I cut this water bottle about in half and turned the top around and stuck it inside the bottom. Easy. The self-watering part actually consists of a hole I punched in the lid, which I then threaded some wick through. I used wick from patio lanterns because I happened to have some sitting around, but I think any cotton string or fabric would do the trick. The final step will probably be a cover of some kind, just until the seeds sprout -- maybe just the working man's greenhouse, saran wrap. So far it seems to be doing pretty well -- I gave it a thorough misting after I put the seeds in, and watched the water move down into the water reservoir via the wick. There is something so satisfying about this, and something so counter-intuitive, to me. I will never really believe in the notion of "self-watering," were the evidence not BEFORE MY VERY EYES.
I love the versatility of plants, the way they grow almost anywhere. I recently picked up a new gardening book and (like every other gardening book seemingly) it features little tomato and chile plants growing beautifully in old olive oil tins. There is something so appealing about these images to me, but I never seem to find any attractive old containers lying around. Everything in my house is clear plastic, and once contained Chinese or Indian takeout, it seems. Oh well. The important thing is that plants WILL grow in there, they just won't look as elegant.
I have a couple more improvised planter projects I've been working on, which I will post over the next few weeks as I start to move plants into them.
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