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Make a self-watering container

Self-watering containers can gently irrigate plants and require less watering. To make one follow our step-by-step guide here.
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Our self-watering container uses capillary action to siphon moisture

We’ve built one of these self-watering containers in our organic demonstration garden at Ryton and it works like a pot in a saucer of water. The wick uses capillary action to siphon the water up to the planter from the reservoir.

You will need:

  • A plastic crate for the reservoir (pictured below). We used two small crates connected with 15mm pipe)
  • Two x 20cm small containers to act as wicks (we used two plant pots with drainage holes)
  • Ballcock
  • 15mm pipe and fittings
  • Overflow for the reservoir
  • Pressure-treated boards for your planting container
  • Small screws
  • Pallet wood to clad the reservoirs (optional)
  • Bricks to raise wicks (optional)

1 . Fit a ballcock to the reservoir at a sufficient height to allow a reasonable depth of water to flow into the reservoir. Drill an overflow above the level of the ballcock.

2. We then built our planting container from pressure-treated boards 150mm deep, 600 x 900 mm.

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We used crates to create a reservoir for water

3. Turn the planter upside down, place wicks (plant pots) upside down on top and trace around them. Reinforce the planter to give the base extra strength before any cutting takes place; we used wood.

4. Cut the holes out of the planter (slightly smaller than the size of the plant pots, to give something to fix the pots to) and screw the tops of the pots onto the base of the planter. The combined surface area of the pots needs to be roughly 15 per cent of the surface area of the planter. Turn the planter the right way up and place the wick in the reservoir.

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Screw the tops of the pots onto the base of the planter

5. Use 15mm fittings to connect the reservoir via the ballcock to the water source. Put a layer of stones into the wick and top up with growing medium to the top of the planter.

6. Your self-watering container is now operational. We clad our reservoir containers to make them look nice, but this isn’t essential. You can have as many planters connected, providing the reservoirs are all on the same level and sufficient water is available. Bear in mind if your water supply dries up, it would need to be topped up. Or connect with a hose to an outside tap for a continual supply of water.