Okay, so I got this idea to make a self-watering planter for my window sill. I’ve always wanted some fresh herbs right there in the kitchen, but I’m not the best at remembering to water them. You know how it is.
First, I went online and looked around for some rectangular planters. I needed something long and narrow to fit on the sill. I found a bunch of options, some were kind of fancy, but I just wanted something simple. Ended up grabbing a six-pack of these 16×4.4 inch plastic ones. They were pretty cheap, which was nice.
Next, I had to figure out the whole self-watering thing. The planters I got had drainage holes and saucers, which is good, but I needed a way to make them actually water themselves. I remembered seeing somewhere that you could use some kind of wick to draw water up from a reservoir. Sounds like a plan, right?
So, I rummaged around the house and found some old cotton rope. I figured that would work as a wick. I cut a few pieces and threaded them through the drainage holes of each planter, leaving some length dangling down into the saucer.
Then I filled the planters with some potting mix. Nothing special, just the regular stuff from the garden store. I made sure to leave some space at the top, you know, so the water wouldn’t spill over when I filled the reservoir.
I planted some basil, some mint, and some chives in each planter. These are my go-to herbs for cooking, so I was excited to finally have them growing right there in my kitchen.
Now for the tricky part – filling the reservoir. I carefully poured some water into each saucer, making sure not to overfill it. The idea is that the rope will soak up the water and carry it up to the soil, keeping it moist.
It took a little trial and error to get the water level right. At first, I didn’t put enough water, and the soil stayed dry. Then I put too much, and the soil got all soggy. But I think I finally got the hang of it.
Here are the simple steps that I followed
- Gathered a rectangular planter with drainage holes and a saucer, some cotton rope, potting mix, and the herbs I wanted to plant.
- Cut pieces of rope and threaded them through the drainage holes, leaving some length in the saucer.
- Filled the planter with potting mix, leaving space at the top.
- Planted the herbs in the soil.
- Poured water into the saucer, making sure not to overfill it.
- Adjusted the water level as needed to keep the soil moist but not soggy.
It’s been a few weeks now, and my herbs are doing great! They’re growing like crazy, and I haven’t had to water them once. It’s so convenient to just snip off a few leaves whenever I need them for cooking. This self-watering planter thing really works!
I’m thinking about making a few more of these for other windows in my house. Maybe I’ll try growing some flowers next. It’s a pretty simple project, and it’s so satisfying to see the plants thrive with such little effort. Anyway, just wanted to share my little gardening experiment with you all. Hope you found it helpful!
