Quick and easy self-watering garden planters

Step 4:

Add soil, seeds water to about 1/3 full and grow! Juice jugs work too, as do water bottles (Dasani, Evian, etc), as long as there's a ridge in the bottom. They're reuseable, recycleable and free. Another benefit is that since they're flexible and their conical in shape, a little squeeze and they slide right out.

Comments

[pravs2k]

The overflow works beautifully.And if you use the method where you decoupage the whole[ the two parts together } you have to have the hole - [ a little below the level of the inverted bottle top so that it does not touch the water.]To refill, place the bottle in a bowl of water until water starts flowing out of the little hole.This way you don't have to pull out [can't !!!] and check - if the container feels light just place it in water. Also ,decoupaging prevents light getting in - apart from of course camouflaging the bottle and making it look like a real store bought container.

Have pics but don't know how to send it- not very computer savvy !!!! HELP

[aperkins01096]

That sounds great! Love the idea of decoupage, the bare bottles look awful, despite their ability to work. Do an instructable on it! I'd love to see pics, too! email a couple if you can to aperkins[at]gmail.com, and thanks for sharing with the community!
--Andrew

[pravs2k]

The pictures at last!!

The zebra striped ones are two litre bottles cut down to size.

The other two are of one of the decoupaged ones I made .

The zebra fabric one is made of tetra pack juice carton.

[pravs2k]

Thank you for the comment.Glad you like them

The tetra pack one was made by sticking two packs together and decoupaging it with fabric- can do it with paper too,but it has to be waterproofed with mod podge.

Pictures of hanging two litre bottles were sent to 'soda bottle garden' instructable.This one is extremely easy.The bottles one on top of the other were decoupaged with paper napkins and waterproofed.

Thank you Aperkins and Botronics for great ideas.

[aperkins01096]

Wow - excellent! Great work! A Tetra Pack Juice carton? You ARE resourceful! I expecially like the one with the ladies - the philodendron seems to like it too!

[pravs2k]

Thank you .Have sent a picture and instructions to Instructables via your easy upload page. Don't know if it went through. If it hasn't ,will try again.Have to learn how to transfer the pic. from my desk top to email to you!!!!

[aperkins01096]

Doesn't seem to have worked. Hope you can find the time to put it up on instructables - it sounds like a great project! Keep me posted!!

[busywoman65]

Does the bottom work as a water reservoir and how do you put it in? You do dampen the dirt some when you plant the seeds don't you? I am totally new. I know the questions sound weird but I'm trying to understand.

[aperkins01096]

Hi, and thanks for writing! Yes, the bottom works as a resevoir - you water the plant - and keep watering 'til you see that there's about two inches of water in the bottom (outside) container, then you can let it be 'til it's at about 1/4" or so. I'd wet the soil once it went in, then let it stand for a day or so. You can always pull out the upper part and drain off the excess water if you add too much.

[hi187]

have you ever poked holes at about the line you think excess water is an issue? i was just reading another instructable that had an "overflow hole" that might come in handy in these jugs.

Thanks for the idea! I have been using jugs as a way to save wasted cold water when turning on the shower, but I have so many of them that I didn't know what to do. This will be a great way to use them.

[g0pher]

I use this same method! and it works great too