Turn Plastic Bottles into Self Watering Planters

Recycle your old 2-liter soda bottles into  a self watering planter for starting your seeds. It’s an ingeniously simple idea that works very well. With spring approaching it’s time to be getting your seeds planted and started and this is an ideal way to keep them moist. You can monitor the water level at a glance and know when more needs to be added.

It doesn’t take much to make them, and pretty much any type of plastic bottle that is large enough will work. You’ll need potting soil, string or yarn for the wick, your seeds, and tools to cut the bottle and punch holes. They’re made by cutting a bottle in half, turning the top of the bottle upside down in the bottom half so it rests in it with the screw top pointing down. When you put a hole in the top and thread the wick through, it then pulls up water from the bottom container to keep the soil moist. It’s a good idea to water from the top occasionally as well. Wicking helps keep the soil moist without being wet.

Anne at Seattle Sundries has detailed instructions on her blog from when she made these planters with her children.

Instructions and Project and Image Source: Seattle Sundries