The Gardening Nana — Sugar Bucket Garden

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These buckets were used to collect maple tree sap to create maple syrup for many years. They now take on a new life as homes for plants.

Writer / Nancy Craig

When my great nephews, Max and Eli, lived on the family farm, they loved to go back into the woods and try to find the old maple sugar shack. Back in my grandfather’s time, they would tap the maple trees and make maple syrup. All that is left of that time are hundreds of maple sugar buckets and a few of the old wooden spouts. We are going to use some of these buckets to make our container vegetable garden.

Roots, Shoots, Buckets & BootsTo quote from Sharon Lovejoy’s book, Roots Shoots Buckets & Boots, “You don’t need land or even a pot, the secret to gardening is …. use what you’ve got.” Therefore, we are going to use our sugar buckets as containers for our herbs, flowers and vegetables. First, we will have to drill holes in the bottom of the metal buckets and put a layer of pebbles for drainage then add a good potting mix. The boys are going to try the herb, Loveage, which has stems that can be edible straws. We’ll put some other herbs with it like parsley and thyme.

Lindsey and Lauren, my great nieces, will add some pretty flowers to their herb buckets like violas and nasturtiums. We’re going to try sipping the syrup from the spur of the nasturtium flower and will add the flowers to our teacakes. Another trick we are going to try is putting rocks & pebbles with our carrot seeds, which will cause the carrots to grow into interesting shapes or carrot people.

Lovejoy’s garden books are all delightful and have lots of gardening fun for the kids. The combination of flowers, herbs and vegetables are endless and we will try all kinds this spring and summer. We are going to be confident that spring will come!

The Gardening Nana

Nancy Craig


Nancy loves flower gardening almost as much as she does her great nephews and nieces. Her interest in gardening intensified while living in Holland and was perfected with Master Gardener courses.

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