Try asking specifically at the bakery of your local grocery. They tend to be the best target, and the manager for the entire store may be unaware that they have extras. That's where I got all my smaller buckets. One grocery-store bakery, at Safeway, sold me some for a dollar or two each, but another gave them to me for free. I had to go to two stores to get all I really needed. A friend who works at a donut shop gave me some also. Most of the bakery/donut shop buckets originally had various flavors of frosting in them. They are all white, but since I wash them in detergent and bleach before every use (to maximize vase life of the flowers), they don't get to looking very dirty.

Jeanne

Linda, I get some buckets from the local deli, but the source online has been US plastics. They are not terribly expensive but they will get you on the freight so if you can share with a friend so much the better and cheaper. You can also get different colours from them. USplastics.com.

I see them for sale at the local hardware stores or HomeDepot.(the 5 gal white food grade) $2.00 each. The buckets that I find most useful are the large kiddie sand pails(2 or 2 1/2 gal size) They come in all sorts of wonderful colors too. They are about 12-14 inches tall which makes them good for the finished bouquets. Good luck, Heidi

Do you have a Dollar Tree in your area? Everything there is a dollar. I found 2 1/2 gallon buckets (black) with sturdy handles. They are similar to the 5 gallon buckets only smaller. They hold 4-5 bouquest nicely.

Jeanne, I asked at the deli/bakery section in the grocery several times and they always say they don't have any - I will have to go to a regular bakery or another grocery and ask. I do wash my buckets but I think the color of the dirt soaks into the plastic over time and they get kind of dull (I was using the buckets in the winter to move some dirt down a hill with a narrow path in my herb garden where I couldn't fit the wheelbarrow).

I think a need a deli sandwich one day this week - I live a ways from the city so I will have to make trip to check these places out - thanks for the link Misskitty.

Heidi, I will have to check the children's section next time I go to town - I like the idea of having some colorful pails around.

We don't have dollar tree but do have a dollar store - it has been a while since I have been there - I will have to check again, Moonblooms, their stock changes around a lot and maybe they have gotten some.

Hey, I just thought - maybe an ice cream store might have some - I guess I will go an a scavenger hunt.

With gasoline prices going up so high I am trying to minimize trips to town and get some stuff shipped - sometimes it is less costly to have stuff shipped even with the freight - of course I am driving a tank - but it holds lots of plants.

we got a soaking last night but partly sunny today. yeah - back to moving dirt. Thanks all. Linda

This is a photo of some of our buckets. I think some of our small round buckets were in the cooler. Anyway, the round black buckets and the rectangular buckets came from a wholesale florist. These were given to us. We have a few white, round food grade buckets left. They were easy to keep clean. However, because they aren't UV rated, they break down in the hot, hot sun. We do, however, like the black, or all one color buckets at market because they look more professional. The square white buckets go out in the field when we're harvesting sunflowers. The sunflowers don't go to market in these buckets. We use bright red 5 gallon buckets not pictured in this photo.

We have a wholesale supplier for cutflower buckets available in different colors. You can also have your logo printed on the buckets. They require a purchase of a pallet.

There is also a company which sells standard black cutflower buckets with low minimum quantities; however, I think the minimum may have been 30 or 40.

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Trish - where do you get these? I can get the black, round ones from a local grocery store florist who throws them away, but I really like the rectangular ones with the side handles for market...more sturdy and look nice!

We have a local fruit stand that bakes cookies and I can get the 5-7 gallon size from them, and they're great (but do have printing on them, so they're great for cutting and storage, but not market!

Thanks!!
Wendy

Trish, thank you for posting your bucket picture. I would really love to have some of those square buckets with handles. I think it would be easier to stack flowers in them than in the round ones. Would you mind sharing which wholesale florist you obtained them from - or where they got them from? Thank you. Linda.

Hi Wendy, The rectangular containers are manufactured in the Netherlands. They're designed to hold a cardboard collar around the top to support the flowers during shipment. The design is patented. So, there are, of course, no "knock-offs" manufactured elsewhere. They are great for the "doll-yas." The size of the larger container is 11" x 14.5," and 14" high. We have many extras. So, if you would like just a few for the cost of shipping, let me know.

