Thrifty Thursday-Homemade Self-Watering Container

Last weekend, my friend Lynn showed me
a do-it-yourself project that I just had to share.
It's a self-watering system that's so easy to make,
and uses materials that are easily accessible.

We've been able to acquire a lot of these 5-gallon buckets

from our local grocery store.

The deli and bakery departments have been putting them aside for us

and we are happy to pass them on to someone who can use them.

The black center ring is the bottom of another bucket cut to fit inside.

It should be snug and sit about 1/4 of the way up the inside.

The PVC pipe fits in a hole cut through the black base.

This is the tube where water is added.

It filters down to the bottom part of the bucket.

The pipe is fastened with a tie wrap.

If you look closely, you can see that a small pot fills in the hole of the black ring.

Soil can then be added to the pot,
all the way up the sides, and in go the plants.

If tie wraps aren't available, string or wire would do nicely.

Just use what you have on hand.

An overflow hole is drilled in one side, just below the black ring.
This ensures that plants won't rot by getting waterlogged.

Isn't it great when folks share inventive solutions?
Let me know how you like this idea!