Plant Species
by /u/ekrof
Space Buckets can be used to grow nearly all species of plants, specially those that are naturally short or react well to training. For this reason, plants like cannabis, hot peppers, cherry tomatoes, and leafy herbs are all very recommended. Even if the plant is a tree, a SB can function as a highly effective growth chamber: tree saplings can be started indoors to strenghten them before planting in an outside location. Bucket gardens also have great performance for all kinds of cuttings and clones, and can be used to sustain plants during the winter time.
Cherry tomatoes love to grow in Space Buckets
Cannabis
This species is the most popular among bucket gardeners for a variety of reasons. Cannabis plants require optimum lighting and enviromental conditions, which can be easily controlled inside a small enclosed container. Bucket cannabis plants are typically vegged for about a month while training agressively, and then flowered according to the strain. The most difficult part of growing this plant inside a bucket is controlling the flowering stretch, which can multiply the height three fold. Techniques like topping and LST are absolutely essential for cannabis in SB.
Cherry Tomatoes
This is one of the most rewarding plants that can be grown in a Space Bucket. Cherry tomatoes are relatively easy to grow, and can produce many fruits in a short period of time. There are many varieties available and all work well with SB, given their naturally short stature. Cherry tomatoes can be pruned, topped and trained, which will be essential for a good bucket performance. As with hot peppers, it is recommended to pollinate cherry tomatoes manually, gently shaking the branches or using an electrical toothbrush to distribute the pollen.
Hot Peppers
How about some bucket potatoes?
SB can be used to grow every species of hot peppers, and a lot of bucketeers choose this plant. Variants like habanero and jalapeño are especially popular among bucket gardeners. These plants don't need a very aggressive training, though they benefit from LST and HST techniques. Some topping is usually required, and manual pollination is recommended to increase the pepper yields. The lighting schedule depends on the specific strain, but 12/12 is a safe bet. Reddit communities like /r/HotPeppers are a good resource for these kinds of plants.
Herbs and Greens
Space Buckets can also be used to grow all kinds of herbs: these plants have great performance and are much easier to maintain, as they general don't require any training. Harvest is much more regular, because the important parts are the leaves and not the fruits or flowers, which are harder to produce. Some examples of great bucket herbs are basil, chives, dill, rosemary, oregano, mint and more.
Other Plants
Over the years, bucketeers have experimented with many plant species, like strawberry, potatoes, wasabi and even an avocado sapling. Expanding the bucket plant portfolio is a good cause!