer she fills the bucket with water and the bush gets a slow drink and the water is more apt to soak into the ground instead of running off. "Soaker Buckets"

Kellie - AR

-- Kellie Duncan (kashaa@swbell.net), September 17, 2001.

Another thought - those big buckets full of water are HEAVY! As a sufferer from a bad back, I appreciate the problem. It should be (is here) possible, although difficult, to find a yoke which you can wear across your shoulders, and suspend a bucket from each side. Makes it a lot easier to carry the weight to wherever it needs to go.

-- Don Armstrong (darmst@yahoo.com.au), September 18, 2001.

I use them to store all sorts of food stuff. I was making a large batch of bread recently and needed a container to put it all in the fridge over night,( I then finish the shaping and rising and baking in the morning),I happened to have an empty flour bucket near by, so I oiled it and put the dough in and put on the lid. There was plenty of room for the slow fridge rising! Susan

-- Susan n' Emily, in Tn (animalcrackers55@hotmail.com), September 18, 2001.

I forgot to mention that my 13-year-old son cut off the bottom half of one round bucket and nailed the top half to the side of the garage, thus making a nice basketball hoop.

-- Cathy N. (keeper8@attcanada.ca), September 19, 2001.

I either cut the bottoms off (harder) or drill a lot of drainage holes in the bottoms (easier), then sink the bucket into the garden soil leaving about 2" of rim above ground. I plant invasive herbs in these, such as mint, so that they are slowed down in their relentless conquest of garden soil. It is also much easier to remove them and renew the planting when it needs it this way.

In addition to storing carrots and turnips, potatoes store well in them too.

I keep several set up with various emergency kits in them, dealing with different horse emergencies. They are ready to grab and go, and keep the bandages etc. clean and ready. We also have individual grooming kits for the different horses set up and ready to go so that everyone has a hoofpick when they need it and each horse has its own brushes, which lessens the chances of skin disease getting spread -- each has the horse's name on it.

I've always thought that the six-gallon ones (taller) hung on the wall would make a good saddle rack, holding the saddle's shape. Nail or bolt it on through the bottom and you can store brushes and such inside it, or keep your saddle pad or leg wraps in it, rolled up and clean.

I saw an article in which a man built a great adobe type wall over empty 5-gallon buckets filled with building debris. They were stacked by balancing each higher course on the rims of two on the course below. They were covered in wire mesh then, and plastered, and it looked great when done.

I use the spare lids as large plant saucers.

-- julie f. (rumplefrogskin@excite.com), September 20, 2001.