Think you need a huge garden to grow watermelons? Think again! In this video, I’m showing you how to grow sweet, juicy watermelons in buckets—yes, really! Container growing is perfect for small spaces, patios, or anyone who wants more control over their soil and watering.

I’ll walk you through how to fertilize your potting mix for maximum growth, including my secret weapon: a whole fish buried at the bottom of the container. It’s an old-school technique that adds powerful, slow-release nutrients right where your watermelon roots need them. 🐟💥

Plus, we’ll talk about one of the most critical steps that beginners often miss—proper drainage. I’ll show you exactly how and where to add holes so your plants don’t drown or rot.

Whether you’re a seasoned gardener or just getting started, these tips will set your watermelon buckets up for success!

29 Comments

  1. I planted watermelon (plants/seedlings) in some old storage bins. Did what you did with the exception of the fish. I did, however, add kitchen compost and tossed a few worms over to get them started. Thank you

  2. I followed your instructions for my potatoes and they are growing well. I am growing Red potatoes. I will let you know about the harvest.

  3. I never had black with watermelon in a bucket. Maybe I just did it wrong. Thank you so much for sharing. God bless❤️🙏🇺🇸

  4. I'm.
    Scared to start my watermelon seeds.Because I feel like I'm gonna fail.But if I follow these steps is it guaranteed?

  5. I've used fish scraps in my garden before with lime and its awesome. The best natural nitrogen you can ask for ❤

  6. My mom once saved a tree with the scraps from cleaning fish. Many years ago. So when she was living with my sister and one of the newly planted trees was not growing well. My mom rushed to her freezer and returned with raw scraps from cleaning fish. My brother in law was truly shocked. “ who keeps fish guys in the freezer?” My mom spent her formative years during the Great Depression, never threw anything away if it could possibly be used again.

  7. Brother I’ve been growing watermelon for years in Ga clay. Just put a little compost down when you plant and keep that water on them and they good lol! Why the dead fish?

  8. I’m trying to start a small bucket garden I bought a bunch of buckets from a guy on offer up for $10 but I don’t know if they are food grade is there a way I can find out? I see different symbols on the bottoms, because I found out that I couldn’t use any bucket after watching a video that stated that. I don’t know what I was thinking. That I’d be able to buy some buckets dirt and seeds and start a garden but it’s a lot harder and more expensive. I’m on a fixed income so I can’t afford all of those fertilizers and stuff, it’s really disheartening. Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated

  9. the lime is a good video for a bucket with a fish in it because it will help break it down way quicker than it normally would without the lime. In ground I say you could do without the lime.

  10. I love your videos! When we moved to our new house deep in the woods, the only place where there was full sun (our trees come right up to the house-wonderful for shade, sux for growing veg) was at the end of our gravel driveway. We planned on building raised beds, but didnt have the budget for it then so we planted in the rubbermaid tubs we had. When drilling the drainage holes, instead of drilling on the bottom, we drilled holes 1-2" above the bottom edge. This makes sure there is always a water reserve for the plant to tap into. We grew the best watermelons, strawberries (free from the cut tops of storebought strawberries-just toss them on top and keep the chickens off of it), squash, tomatoes, salad greens, peppers, and tomatoes. It took 5 yrs and building in phases, but we finally have our raised beds. We reused the soil from the tubs to fill the beds, cutting the amount of garden soil we had to buy in half. I still use the tub method for all our melons and gourds and squash. We have them dispersed in the small sunny spots amongst the trees. As long as the main stems of the plant are in the sun the shaded runners seem to do alright.

  11. Can you ship me one of those fish, on black ice? So i can beat you in watermelonwarz 😂😂😂❤ Great video fam.

  12. "Wet your plants!" — 🤭 There are some cute garden signs out there that say "I wet my plants" — Thanks for the info. I had no idea I could grow watermelon from buckets – thought they HAD to be in ground. Are you growing them vertically or just letting them go from the bucket wherever they need to go?

  13. Ok my melons in my standing planter seem to be at a stand still. What can I do to help them grow? I’ve pruned and fertilized already.

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