Mavis Mail: Self Watering Planters from Emily in Washington

A big THANK YOU to everyone who has sent in their photographs and stories. I hope by sharing other peoples pictures and stories here on One Hundred Dollars a Month we can all have a rock star garden this summer. Keep them coming!

Check out this story and photos from Emily who lives here in Washington:

Hi Mavis!

I wanted to share a gardening project that I thought you might enjoy—self-watering planters.

Living here in Washington, surrounded by huge trees, is wonderful, but there is one downside…we only have one sunny spot in our yard. Yes, we are professional moss farmers. Haha!

(Recognize the strawberry tower? Yep, I’m a longtime fan! My boys built it for Mother’s Day.)

That one sunny spot gets pretty hot in the afternoon sun. In years past, we have tried using regular pots to grow tomatoes, but with little success. The soil dried out extremely fast, leaving us with crispy plants by the end of the day. Not good.

(The corrugated siding in this picture was salvaged from a well known waterfront tavern in our town. We cleaned it up and gave it a coat of metallic paint.)

Last year, I was determined to find a solution. I scoured the internet and found many self-watering planter DIYs. I showed my husband one of the YouTube videos, and he and a buddy took the basic idea and modified it to work in the rain barrels.

The idea is pretty simple, but trying to put it into words isn’t. Here is the video that inspired this project:

We had a bumper crop last year. So far, it’s looking as though this year might be just as plentiful! I think my green thumb parents would be proud!

P.S. Thanks for the tickets to the Mother Earth a News Fair. My boys are still talking about the HUGE roosters.

Emily
northharborbagco.com

If you would like to have your garden, chicken coop or something you’ve made featured on One Hundred Dollars a Month, here’s what I’m looking for:

• Your Garden Pictures and Tips – I’d especially like to see your garden set ups, growing areas, and know if you are starting seeds indoors this year. If so,  show me some picture of how you are going about it.
• Your Chicken and Chicken Related Stories – Coops, Chicks, Hen’s, Roosters, Eggs, you name it. If it clucks, send us some pictures to share with the world.
• Cool Arts & Crafts – Made from your very own hands with detailed {and well photographed} pictures and instructions.
• Your pictures and stories about your pets. The more pictures and details the better.
• Garage Sale, Thrift Store and Dumpster Diving pictures and the stories behind the treasures you found including how much you paid for them.

If I feature your pictures and the stories behind them on One Hundred Dollars a Month, I will send you a $20.00 gift card to the greatest store in the world: Amazon.com.

Go  HERE for the official rules.