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5 gallon bucket question....

R

Ryan

I see a lot of talk about using 5 gallon buckets for planting peppers in. What kind are you using? Are they the Home Depot ones that are like $2.69 and orange? Is there any worry from the toxins from the paint on the bucket getting mixed in with the potting mix?
 
For the most part I think it is safe to use an 5 Gal container and in regards to the "paint", if there is no paint on the inside of the bucket your safe and the color of the plastic itself (orange) is not paint so your safe there to. I don't see any reason why you couldn't use those. Also just a thought, with as stubborn as paint is to get off of things im sure if you had a bucket with any kind of dried paint on the inside likely would not hurt the plant unless it was an insane amount of paint. Then again I dont know for sure so if anyone has more knowledge on this than I do please feel free to correct me.
 
I am using Lowes 5 gallon buckets. They are the same thing that you are talking about, just gray rather than orange. They have no ill effects to the plants.

By the way, I have also heard of people who are able to get these type of buckets for free by going to bakeries and asking about icing buckets. I bought mine before I read people were doing this. So if you are looking to try to get some free buckets that may be a place to ask.
 
I thought about using those orange HD 5 gallon buckets, but I just bought 50 5 gallon containers from Greenhouse megastore. They are about a buck each not including shipping. The containers are fairly thin and sometimes you have to poke out the little round drain holes that didn't get punched all the way, but so far they have worked fine for me. Plus they are cheap enough where I can just use new ones each year instead of worrying about re-using them.
 
I only use white NSF buckets. I'm in the surplus/salvage business and I've seen way too much sketchy plastic crap being recycled. Plastic really leeches out some scary chemicals when exposed to water and heat
 
LGHT,

I use similar type containers but 7-gallon size. From Novesel Enterprizes. Less than $2.60 each when bought by the case (sometimes cheaper). Definitely large enough to grow indeterminate tomatoes in!

Mike
 
treemanjohn said:
I only use white NSF buckets. I'm in the surplus/salvage business and I've seen way too much sketchy plastic crap being recycled. Plastic really leeches out some scary chemicals when exposed to water and heat
Click to expand...

What's NSF? I know tha chatting acronym, but I doubt that's it;)
 
I get mine from Chik-fil-a for free. They get their pickle chips in green 5 gallon buckets, so if they are safe for pickles, they should be safe for my peppers. It doesn't hurt that they are green either...not an eyesore like the bright orange HD buckets.
 
treemanjohn said:
Plastic really leeches out some scary chemicals when exposed to water and heat
Click to expand...

Yea I always wondered about this aspect. I never could find any information on what the plants actually take up and pass on to us. I would imagine someone had to have done a study. I probably just didn't look hard enough.
 
Home Despot buckets (like most) are type 2 plastic/HDPE. Not officially food grade, but wouldn't trip on using em. (I would avoid type 3 and 7 plastics- look for the little # in the recycle sign... almost all 5 gal buckets are type 2 though ) I get 4 1/4 gallon white ones from my baker for $1.00 a piece and they have worked pretty well for me with the soils/mixes I use. Wouldn't minda larger size, but have had good production out of em.
 
NSF article-


"You've probably seen the NSF and UL labels in your restaurant or commercial kitchen before. And you probably already have an idea what these organizations do and what that label means. But fully understanding what the NSF and UL do to make sure restaurant equipment and tools meet food and personal safety standards is worth your time, so here's a brief explanation:

NSF International (formerly known as the National Sanitation Foundation) is an independent, non-profit organization that certifies food service equipment and ensures it is designed and constructed in a way that promotes food safety.NSF is internationally recognized and most food service equipment is NSF certified. What does that certification mean?

Equipment certified by the NSF must complete the following process:

The facility where the product is made is thoroughly audited by an NSF representative. This ensures the product is constructed in a sanitary manner and that the standards for sanitary design elements are actually met during construction and assembly.

A physical evaluation of the product is carried out to ensure it meets food safety standards. Testing and evaluation is done on the materials used to make the product to make sure they meet standards. The facility and product must also undergo annual follow up audits to maintain certification. NSF certified products have therefore passed a stringent set of evaluations to ensure food safety requirements and standards are met.

Some common food service equipment that is certified by the NSF include: commercial dishwashers, cooking, hot holding, and transport equipment, dispensing freezers, commercial refrigerators and storage freezers, automatic ice making equipment, and food and beverage dispensing equipment. Many restaurant and commercial kitchen utensils and cutlery also get NSF certification.

As a restaurateur, purchasing NSF certified equipment and small wares ensures that your business is promoting food safety. The power of NSF’s reputation means that most equipment you buy is already certified, but understanding what that certification means is important when you look to buy new equipment or during your next health inspection." End of article.




fwiw, .........every year we buy 5 gallons of honey from a local beekeeper. Last year, they delivered the honey in Home Depot paint buckets. I looked at the recycle number on the bottom, but we still transferred the honey out of the HD buckets and into glass jars right away.



A restaurant I used to work at used to use plastic trash bags to wrap large food items for the cooler and freezer, until the health inspector pointed out that trash bags do not have to list any chemicals that may be in the plastics, including deodorizers or mold inhibitors.



I really question plastics that are used for food service that are not food service plastics!
 
This is an interesting thread. I never really thought much about a plant taking in anything from a plastic pot/bucket that might be harmful. Guess I worried about what I thought was bigger problems and seemed to effect me daily .... gas prices , food prices , slackers , if a maple glazed Long John topped with a crisp strip of bacon would give me cancer even if I live in Texas.....

I have a bunch of 5 gallon Lowes buckets. This thread made me go look at some 1 gallon ( there are a little larger than the normal 1 gal pots ) pots I just got in from a Hydro store. These have the # 2 on the bottom. They're made for hydro use , using expanded clay rocks.

Peace,
P. Dreadie
 
mesatrin said:
By the way, I have also heard of people who are able to get these type of buckets for free by going to bakeries and asking about icing buckets. I bought mine before I read people were doing this. So if you are looking to try to get some free buckets that may be a place to ask.
Click to expand...

I hit up my local grocery store deli/bakery department. They directed my out behind the building to their recycling dumpster where I grabbed as many as I needed. (I'm a dumpster diver!) There's a range of sizes and shapes up to around 5-6 gallons and everything is food-grade plastic and white. I had to go back a few times to find what I wanted but now I'm set. I sure won't be buying buckets again.
 
I 2nd that Duff.. I did the same thing, except I didn't have to dive into a dumpster LOL! Does not pay to buy them from Lowes or HD when you can get the for free and plus they are food grade buckets.
 
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