Dollar store "self watering" containers

Im cheap.......I tried to get a large quantity discount from the dollar store for these little black containers. They wouldn't budge on the price so I had to pay $1.00 for each one. A five gallon grow bag fits real nice in them. Put water in the container and the grow mix sucks up the water.......just like in the earth box or any other so called self watering design. You can hand water or set up an automatic watering system. After I gain a little more experience with all the intracacies of this brilliant design, I will know where to drill a drain hole in the side of the container to insure the correct water level.

Cool! T hose look like dishpans, yes?

Any r eason you couldn't use those tres cheap clear plastic drain trays they sell for pots? Not as high, so maybe no drainage hole even needed.....

I will have to check into those things........I dont reckon they will give me a discount though. Bummer!

Well, but they start out cheaper than a dollar a piece, anyways....... ;-) However, they are not very sturdy, and they're easy to tear. What you've got t here will hold up to weather and wear and tear for a good while.

Did you stob them containers down thar Jay?

those look like they will do the trick...have you got them filled with coir? and what do you plan to plant in them?

Those are the grow bags that come pre-loaded with de-hydrated coir. Wet the coir and it expands to fill the bags. I guess I am going to just plant one each tomato seed in each bag and experiment around with it something like Boca Bob is doing here on the container forum and the self contained box forum. Bob uses transplants but I think I will just plant directly in the bag and let 'er rip.

Yes Devota........first thing I did was stob one of them suckers down......and danged if it didnt start leaking. Guess I need better non-leaking stobs.:-)

Jay

Brillant self watering system. Let's call China and see if we can get them for 10 cents each. the ships are half empty now so transpotation will be cheap

BocaBob

YaaHooooo!! We gonna be rich!

Hey Guys just a thought but do you know what these are made of if you are growing food?
There have been so many recalls of plastic things made in China you may want to be careful if you are growing food as the tomatoes may absorb some nasty stuff.
I have lymphoma and was advised that it was from environmental contamination. In other words some kind of chemical exposure. So be careful please I don't wish this on anyone especially my gardening friends.
Ann

Thanks Ann.........I had thought of that too. Guess maybe they will be good for flowers.

annabell52...i'm so sorry to hear that you've got lymphoma...do you think it could have come from something to do with gardening? or something you've used while gardening? you have me rethinking all my containers...virginia

Virgina
I was told that lymphoma is an environmental cancer in that it's from exposure to chemicals. They asked if I had ever worked in landscaping or in a greenhouse which I haven't. I have been advised to take great care in what I do and how I grow my food.
Who knows if its from my years of using a dandylion weed bar or weed and feed for the lawn or using wax stripper on the floor or even deet from mosquito spray.
At any rate I am in remission at the moment and intend to keep it that way.

Anyway I love tomatoes and I grow them to eat like candy in the summer so I would be careful how they are grown. Just thought I should share that tip with fellow gardeners.
Thank you for your concern Virginia
Ann

ann...i appreciate your timely post...as we all are getting ready for this next season...a wise thing for us all to do is be mindful of the chemicals and containers we are using...hoping you have a bountiful and wonderful growing season...virginia

Jaywhacker, those containers look much bigger than dishpans. how big are they? Which dollar store? What kind of concoction are you watering with??

Those are approximately 14 by 16 inches. All I am using them for is to expand and hydrate the coconut coir in the bags by just running a hose into the top of the coir and keep running it untill the pan starts to overflow. That is usually enough to fully hydrate the coir. If not, I just give it another squirt later on. That coir is great stuff. Of course, I aint out there squeezing and playing with it like some people on this forum do.

"um, Jaywhaco you talkin' 'bout me?" (Please SMILE!!!!! ^_^

Since you are, I have a question. I told ya'll ON ANOTHER FORUM that I was collecting 5-gallon buckets from the construction workers on my job. Almost all the buckets contained paint, however, several contained the wallpaper adhesive. The paint is latex and will peel off. Any way I can put the adhesive buckets in the "food" chain, if I clean them out really, really, really good? They're actually a bit taller than the 5-gallons, and would make excellent water reservoirs for the potting buckets.

LMK ASAP!

Thanks,

Your "Please don't squeeze the coir" Friend,

Linda

I wish I knew the answer Gymgirl.......but I have no knowledge along those lines. I hope someone else can pop in here and enlighten both of us. My son is a paint contractor and If I didn't stay on his case, this place would be littered with 5 gallon paint buckets. Probably someone who gets a 5 gallon bucket from you is going to grow and eat pickles from one of them, will suddenly get athelat's feet, will blame it on you, and will sue you for everything you have, including all that cocanut coir you just bought.

