If you have any nooks and crannies on your patio or in your garden, and would love to utilize that space, you might consider making a self-watering, or "Earth Bucket."
Making and using an Earth Bucket is a wonderful way to conserve water and to plant things where you might not be able to otherwise, like on your patio or driveway. While the buckets are not truly self-watering, (you do have to add water), they regulate the water you keep in their reservoir.
One of the simplest self-watering containers, the double bucket, consists of one bucket or 5-gallon pail nested inside another. The bottom bucket is watertight except for a drainage hole drilled in its side at just below the bottom of the top bucket, when they are nested together. Several roomy drainage holes are made in the bottom of the top bucket, which serves as the planter. Roots eventually grow through these holes and into the reservoir in the bottom bucket. The reservoir will reduce watering chores by about half and give your plants an important safety margin on hot, dry days.
The idea is simple, and there are some variations in the basic design you can consider. After looking at a few options (including a self-wicking bucket using towels), I decided to go with the plans I found in this book:
(click for link to amazon)
(The Essential Urban Farmer is a book I turn to often...it is truly an urban garden bible!)
The most challenging part of the entire project is creating the holes in your buckets. If you are going to make several of these buckets (I plan to line my patio with them next year), then you might like to invest in the tools that will make the job easiest on you. On the other hand, if you don't have all the 'right' tools, and don't have the money or time to go buy them (which was the case when I decided to make my two buckets last weekend), then you can get creative.
I made the necessary measurements and holes in my Earth Buckets using what I had on hand!
I made the necessary measurements and holes in my Earth Buckets using what I had on hand!
STEP ONE: Gather Materials
- 2 five-gallon buckets-- make sure the buckets didn't previously hold anything toxic (you could also use two of any container, like cat litter buckets)
- PVC piping (about 25 inches for each bucket)
- drill with various bits
- 18 oz "red solo" style plastic cup
- hack saw
- sharp knife or box cutter
- optional helpful tools-dremel tool, duct tape
Gather Your Supplies |
1. Make cuts in the PVC pipe.
Cut the length of PVC that you need with a saw. You will want the pipe to extend about 3 inches above the top of the buckets when they are nested. In my buckets (regular 5 gallon), the total length needed was 25 inches.
The bottom of the pipe will need a notch cut from it to allow water to flow through. This is where the pipe will be sitting in the reservoir at the bottom. I used a dremel tool to make a simple notch, pictured above. If you have a vise, you could use a hack saw to make the notch.
Set the finished pipe aside.
2. Measure and cut drainage holes.
I made three drainage holes in each bucket. First, lay buckets next to each other to see where the inner bucket will be when they are nestled..Use straight edge and a sharpie to mark where the bottom of the planting bucket will be located in relation to the outer bucket.
Measure where that line sat, and then using that measurement make two more lines, for a total of three marks around the outer bucket, roughly the same distance apart.
I used a 1/4 inch drill bit for the drainage holes. |
This photo show what the holes need to look like: Large hole for cup to nest in, smaller hole that will fit the PVC pipe, and 30-40 small holes for the roots to grow through into the water reservoir if they want to. For me, the challenge was to get all these holes figured out.
The cup hole is a little more challenging, because you can't trace around the cup--it will make the hole too large since the cup is tapered (as you can see I traced a line on the cup below to show where it will end up nestling in the bucket). If you are using a standard 'solo' type cup, a hole 3 1/4 inch in diameter should work (this is where a 3 1/4 inch saw bit would come in handy, but as you can see, it's not crucial, you can make do!) I made a very rough 3 1/4 inch circle and used the same method for cutting it out; dremel tool around the line until it popped out.
Assemble what you have done so far: place the inner bucket inside the outer bucket, and push the PVC pipe into place, down through its hole until it touches the bottom. Looking good!
4. Make cuts in the plastic drinking cup, which will be your water-wicking cup.
Using a sharp blade, slice 4 slits into the plastic cup, about equal distance from each other. Be careful to keep the cup intact; DON'T cut through the top or bottom! Once the cup is filled with soil and surrounded by water in the reservoir, water will wick into it through the slits, and then up into the rest of the planting bucket.
To retain more water: Cover the surface of the bucket. I used a thick layer of straw. Some people use black garden plastic, or the lid that came with the bucket with a hole cut in it for the plant.
Another water-retaining tip: if possible, bury the bucket into the ground, leaving the drainage hole above ground. This will help prevent water from evaporating as quickly.
We grew peppers in our Earth Buckets, and they did AMAZING! Click here for our update!
In a future project, I plan to make a series of Earth Buckets all connected to one water source, fed directly from the gutters on my house. Stay tuned!
