Five Gallon Buckets Ideas

Discussion in 'Back to Basics' started by stg58, Dec 14, 2014.


  1. stg58

    stg58 Monkey+++ Founding Member

    The 5 gallon bucket is a standard and everywhere and like many I have used it over and over for most of the common uses, tool bucket, water...
    The guy who has this site takes it to a different level with some interesting ideas.
    [​IMG]

    Trevor van Hemert is one of the few people in the world making a living using five gallon buckets. He manages a bicycle compost company called Pedal to Petal in Victoria, BC. He also runs a small web design company called Fernwood Web Design, and a few websites besides this one. Links to his other projects are at the bottom of every page on this site.
    And in case you are curious, Trevor’s favorite five gallon idea on this site is the Wishing Well, because it’s like a tiny little bucket employee that makes money while you sleep.


    5 Gallon Bucket Articles, Videos and Community | Five Gallon Ideas
     
    Marck, Motomom34, Brokor and 3 others like this.
  2. NotSoSneaky

    NotSoSneaky former supporter

    Now that's thinking outside the box ....err, bucket ! [tongue]
     
    Marck likes this.
  3. ditch witch

    ditch witch I do stupid crap, so you don't have to

    And I thought I was tricky turning one into a swamp cooler for the rabbits. I need a wishing well bucket, lol!
     
  4. Dunerunner

    Dunerunner Brewery Monkey Moderator

    Beats my using one for weighing grains for the mash or as a fermenter.....
     
  5. chelloveck

    chelloveck Diabolus Causidicus

    I use those kind of buckets for making weed tea fertiliser. Gardening Australia - Fact Sheet: Weed Tea Fertiliser The buckets need lids of some kind to prevent the liquid from becoming a breeding place for mosquitos. I don't bother putting the weeds in a bag...(after chopping them up with a shovel or a hoe) I just dump the weeds straight into the bucket to macerate / ferment for a couple of weeks. I have a bucket with a bottom drilled out like a colander and place that inside a second bucket, then progressively tip the brewed liquid and solids from the brewing bucket into the colander bucket once the plants have thoroughly broken down.

    The solids go into my worm farm, which the worms prefer more than kitchen scraps. I tend to use the leafier weeds for weed tea making, avoiding woody weeds and weeds that are toxic.

    I dilute the weed tea at a ratio of 1 part weed tea to 9 parts water. I tend to use rainwater for brewing and dilution, or if I have to use domestic water, I let the water stand for a day or two until the chlorine in the water dissipates.

    The diluted weed tea can be used as a foliar spray (once finely strained) or watered at the base of the plants being fertilised.

    The weed tea can be used undiluted as a microbial activator in a compost heap.

    The weed tea is rather smelly and makes a marvellous cheap fly attractant for fly traps. The trapped flies will die and dessicate and will become a cheap source of protein for aquaculture or as a supplement to poultry feed.

    Fly Trap
     
    natshare and Marck like this.
  6. Tully Mars

    Tully Mars Metal weldin' monkey

    I'd love one but we're too far off the beaten path to ever get anyone around to toss a coin in it!;)
     
    ditch witch likes this.
  7. Ganado

    Ganado Monkey+++

    stg58 likes this.
  8. Brokor

    Brokor Live Free or Cry Moderator Site Supporter+++ Founding Member

    Marck, kellory, Yard Dart and 2 others like this.
  9. Ganado

    Ganado Monkey+++

    @chelloveck your weed tea, are you still making it? if so do you use a bag to put the weeds in then submerge them or do you strain them after a few weeks of being submerged ina bucket?
     
  10. chelloveck

    chelloveck Diabolus Causidicus

    I just strain the liquid using a 5 gallon plastic bucket that I have turned the bottom into a colander with a reasonably large number of holes using a cordless drill. Make the holes large enough to drain reasonably quickly without the holes being so large that the solids drain into the receiving bucket as well. I use a gardening dutch hoe * to swirl the solids around to allow the liquid to drain more easily. (note...I made the mistake of just putting hoes in the search dialogue box, and got images that I wasn't quite expecting...make sure you include "gardening" in the search parameters. :oops: )

    * [​IMG]
    my first search pulled pictures similar, but less tasteful than this

    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Oct 30, 2015
    Witch Doctor 01 and Ganado like this.
  1. stg58
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