Freedom from the Tyranny of the Topsy Turvy!

All my internet meanderings in search of self-watering container ideas has started to reap dividends.

I have hit a double whammy- a use for the empty soda bottles that accumulate with astonishing frequency (me and my sweetie's bad habit, not the kids at least) and potential freedom from the tyranny of the topsy turvy planters in the backyard holding me hostage this summer.

This site here has inspired me. It's all about hitting the bottle, baby. The basic idea is to take empty bottles, cut off some of the bottom, wiggle them into the soil of a plant, forming a little soil wick-plug in the neck area (cap off, of course), and fill with water, letting the soil in the neck wick the water through as needed. To make this work with the topsy turvy, I had to remove the green covers. You know, the ones that make it work like a greenhouse, which is oh so necessary when it is 90+ degrees outside and >90% humidity too. I should've removed them 2 months ago, had I been really thinking about, when I started having to water the foolish things twice a day with cool water to prevent wilting. Even this month, when it turned into 3 times a day, sometimes 4, it didn't cross my mind that I was basically baking the soil.

They may take my self-issued "smart girl" card away for that.

So, I retrieved 2 diet coke 2-liters from the recycle bin to recycle my own way, used my exacto knife for the first time since I left the public schools, and with Mr. Smarty Pants unwilling help, added one to the banana pepper topsy-turvy and one to the jalapeno one. The fact that the shephard's crook holding them didn't immediately collapse under the added weight was a good sign, as was the fact that neither bottle instantly drained. Watering them once a day would be massive improvement. Getting to skip a day would be even better, especially since they are open to the elements and can theoretically collect rain.

If this works, I will be adding water bottles to all my new container plants, in various shapes and sizes. In theory, it seems as if it will disturb the soil less, be gentler on baby plants and new transplants, and prevent over- and under-watering (two crimes I am occasionally guilty of). It would also be a lot less work, and I might even be able to occasionally give the responsibility for a few plants to either Mr. Smarty Pants or my beloved, since it is easy to tell when a water bottle is full.

It also has the advantage of seeming much less mystical to me than gravity-defying string-wicking that you have to kind of take on faith.

Today has gone from being a good day to being awesome. Time to pick up Mr. Autism from camp and go have some fun in the garden with containers while he has occupational therapy!