i always start mine in little peat moss bio cups ( about the size of a shot glass) after they are about 3-4 inches tall i put them in their final home , which is the 5 gal bucket.. it will take about a week or so for the cups to degrade , letting the roots thru into the main soil ...... .. i start by digging holes in the ground so the 5 gal bucket fits in nicly .... put rocks in the bottem of the hole ,.. drill about 20 holes in teh bottem & lower sides , about as round as a pencil,.. then place the bucket in the hole ,, put rocks in bottem of bucket then fill with ur soil .... cut out chicken wire at about 1.5 - 2 feet tall & make sure u cut it long enough to go all the way around ur bucket,... feed the wire down between ur bucket & the ground ,, pack down tight with ur foot & post them up straight with 2 sticks .....o yeah i forgot ,, this is a very good idea , for those who ever had to do this before...... prior to planting ur bucket ,, u should always cut 2 holes about 3 inches from the top of the bucket .. these holes should be 1 inch high & about 4 inches long .. incase of emergency , like flooding , construction etc ,,, if u ever tried to pull a full bucket from the ground , its not fun , these holes will let u get a nice hold of the bucket & will make life alot easier,,,,,, good luck .. happy growing