Hey Jay!
I believe I'm ok with the paint buckets. the Latex can easily be washed. It's the wallpaper adhesive buckets I'm a little concerned about. Just wish I knew what to use to get all the adhesive out, thoroughly.

Thanks! Looks like I might need to hire a good lawyer on retainer!

Hi, I'm a NB and may be to late to respond, in regard to drainage hole height, you could make a series holes ascending in 1/2" increments maybe 1/4" diameter and insert stoppers or plugs. You would remove them one at a time over a period of days to find the optimum height. Evaporation rate as temps rise might have an effect on drain height over the season. Another thought on leaching chemicals out of the plastic container which is certainly a real concern is to put a food grade plastic liner in the pot just like you do in a trash bin. I'm not sure about the drainage in that situation. The simplest way might be to cut the tub down to drain height after it has been used to hydrate the coir. Just some thoughts

I do have a question in regards to your and Bobs experiments, Knowing that ultimately you will be transferring plants to the 5 Gallon bags why not plant 2 to 4 seeds in the 5 gal grow bag with coir coco filler and then proceed as Bob did raising the level of coir as the seed sprouts and grows eliminating all but the most hardy plants, thus eliminating the need to transplant. Of course this assumes you have the room and the lights to do the job, I mean for a hobby grower how many good strong plants of any particular type do you need to feed your family.

imagineer1948

That would work just fine, except we are all nuts and start dozens if not hundreds of seedlings and we would all need a massive greenhouse to house all the bags.

BocaBob

I agree with Bob....about us all being nuts! Any bunch of people who think there is any such thing as a "self-watering" container has got to be nuts........((he mumbles as he pours more water into his self watering container.))

uh, I don't mean to discrimate, but we are a particular breed of nuts -- we're acutally COCO-Nuts...

::::singing::::: a lovely bunch of coconuts!

And all coco-nuts are nutty but some are nuttier than others.

This message was edited Mar 7, 2009 7:46 AM

Wow! it's a good thing I love nuts, you all are one bunch of devoted and inquisitive people, I like it!

um, Bob, I'm seeing a T-shirt op here....

"I'm a Coco-nut -- Now ask me why!"

WHY?

Uh...

LOL

Why? Bob, you asked me "why....?" BECAUSE THE COIR WORKS!

Good advertising BB, that's why.

Thanks, D...

Linda girl, since we have wandered far afield... I was wondering if you had seen this site where a gal in NC raises all her veggies in 5 gallon buckets, [not EBuckets] and a raised bed? Super interesting and she's one intense gardener. Check her out.

http://www.el34world.com/Misc/Garden/Garden.htm

Very interesting thread.

Jay, I live way out in the back of beyond. Only one Wal Mart and 1 HD to shop in., and they are 30 miles away. I have no idea where i could get the Grow Bags with coir in this area. Where did you buy yours.

Donna

wow her slope is worse than mine

there are some for sale in the DG marketplace

http://davesgarden.com/products/market/user.php?q=BocaBob

I know. But she soldiers on. It doesn't look like she gets that much sun either. I am impressed with her perseverance. I have a steep slope behind my house but it works well for a cottage flower garden.

D,
Send me a pic of your cottage flower garden! I'm going to try one along the treeline at the back of our property. Getting tired of just "trash" trees out there. I'd like to incorporate that look and intersperse the veggie trellis bed, and a coupla raised box veggie beds. LMK

P.S. THANKS for posting that link. That is truly inspiring. I want to organize my buckets into a more pleasing display. I've been thinking of painting all the buckets with camaflauge? green to blend into the treeline foliage, rather than stand out as just "buckets." I guess I want to use the buckets to create garden art, rather than have them fight against the garden. The Bright orage and white just is not working for me scattered all over the yard....

I was even picturing a sort of bench stand for the buckets. Remember the old "outhouse" concept. Or, imagine a box with a hole cut into the top of it. Well, the bucket would fit snugly into that "hole". Spacing the bucket holes along the plyboard/cedar, box would allow for sitting in-between the growing veggies. The lid could be hinged for access and some storage inside. And the box could be painted to blend in with the garden decor, while the buckets would be nicely hidden underneath. Might even keep them cooler with the sun not beating directly on them.

LMK. Gyvota creation idea #2.

Linda

Thanks!

This message was edited Mar 10, 2009 10:23 AM