Self-watered, self-contained

Diana Rice spends countless hours tending to her self-watering container gardens at her Niu Valley home — not because she has to, but because she loves it.

"I’ve always been an outdoor person. I’d rather be in the garden than indoors decorating the house," said the 56-year-old accountant. "I want to become more self-sustaining."

Rice grew up in a place in Ohio where the soil was fertile, but when she tried to grow produce at home here, she didn’t have much luck. Her first attempts at container gardening failed because the plants kept drying out. Then Rice discovered self-watering systems.

Using instructions from a website, she built her own using large plastic storage containers, aquatic plant baskets, a PVC pipe and potting mix. Essentially, Rice cuts holes into the bottom of one container that are large enough to accommodate the baskets and smaller holes for drainage. The container is then placed inside a second container partially filled with water. (A pocket of air separates the inside container from the water.)

Before the potting soil is added, a short length of PVC pipe is placed in one of the corners to be used for adding water and liquid fertilizer. (Because the system is self-contained, the fertilizer stays put and won’t mix with storm runoff.) A dip stick — a cork attached to a stiff wire — is placed in the pipe to monitor the water level.

Once the container is filled with potting soil and plants, the baskets "suck up the water like a straw," she said.

Finally, a container lid, with a large cutout in the middle to allow for sunshine and foliage growth, secures the system for easy handling.

On her first try, it took Rice an entire day to create one self-watering container. "Now I can make two in less than six hours," she said.

"If you’re going to do this, you can’t be afraid of using a drill and screwdriver. The only tool that I needed that I didn’t have at home was a hole-cutting piece for a drill and that only cost a few dollars," she said.

She tries to use scrap materials from around the house to make the system as inexpensive as possible.

For those who eschew DIY projects, self-watering containers can be purchased from garden stores. "Once everything is set up, you only need to spend about 10 to 15 minutes each day taking care of the garden," Rice said.

Some research is required when selecting plants suitable for container gardens. Rice starts everything from seed and pollinates her plants by hand with a paintbrush.

"Some herbs don’t like it because it provides too much water. And I’ve found that peas grow better in the ground," Rice said.

She is currently growing acorn squash, cantaloupe, broccoli and tomatoes in containers. Other crops thrive in her yard, including lemon and orange trees, and sweet potatoes, which she grows in raised beds.

Rice uses organic gardening practices as much as she can. An insecticidal soap, made from a few tablespoons of soap and vegetable oil combined with a gallon of water, is sprayed on plants to keep pests at bay.

"I feel like I’m in battle with the aphids," she said.

Netting protects against birds and butterflies, whose eggs unleash ravenous caterpillars.

A patch of corn was being devoured by an unknown pest, but Rice found that the crop did better when she surrounded it with sunflowers.

"I’m always learning new things as I go along," she said.

"I love getting things to grow. Gardening makes me feel alive."

“Garden Party” spotlights unique and exceptional gardens. Contact us via email at features@staradvertiser.com or call 529-4808.