Homemade Self Watering Container using Recyled Tires
We’ve been looking for solutions to save valuable water since moving to the country. Self-watering, especially from underground, seemed to be one of the less obvious but ideal answers.
A good friend gave us a book called The Vegetable Gardener's Container Bible
That summer brought a lot of fun devising,testing and experimenting with self-watering systems. One particular success was a self-watering contaimade from a recycled 5-gallon bucket. (We learned about this from a YouTube video. Yahoo for YouTube!) We planted an organic sweet potato we had bought from Trader Joes.
To our surprise, by the end of summer, the bottom was full of the most delicious sweet potatoes we had ever eaten.
By the next summer, we were convinced that the self-watering containers had to be at least a partial answer we were looking for. We devised our system using old worn-out tires where a 5-gallon bucket would automatically feed water to 7 containers.
Taters from Tires
We used 2 tires to build our container with the bottom tire holding a 5-gallon bucket we had cut to fit the top of the tire. We then added a quarter inch hose that feeds water into the bucket. We used a quarter inch coupler that snaps into the bucket and connects the hose. We placed wire mesh and dirt fill to the top of the second tire.
The 5-gallon water bucket sets by itself and contains a float with a quarter inch hose to each tire container. Connect the float to a regular water spigot or a rain barrel, your choice. We preferred to use the run-off for our water storage system. Each tire container water level is determined by the 5-gallon feed bucket. Check out this process in the following video:
Water Levels
Getting the proper water level to all the tire containers was the most challenging and difficult part. Thankfully, we wisely tested this thoroughly before we added the dirt to make sure our water levels were correct. Too much water and we would have a continual leak, and too little water and the plants would dry up. In this system, we found dirt to be the best wick. One of our YouTube friends suggested we use rocks for wicking instead of the dirt touching the water level. We plan to do this step next time!
This year we added a wood chip mulch & rabbit droppings to the top of the soil for fertilizer. We grew delicious snap peas in the spring, tomatoes & peppers in the summer and onions in the fall. The result was very healthy plants, and all were organic with no chemical fertilizers.
If nothing else grows where we live, we can always count on our tires. They continue to produce year after year. We have added 3 more large brick self- watering containers that connect up to our rain barrels with more structures in the in planning stages. We’ve had success with strawberries using another structure. We look forward to trying not only the berries, but other plant life as well. 
Things needed:
- 2 very old worn out tires (each container)
- 1 recycled 5 gallon bucket
- Wire mesh
- Fertilizer mixture
- Blood, sweat, tears and determination
We found this to be a fun project for everyone. It’s exciting to see our efforts grow and flourish. Make a game of it, not a chore.
We also have more information on a Self-Watering Brick Container if you are interested in similar projects.
Shelly
December 2012
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Resources
www.greenhomebuilding.com/adobe.htm
www.earthbagbuilding.com/articles.htm
www.earthbagplans.wordpress.com
We moved from the city to the country in 2005. Since then, we have been building structures, raising livestock and growing some of our own foods. We are crazy about family, nutrition and want the best for our growing family.
