Self Watering Hack for Garden - terra cotta & 2 liter soda bottles is all you need.

Terra Cotta Plant Stakes

One of my favorite watering hacks is unglazed terra cotta and plastic recycle bottles from your kitchen. (I call it one of my ways of making my garden more "ADD Friendly")

It's like watering insurance if you're on a trip or you space out or get too busy to check if all your plants are watered outside.

In ancient times, people who grew food in a garden or on a farm used these jars called "Ollas" that were made out of terra cotta clay. SEE MORE ABOUT OLLAS

Modern Ollas can be very expensive... see some on amazon ranging from $36 (GrowOlla) to $44, even $65 just for ONE large olla terra cotta pot with a lid..

Terra cotta is this magical god-sent material that is porous and allows water to flow through if the soil around it dries out. When the soil is moist, the water stays in the pot or the 2-liter bottle until the soil needs moisture again. It is basically like putting the water needs of the soil on auto pilot. you just need to refill the pot or bottle every so often depending on the weather.

Terra cotta pots version: (see this article) I have seen people make YouTube videos of sealing the hole at the bottom of a terra cotta pot and burying it in your raised bed soil with a lid that fits onto the top to prevent the water from evaporating. This does work, I've used it...

but here is the shortcut hack that's easier to check the water levels in:

Terra cotta plant stakes:

2 steps/parts to obtain -

Step 1 is to buy some UNGLAZED terra cotta plant stakes off the web. I personally haven't seen them at physical stores almost ever. I buy them online.

Here are some on Amazon that I've used:

• $23.99 FAMILy Plant Watering Stakes 10Pcs Automatic Plant Waterers (10 pack)

• $20 Vensovo 10pcs Terracotta Watering Spikes

• $23.88 TKSCUSR 15 pack terra cotta watering stakes (better deal!)
  

  If you want to skip the plastic bottle, I like these YUESHICO smaller ollas (I have them) they come in a 2 pack for $12 on amazon.

Step 2 is to save all of the 2-liter and larger plastic drink bottles you use instead of recycling them.

The bottle fits upside down into the terra cotta plant stake.

You will rinse these out well and then fill them up with water. Then put the lip of the bottle into the plant stake. It fits just fine every time I've bought stakes. Then you put the 2-liter upsidown and the attached stake goes into the soil fairly deep. You'll want to experiment with spacing and how many you think you need.

Side tips:

• I save the lid to the side so I can use the plastic bottle & store water in the winter . That is optional.

• Note: You want to keep the plastic out of the weather after the gardening season is over (fall/winter) b/c the sun and rain will wear them out fast. If you do that they can last a few years.

• Also if the bottle is empty of water, if there is wind, they can blow away.