The bucket is 9.25 inch wide and 14.5 inches long with a depth of 14.75 inches. I've attached a picture of the bucket label. I found the bucket on the Berry Plastics website and it's listed as 5.2 gallons.
I thought I'd have to buy five gallon buckets until I found a post saying you could get all the buckets you want by going to resturants or bakerys and asking for them. I went to one Sams Club Bakery and they only had one bucket empty but couldn't tell me when I could get more. I went to another one and they wheeled over a shopping cart with 4 five gallon buckets and 8 three gallon buckets and told me to come back before noon tomorrow and I could get more. I took only three trips to get 12 five gallon buckets.
I was looking at a YouTube video on creating a SWC and it said to pack the potting mix into the wicking basket firmly and then fill the bucket half-full and then pack the mix firmly again. I did the first part but realized I didn't do the second part. I just poured the remaining mix in the bucket. I was using only the soil mix for wicking action but have seen articles showing others using old towels, t-shirts, or 1/4 poly rope. I thought I might use four 36 inch pieces of rope in the next pot.
I don't think I've seen Raybo's 3-2-1 mix but I'll look for it and see how it differes from the 2:1:1 ratio. I wanted to use coir, perilite, and vermiculite because they are all PH neutral so no soil PH adjustment is needed. Coir has good moisture retention and vermiculite also has moisture retention properties but I've seen posts saying it tends to get compacted easily, so some people say it shouldn't be used for that reason. Perilite is for making the soil light and airy but you need to use coarse or chunky grade. Some people suggest using lava rocks, because they found it was cheaper and easier to find. The garden shop I bought my perilite from had to order it because they were out but they had the vermiculite in stock and on sale. I ordered the coir because it wasn't available anywhere locally.
I grew the plant from seed. It was three weeks old when I transplanted it. I think I'll try some drip irrigation and see what happens. It's growing indoors under a high quality 200 watt LED light.
I couldn't decide what type of fertilizer to use. I saw posts saying to avoid anything from Miracle Gro but it's one of few locally available brands so I contacted the Scott Miracle Gro Help Center to see if I could use the Miracle-Gro Shake 'N Feed Fruit and Vegetable Granules in a SWC. I received the following reply.
Container Size
For Tomatoes
For other Fruits & Vegetables
6"
2 tsp
1 tsp
8"
1 1/2 Tbsp
2 1/2 tsp
10"
2 1/2 Tbsp
1 1/2 Tbsp
12"
5 Tbsp
3 Tbsp
14"
8 Tbsp
5 Tbsp
I poured two tablespoons of this product in a circle around the edge of the bucket and covered it with potting mix.