Raised Bed Will this work?
- Thread starter greenhart
- Start date
Martinhouse
Deceased
Why not just use them like regular pots? I'd give anything to have a couple dozen of those containers!
greenhart
Veteran Member
This way I will have a supply of water in the bottom tub that will wick upward to keep the top tub moist for a longer period of time. And now I just realized I didn't show a fill pipe going through the top tub into the bottom tub.
Martinhouse
Deceased
Still looks like too much complicated work to me. I accomplish the same thing using plastic oil-change pans as pot-saucers. I can tell at a glance how much water is available to the pot and I let the pan go completely dry between waterings so there's never any mosquitoes. If rain keeps them full of water, they are easy to dump dry before the skeets can breed in them.
Added benefit is the dog loved to drink that water, preferred it to her water bowl. I've seen cats use it, too during dry spells.
Whatever. Not saying your idea is bad. Just too much to clog up or otherwise go wrong, for someone who prefers the simplest way of doing something.
Oh, and I can't tell from that illustration...how do you tell how much water is in the lower container?
Added benefit is the dog loved to drink that water, preferred it to her water bowl. I've seen cats use it, too during dry spells.
Whatever. Not saying your idea is bad. Just too much to clog up or otherwise go wrong, for someone who prefers the simplest way of doing something.
Oh, and I can't tell from that illustration...how do you tell how much water is in the lower container?
Not too complicated at all! They are giant "EarthBoxes", and I made half a dozen "EarthBox" clones at least 10 years ago, much smaller, out of 18 gallon Rubbermaid totes... they work great! You're going to love them!
Just make sure you drill a drainhole in the outside tub, just below the lower level of the soil, so the roots don't drown if you get heavy rain.
And if it gets very hot where you are, you might want to spray the outside a lighter color, so you don't cook the roots. They have spray paint for plastics now... I've painted several harshly colored large plant pots so they blend in better.
Summerthyme
Just make sure you drill a drainhole in the outside tub, just below the lower level of the soil, so the roots don't drown if you get heavy rain.
And if it gets very hot where you are, you might want to spray the outside a lighter color, so you don't cook the roots. They have spray paint for plastics now... I've painted several harshly colored large plant pots so they blend in better.
Summerthyme
greenhart
Veteran Member
Martinhouse, I didn't show it plainly but there's a drain hole in the bottom tub an inch or so below where the top tub will sit. I intend to fill until water escspes from that hole then I will know that I have supply of water to last several days even weeks if I get a shower from time to time.
Summerthyme, these tubs will sit on the ground and I hope to plant some kind of flower to shade them.
Summerthyme, these tubs will sit on the ground and I hope to plant some kind of flower to shade them.
Sandcastle76
Senior Member
Looks good....my son made grow buckets like that, using 5 gallon buckets. We ended up with one big tomato plant and one bell pepper plant at the end of the season that were still blooming and bearing. He put them in his old red wagon and took them out of the garage every morning when he went to catch the bus. We had fresh veggies up to January. Note - we live in the south.
I don't see why not. As long as the soil is as you describe, it should wick moisture just fine. And, of course, the plant roots will quickly grow downward towards the water..
Summerthyme
Summerthyme