December 2007

Ah, the Holidays are almost over, and the catalogs are arriving, making me want to go plant. Not possible outside with the snow, but I can do so indoors.

I Waited for sales on some containers and picked them up in the fall, setting them aside for the doldrums. Fortunately, I'd gotten several, since I lost a couple of the tops - a part needed for a successful container garden of this variety. Step One: If the container is not opaque, paint the outside of the container so no light can enter (I used flat black).

 
The top needs to be cut so that the flat part just inside the rim remains. I had bought a special plastic cutter that works great for plexiglass and straight cuts, but the top has curves, supports under the top and all sorts of other "challenges". I ended up cracking the plastic on my first attempt in a number of places. This time I used a scroll saw, cutting into the edge and going all the way around carefully at a medium speed. Works a lot better that way. Placing the interior part on a piece of scrap plywood I gently drilled out a number of holes to let the water through.
 
Next, I put some pieces of packing foam from a computer on the bottom to support the lid. The foam is about 1" thick. Ideally there'd be a minimum amount of foam so there'd be more water in the resevoir, but this shows up better in the pictures. Having a small piece in the center is also good for support.
 
Next, you'll need a wick - I used an old towel. Terrycloth works well, synthetics normally don't. Wrap the cloth as shown so that at least one side (preferably two or more) reach the bottom of the resevoir. Wrapping the foam inside the towel as well ensures that the wick stays at the bottom of the container.
    
Once wrapped, you can invert the whole thing so the foam is again on the bottom and place it into the container. I added some hay and a very light coating of lime as the first layer.
   
Next, add potting soil mix almost up to the top. You'll want to leave room for future "top dressing", or if you wish to cover the plants with a layer of plastic to keep the moisture in, depending on what you're planting. If you're planting greens as I have here, you don't need to leave that much room on the top. If you're planting bib lettuce, or other types of plants, it'd be a good idea to leave about 1-1/2" of space. The rim of the lid can be used to hold down a covering of plastic wrap for sensitive seeds.
   
I've found that when the resevoir is dry, the very top of the soil dries out, and it's time to add a couple of quarts of water. A great addition to this would be a resevoir level indicator, which I may incorporate into the next one if I can find one of the other lids.