I am in the process of gathering materials to create some single bucket SIPs for my garden this year.

My question is this - do the tops of the buckets need to be covered with BLACK plastic? I understand that the covers helps limit evaporation and other jobs. But does it need to be black?? I have excess 3 mil plastic from winter window coverings and would like to use that rather than tossing it. There's not enough for row covers or other garden projects (tried most of them) but have enough for the covers of my buckets.

My gut tells me that the opaque plastic will do just fine for limiting evaporation but I didn't know if the black colored plastic added something else to the mix?

Any help would be wonderful :)

Thank you all!

~jr

P.S. - Any ideas how to make the buckets not look like buckets would be appreciated too :) Except spray paint...can't use the stuff my daughter is allergic to aerosol accelerants.