Once I made two buckets, I gained a TON of confidence, which is huge for this power-tool fearing girl. I know that the next time I do this project it will be easier. You have to start somewhere, and with the tools you have...I can't encourage you strongly enough--just gather up what you have and try it.
If you have made Earth Buckets or Boxes before, please leave a comment for us to let us know how they turned out, or what you did differently. :)
*if you need a Video: Sometimes all the pictures in the world don't help, and I totally get that. I like the videos on this site. Scroll down to the third video, "build the 2 bucket system."
If you plan to make several buckets, you may want to invest in some net pots and a hole saw specific to them:
Pictured here is 2-7/8 inch hole saw (attachable to your drill) and a 3-inch net pot.
Click the pictures below to see them on Amazon.
DISCLOSURE: This post may contain affiliate links. I'm eligible to receive a small commission whenever a product is purchased through these links. Click Here for my full disclosure!Click the pictures below to see them on Amazon.
Thank you Diane! I admit I put this project off for the longest time because I'm very intimidated by power tools. It's really not so bad, I promise! :)
ReplyDeleteThis is so cool! I had heard of these planters before but never really understood what it was. Thanks for showing the how-to, I'll definitely be making some of these for next planting season!
ReplyDeleteGood luck, Caitlin...it's really not hard at all. I can't wait to make more. :)
DeleteHere are a couple tips for viable watering of plant holders and pots. The bigger the grower, the less watering they will require after some time.
ReplyDeleteThroughout evolution, humans walked barefoot and slept on the ground and received from the Earth a natural, nurturing, and gentle electric energy.Real Shape of Earth
ReplyDeleteIve used the double bucket system for tomatoes and 2 seasons. I notice the lower water reservoir gets nasty (!). Ive taped the outside bottom bucket base with black duck tape to prevent sunlight reaching the 2 inch deep water level. Its still gets quite bad by mid summer. Anyone working on a Plan B such as an alternative to the bottom bucket altogether? Many thanks. Mike
ReplyDeleteTry panting the lower portion of the outer bucket or use foil tape or even duct tape. You just want to block ALL the light without creating a heat buildup.
DeleteI just built one this morning for my tomato plant. I had been wanting do this but really couldn't find the right site until I read yours. I loved it. Yours was exactly the way that would work for me. A big thanks for the info. I'm excited to see it grow and next year I plan to make some more.
ReplyDeleteI'm seeing this late, but I'm SO glad to hear that my post was helpful!
DeleteBuilt 3 of these yesterday and finished them then planted. I think I want to do more. Yes, I made do with a drill, sharp knife and solo cups. But my hands are killing me! LOL! I think I'm going to invest in the drill hole cutters and net pots next time.
ReplyDeleteMaking do is something I do most of the time, lol. I am glad to hear that you successfully made three buckets! The buckets I made for this post 8 years ago are JUST NOW starting to slowly deteriorate from the sunlight. I think they will still work for another year or so, but I think I'll make new ones at the end of this garden season. :)
DeleteYour information is a beneficial.That’s great to read this blog, you are a good and having the wonderful skills. Really appreciable, thanks for sharing this wonderful blog. skillsfuture courses
ReplyDeleteThis unique seems to be thoroughly ideally suited. Each one of minor essentials are produced alongside large amount of story knowledge. I’m a for the considerably. lawyers near me
ReplyDeletenice post
ReplyDeleteağrı
ReplyDeletevan
elazığ
adıyaman
bingöl
WV21
EF0AF
ReplyDeleteKonya Lojistik
Ordu Parça Eşya Taşıma
Adana Lojistik
Amasya Evden Eve Nakliyat
Antep Parça Eşya Taşıma
A95C5
ReplyDeleteKonya Evden Eve Nakliyat
Artvin Şehirler Arası Nakliyat
Niğde Parça Eşya Taşıma
Gümüşhane Parça Eşya Taşıma
Eskişehir Evden Eve Nakliyat
Muş Evden Eve Nakliyat
Iğdır Lojistik
Maraş Evden Eve Nakliyat
Eryaman Boya Ustası
693E5
ReplyDeleteRize Lojistik
Aksaray Lojistik
Batman Parça Eşya Taşıma
Kütahya Evden Eve Nakliyat
Ardahan Şehir İçi Nakliyat
Sincan Boya Ustası
Bone Coin Hangi Borsada
Siirt Evden Eve Nakliyat
Afyon Parça Eşya Taşıma
77C03
ReplyDeleteorder steroids
Ünye Evden Eve Nakliyat
Artvin Evden Eve Nakliyat
Silivri Parke Ustası
buy halotestin
Maraş Evden Eve Nakliyat
Sakarya Evden Eve Nakliyat
buy steroid cycles
Karaman Evden Eve Nakliyat
98330
ReplyDeletebinance referans
59263
ReplyDeletebinance indirim
B994A
ReplyDeleteçorum parasız görüntülü sohbet uygulamaları
görüntülü canlı sohbet
hakkari ücretsiz sohbet siteleri
malatya sohbet odaları
muğla sesli sohbet
ağrı mobil sohbet et
nevşehir bedava sohbet chat odaları
çankırı sesli sohbet mobil
düzce parasız sohbet siteleri
E1352
ReplyDeletedefillama
onekey
eigenlayer
arbitrum
raydium
ellipal
looksrare
uniswap
solflare
3AF5C
ReplyDeletepapaya meyvesi
bitexen
probit
bkex
aax
sohbet canlı
ısırgan sabunu
4g mobil proxy
referans kodu
20CD9
ReplyDeletebinance referans kodu
huobi
canlı sohbet uygulamaları
kripto para nereden alınır
defne sabunu
gül sabunu
kucoin
bitcoin haram mı
en az komisyon alan kripto borsası
6CE09
ReplyDeletebitrue
en iyi kripto grupları telegram
bitexen
sohbet canlı
binance referans
kripto para haram mı
kraken
bitget
huobi
I have grown figs and roses in these pots for many years now.
