DIY Self Watering Container and Mini Greenhouse from 2 Storage Totes: Ultimate Edition

Welcome to Bucolic Bushwick. Here you'll find advice on rooftop vegetable gardening, as well as several plans for DIY self watering planters. Please share this page with others and help spread the vegetable gardening movement.

This planter is the most labor intensive of all my designs, but it's also the most useful. Having a greenhouse/cold frame on top of your planter opens up a lot of growing options.

To make this self watering container you need 2 totes with lids. One tote should be clear. You'll also need several fabric strips to act as water wicks and a tall water bottle to act as a fill tube.

2 New Self Watering Containers for the Roof

It's still a little too chilly to be working on the roof so to keep myself busy I converted 2 standard planters into self watering containers. The planters are from CB2, but I don't think they sell them anymore. They were given to me by sister a few years ago and I'm only just now getting them rooftop ready.

DIY Self Watering Planter: How to Convert a Standard Planter

Welcome to Bucolic Bushwick. Here you'll find advice on rooftop vegetable gardening, as well as several plans for DIY self watering planters. Please share this page with others and help spread the vegetable gardening movement.

If you're interested in gardening with self watering containers, but still want to make use of your existing standard planters, here's a great way to convert all your planters into self watering containers. This project would also be good for gardeners interested in growing in self watering containers, but want something more visually attractive than storage totes.

To convert a standard planter into a self watering container you'll need a watertight container with a lid, this will act as the water reservoir, a tall water bottle, this will act as the fill tube, and 2 strips of fabric, these strips will draw water from the reservoir to the soil above.

Southern Patio Jumbo Growing Tower for the Rooftop Garden

I was shopping at Manhattan's 23rd St HD when I came across this planter, the Jumbo Growing Tower from the HDR line of Southern Patio. This is the first self watering container I've ever seen sold in this store. I bought one for the roof, $15.98 plus tax.

DIY Self Watering Container: Water Cooler Bottle

Welcome to Bucolic Bushwick. Here you'll find advice on rooftop vegetable gardening, as well as several plans for DIY self watering planters. Please share this page with others and help spread the vegetable gardening movement.

Here is my jumbo version of a soda bottle self watering container.

Start out with one 5 gallon water cooler bottle, preferably one without a built-in handle.

DIY Self Watering Container and Mini Greenhouse from 2 Storage Totes: Basic Edition

Welcome to Bucolic Bushwick. Here you'll find advice on rooftop vegetable gardening, as well as several plans for DIY self watering planters. Please share this page with others and help spread the vegetable gardening movement.

A different version of this planter is available here.

To make this self watering container I used two plastic totes and a sturdy, plastic colander. One tote will be cut down to act as a water reservoir, the other tote will hold the soil and the colander will be used as a wicking chamber to draw water from the water reservoir into the soil above. If you have lids for these totes save them for later use.