Linda, The square buckets are food grade buckets used by the fruit processing plants. We live in what is known as "The Fruit Belt" here in Michigan. The buckets came from another cutflower grower in our area who is also a fruit farmer. We've had those buckets for several years.

Trish

Thank you Trish. There are many fruit growers here too - but they seem to pack their fruit in large bins.

I did go by the Dollar Tree yesterday and got a few smaller pails - but the handles don't look like they will hold up.

I also asked at my grocery in the deli/bakery section and they said they had just given them away -so I guess it depends upon who you ask for the buckets - they said keep trying.

I had been doing a search for pails and today when I searched for buckets, I found serveral places with buckets even some square or rectangular ones. Some of these buckets have pour spots probably used for industrial cleaning but a pour spout might be nice for flowers too - sometimes they don't give the outside measurements though, only how many quarts they hold which could mean that the bucket is short and fat and not tall enough. See attached link.

I had been looking at Wal-Mart but I might go by a hardware store to see what they carry - it pays to shop as they say.

Linda

Here is a link that might be useful: Buckets

Linda,
The round white buckets in my photo on the left table behind the small blue buckets are food grade containers which are available from US Plastic. I'm thinking they're 2 gallon size. I've listed the link below. They also have the 5 gallon square containers you mentioned you wanted.

The small blue buckets were purchased from the hardware store. True Value I'm pretty sure. They're good for flowers such as zinnias and asters when the stems are still really short.

The other blue buckets are really nice and heavy duty. They're 10 quart; and, they're actually for livestock. They're from Farmtek (www.farmtek.com); and, the product number is 103866 if you're interested.

Last year Walmart had some bright color 3.5 gallon round buckets with sturdy metal handles. Those were pretty nice.

We also have many galvanized metal buckets in 8, 10 and 12 quart sizes.

Another type of bucket that we have are antique European water buckets that we've bought at the monthly antique market. We don't use these in the field; however, they're great for display.

Trish

Here is a link that might be useful: White Food Grade Containers

Trish - I'd love to have some buckets...let chat offline and see about shipping!

I too nabbed some of the colorful buckets at Walmart last year...they were on sale and are great for shorter items!

Check with bakeries/deli's/ice cream shops...they may have food grade buckets that they'll give you!

Good luck!
Wendy

Aha, my lightbulb just went on! If you are looking for the square buckets, look under "bins" or plastic bins.
Whoo whee, though, aren't they expensive!
Susan
I wonder if the post office ever sells theirs!

Here is a link that might be useful: square bins

Speaking as a postal employee, I feel I should let you know that those postal flat tubs ("bins") are not designed to be waterproof. I found this out the hard way. :(

You should have LOTS of ideas now!

I learned not to use any of my flower buckets for dirt, manure, peat moss, etc., and not to let my husband use them for anything, either. I gave him several in off colors and sizes I couldn't really use, so he left mine alone.

Jeanne

I was a grocery store florist for many years (they paid better than mom and pop's) and tossed hundreds of buckets. The bouquet suppliers mostly didn't want them back. I hated to toss them and would have been trilled to give them away.

Our bakery did give them away but also tossed hundreds because storage is a problem. You have to ask at the right time to catch them before they get dumped.

Thanks to all for your suggestions - now I'll probably have more buckets, pails and bins than I need - but I want to keep some in different locations on my property so if I need them I can walk a few steps to get them.

Trish thanks for the referral for farmtec - they sure have a wealth of other stuff too. I am glad you gave the product code - it might have taken me weeks to get through their catalog.

I got a couple of nice red buckets at Walmart with a pour spout in the paint department.

More rain again today - but my plugs are getting off to a good start - we might hit 90 by the weekend though - yikes.

Thanks again to all for the great suggestions - Linda.

Try looking them up as "cooler buckets". You might have more success.

Take a look at this one. I don't know if they will have what you want or at the qty/price you want, but it's a place to start.

Here is a link that might be useful: cooler buckets