Today’s post is a little different from the norm you’ve seen here. Instead of sharing a recipe, I’m sharing a different kind of do-it-yourself…the plans for a Self-Watering Container Garden. If you’re a gardener and self-proclaimed DIY’er like I am, this easy to make and plant container garden is for you!
The plans for this boxy garden idea came from my parents about 15 years ago. They were waylaid at a Mom & Pop mechanic shop in the middle-of-nowhere Nebraska, on one of their road-tripping adventures. Besides growing an auto repair business, the shop owners were growing veggies in containers like this around the store. Corn, cukes, tomatoes, and melons flowed out of them! Mom snapped a picture, asked the owners how they were made, and the rest is green-thumb history. To date, I’ve personally made about 10 of these carefree-gardening containers. This year, they’re percolating tomatoes!
The benefits of these boxes are just as plentiful as the green-thumb goodies they reap! The building materials are easily found and inexpensive. The container itself is an 18-gallon Sterilite tote box. Walmart carries this tote in multiple colors for around $15 each. You’ll need 2 of them. The watering tube is a plastic PVC 1-inch tube. Lowes sells 10-foot lengths for about $4, but you’ll only need a 24-inch (2-foot) section. To get planting, a 25-quart bag of potting soil is needed, costing about $10 per bag. The final building material is a recycled plastic container fresh out of your fridge…whipped topping, butter, sour cream, etc. Final cost = approximately $40 + plants!
Nothing makes my heart sink quicker than forgetting to water and finding dehydrated plants! With this container, simply fill up the water reservoir through the PVC watering tube and walk away. The plants will extend their roots down towards the water, resulting in a stronger roots and healthier plants. Forgetting to water one day lessens the chance of angry tomato or jalapeño plants!
Weeds are this gardener’s arch nemesis! Oh, how I loathe grass… But with a container garden like this, I don’t have to worry about weeds. After planting seedlings, a layer of black or red weed barrier can be placed on top of the potting soil. Say goodbye to weeds for sure! Instead of bending down to pick weeds, bend over to pick fresh veggies!
I could go on and on about these containers, but I’ll end my rambling on a final note…versatile and perfect for acreage challenged folks. Almost anything can be planted in this Self-Watering Container Garden…corn, cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, flowers, melons… We’ve experienced a lot of success growing hot peppers in these! If you want garden-fresh veggies without the hassle of digging and maintaining an in-ground garden, or are limited to a patio, porch or deck, then this is the container for you! The boxy design is perfect for maximizing limited space and is mobile enough to move indoors when the weather turns cooler. It’s ideal for Square Foot Gardening too! Now to the plans!
Tools and Materials List:
- Tape Measure
- Power drill
- 1/4-inch drill bit
- 1-inch woodboring spade drill bit
- Utility knife
- Permanent marker or pen
- 2-18 gallon plastic tote boxes with 1 lid
- 1-24-inch (2-foot) length of 1-inch diameter PVC plastic tube
- 1 plastic container, measuring about 3-inches tall (i.e. whipped topping, sour cream, margarine, etc.)
- 1-25 quart bag of potting or gardening soil mix
- Plants of your choice
Step 1: Make the water reservoir wicking basin. Use the tape measure to show approximately a 1-inch area below the plastic container top. With the 1/4-inch bit and drill, make holes below the 1-inch area, around the sides and on the container bottom.
1-inch gap between top and drilled holes 
Step 2: Prepare the water reservoir. Measure 4-inches up from the bottom on one tote box. Make marks to serve as cutting guides around the tote. Cut with the utility knife. Recycle the cut top or use as an in-ground barrier for spreading plants like mint.
4-inches from Bottom 
Step 3: Cut hole in water reservoir for wicking basin. With the permanent marker or pen, center and trace around the plastic container on the top of the cut-out water reservoir. Make dashed marks about 1/4-inch in from the traced line to serve as a cutting guide. Cut out circle on dashed line. The wicking basin will ensure water from the bottom is carried upward to the roots.
Dash 1/4-inch inside tracing 
Step 4: Drill holes on top of water reservoir and insert wicking basin. There is no specific measurement for holes. Using the 1/4-inch drill bit, evenly space the holes across the top of the water reservoir. Insert plastic container into the up-turned water reservoir.
Step 5: Drill drain holes in second plastic tote and insert water reservoir and basin. Use the 1/4-inch bit and drill to make two drain holes at the bottom of the second tote. On one side, measure up 3-inches from the tote bottom. Drill two holes. These will be the over-flow drains. Insert and press the water reservoir and basin down into the bottom of this tote.
Step 6: Cut out container lid and watering tube support. On the container lid’s underside, measure and mark 1-inch dashes inside from the raised lip. Trace into a rectangle. On one corner, measure and make two marks 2-inches from the corner. Form a rectangle. Cut out three sides and triangle in corner. Use the 1-inch spade bit and drill to cut out a centered hole in this cut-out corner.
Mark 1-inch from raised top lip 
Mark 2-inches from corner. Trace triangle. 
Step 7: Position and insert watering tube. Place cut-out lid on top of container. Insert PVC watering tube into the corner lid hole. Trace around tube on top of water reservoir. Drill out traced hole with the 1-inch spade bit and drill. Reinsert watering tube into bottom of container through the water reservoir.
Step 8: Fill container with potting/soil mix, insert plants and water. For larger growing plants, like tomatoes, cucumbers and melons, space seedlings approximately two to a container. Plants like peppers can be planted four to a container in each corner. Corn seeds can be planted in two rows, approximately 6 inches apart in the rows. Bob Vila also has a great Seed Grouping graphic you could use in your container garden.
To get started, I water the soil thoroughly after planting the seedlings (and of course, anytime your plants are droopy and need a little extra water). Fill the water reservoir through the watering tube until water drains from the two drain holes. Continue to refill the water reservoir this way.
I also like to give my plants a little extra TLC throughout the growing season by feeding them with all-natural fish emulsion called Alaska Fish Emulsion Fertilizer. You can find it online at Amazon, or in stores such as Wally-World, Lowes or Home Depot. What’s great about this brand is it’s all-natural and feeds plants of all kinds. I just follow the instructions on the back of the bottle. But you can opt for your preferred brand too. Just look at the results of these Brandywine tomato plants in only 1 month’s time!
Whether your thumb is a dark forrest green or a new limey color, I wish you gardening good luck and yields of tasty produce!
IMNPB
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