I use a 3/4 inch bit and drill 10 holes in the bottom, scattered out. Have not had any water-retention problems.

I've had problems with agressive tree roots filling my buckets/bins thru the bottom drainage holes....

Now I prefer to drill the drainage holes thru the SIDE of the container near the bottom so I can monitor any possible root activity......doug

Yup Al is right. I used 5 gal and only drilled 3 or 4 little 1/2" holes and my plants thrived.

All my buckets sit on railings made of 2x4 lumber so the drain holes are well off the ground. A bucket sitting right ON the ground might not drain very good, plus roots can enter since they won't be exposed to drying air.

A bucket resting directly on the ground drains much better than a bucket on top of a railing.

Al

Good info here, folks. Much appreciated. I'm using buckets for the first time. I drilled 3 1/4 inch holes in the bottoms and set the buckets directly on the ground. It's too early to tell if I did good or not, but I've learned here I can drill more holes in the sides if I develop a drainage problem.

You did good Marty, because you'll now be employing the earth as a giant wick, which will help eliminate any excess water from the grow medium.

I've learned here I can drill more holes in the sides if I develop a drainage problem. It won't help with a drainage problem, but it might help a wee bit in that the additional holes will allow for a little bit more water loss from the medium via evaporation.

You might like this

or

This might be particularly helpful

Al

Thanks!