Reuniting Kids w/ Nature - Self-Watering Containers

Source

MATERIALS: 
One recycled plastic 2-liter bottles (soda bottles are perfect), cotton string, scissors or an exact-o-knife, soil, seeds

TIME FRAME:
30 - 60 minutes


PROCEDURE:

1. Carefully poke three holes in the top of your 2-liter plastic bottle
2. Using an exact-o-knife or scissors, carefully cut your bottle in half
3. Flip the top half of your bottle upside down (this is now your “pot”) and sit it into the bottom half (the well) of your bottle
4. Cut your string into two pieces, each about 8 inches long
5. Place your string into the “pot” so it is just peeking out of the old mouth of your bottle
6. Carefully add your potting soil to the pot, working around your string so it stays as close to the middle of the pot as possible
7. Add a couple if inches of water to the well of your container
8. Sow some seeds into the soil in your pot
9. Carefully place your new self watering container in a sunny location and check your well daily

REFLECTION: 
What are the benefits of a self-watering container?  Are there other containers that could be turned into self watering containers?  Which plants do you think would do best in such a container?

CONNECTIONS: 

Self-watering containers (also known as Self-Irrigating Planters-SIPs) play an important role for anyone who might want to grow their own vegetables, but who has little or no yard in which to do so.  If you have a patch of sun to place your SIP in, you can easily grow a few vegetables of your own!

TIPS:

If you’re growing  vegetables for the first time, start with veggies that are easy to grow. Cutting lettuce, spinach, kale, mint, basil, beets and carrots are all easy to grow and can do very well in containers as long as you follow the planting guidelines on your seed packet.

This activity is part of a series of low cost, hands on activities that can be used by anyone who has a passion for nature and who believes that a child's time spent in nature is not only important, but necessary.  Each activity was either created by me or gathered from a variety of sources.  You can find the complete list of all of the activities on my Nature Activities tab.

xoxo,

M

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