Keep your garden hydrated with this easy (and green!) tip: Take a clean 1 gallon milk jug, poke a small hole in the bottom with a nail, fill it with water, and recap it. Set this next to your thirsty plant and watch it perk up a 'thank you!' This is also a great way to keep your garden watered when you need to be away for a few days.
Thanks, this sounded like a really good idea, so I've tried it, but am having a problem with it. I have a very tiny hole in the bottom of 3 different milk gallons, but they all empty within a couple hours. Its using so much water. Do you have any idea why, and/or what I can do about it? I thought this would save me some time, since it's a community garden, so a few miles away.
I used to use either milk or 2 liter pop bottles, put a tiny hole on the bottom, and bury most of the jug next to my plants when I planted my garden. I left them uncapped. Whenever I watered my garden, I simply put the hose nozzle into the opening and filled the jug (you can make the opening a little bigger if needed). The water dripped into the garden and encouraged deep plant roots. I mulched my garden too. My garden was always green; the water went right to each plant's roots and didn't evaporate easily. I never had to stand there with the hose and wonder if I had watered enough for the roots to get the water or mess with drip irrigation hoses. I probably used much less time and water this way too. The jugs were stored in the shed from year to year.
I live right on the coast so to solve wind problems....I use 1 gallon glass jugs as they have a neck on them and the little handle works as a brace to hold the jug in place. Simply fill with water, turn upside down and bury in ground directly next to the base of the plant. It works like a drip system...the ground will only take as much water as it needs and you can easily see when the jug needs to be refilled...This works especially well with tomatoes, corn, artichokes...I have even used it to water beans, peppers, squash...anything I can get the jug next to. I have watered this way for over 30 years and most of the time eliminates any other watering chores. It is a real water saver and it prevents over-watering. They look really nice in the garden too...I get the jugs from the county recycling yard.
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