ReplyDelete01A8E
ReplyDeleteRen Coin Yorum
Grt Coin Yorum
Bitcoin Son Dakika
Op Coin Yorum
Sys Coin Yorum
Gal Coin Yorum
BTC Forum
Sand Coin Yorum
Cudos Coin Yorum
Your website is really cool and this is a great inspiring article. sd curtains
ReplyDelete2285E
ReplyDeletegüvenilir sanal şov
F4DC1
ReplyDeletegörüntülü canlı şov
FECB2
ReplyDeletewhatsapp görüntülü show güvenilir
34106
ReplyDeletegörüntülü şov whatsapp numarası
وب سایت فایل برو پی دی اف کتاب اعمال حقوقی قرارداد - ایقاع ناصر کاتوزیان را در 244 صفحه را برای شما دوستان آماده کرده است. در این کتاب پروفسور دکتر فرزانه ناصر کاتوزیان برای درس حقوق مدنی در رشته حقوق در مقطع کارشناسی به تبیین و تدوین رویه های حقوقی شامل قراردادها و قراردادها بر اساس عناوین شورای عالی انقلاب فرهنگی پرداخته است و به گفته خودش این کتاب شش تایی است. بخش حقوق مدنی دارای خلاصه و مقدمه است. مطالعه این کتاب برای دانشجویان رشته حقوق به شدت توصیه می شود و محتوای آن می تواند زمینه ساز درک عمیق حقوق شهروندی به ویژه حقوق مدنی 3، 6، 7 و حتی 4 باشد.با سایت فایل برو همراه باشید.
ReplyDeleteاعمال حقوقی کاتوزیان
وب سایت فایل برو مدرسه سجونگ را در 192 صفحه برای شما دوستان عزیز آماده کرده است. کتابی برای درک فرهنگ بر اساس ژانرهای مربوطه در کره است. به دانش آموزان کمک کنید تا کشور را درک کنند. فرهنگ کشور و در نهایت جنبه های کلی فرهنگی مورد نیاز برای یادگیری زبان. این کتاب برای مبتدیان برای یادگیری زبان کره ای در نظر گرفته شده است تا فرهنگ کره را از زوایای مختلف مقایسه و تجربه کنند. و فرهنگ کشورشان با چنین مقایسهها و تجربیاتی، از زبانآموزان انتظار میرود که درک خود از زبان کرهای را بهبود بخشند و بر پایههای فرهنگی که برای یادگیری زبان مهم هستند، بسازند. با فایل برو همراه باشید.
ReplyDeleteپی دی اف کتاب آموزش زبان کره ای
00CF3B3488
ReplyDeletegörüntülü seks
görüntülü sex
görüntülü show
sanal seks
sohbet hattı
seks hattı
sanal sex
cam şov
sex hattı
521BD18BF3
ReplyDeletecam şov
sohbet hatti
görüntülü seks
sohbet hatti
sex hattı
görüntülü şov
cam show
sanal sex
görüntülü sex
D392DF1ABB
ReplyDeleteücretli şov
skype show
skype şov
cam şov
ücretli show
canli cam show
görüntülü şov
whatsapp görüntülü show güvenilir
canli web cam show
B98D3731B2
ReplyDeleteviagra
ücretli show
cam şov
cialis
fx15 zayıflama hapı
novagra hap
maxman
geciktirici jel
themra macun
thanks for the content,nice blog i really appriciate your hard work keep it up. also visit for super fast
ReplyDeletehelp links
Carta de Conducao
Permis de Conduire
Comprar carta de condução