DTLA has become home to many, in recent years becoming widely sought after for its creative loft-style living. If you’re a urban loft dweller who wants to grow your own organic food…grow your own is here to help?
Each month grow your own will feature a new idea and new techniques to help you grow your own fruits, veggies, herbs and spices.
You’ll need a space to grow, at least 3 hours of direct sunlight, self-watering containers, soil, fertilizer, natural pesticides, seeds, cuttings or seedlings, and maybe even the permission from your landlord, but once you get started you will be able to enjoy the fruits of your labor and participate in ancient traditions of survival.
While fire escapes are probably a no-no, balconys should be able to fit a few containers and still leave plenty of space for movement. As long as your containers are self watering no one below will get wet when it comes time to water.
In this first column we are going to introduce the process of making the self-watering containers and the pots that will hold your freshly planted organic botanicals.
The idea is to be able to water your crops without watering the people down below. All you need is one container to hold the water and another container of similar size placed inside that will hold the soil and the crops.
You can pre-order or buy self-watering containers, and outdoor gardeing systems or you can get creative and make your own for fractions of the cost reusing every day household items.
Whether your making self-watering hanging pots easily filled with mint, oregano and other herbs or a\ windowsill boxes great for growing shallow rooted vegetables, that hangs inside the balcony, imagine having rosemary, cilantro, dill, garlic and oregono at your disposal all of the thyme.
Growing you own offers fresh organic herbs growing only to for you and your culinary needs.
Redecorated pallets are awesome for deeper rooted veggies such as lettuce, squash and onionand bucket waterers will grow just about anything with longer roots including tomatoes and other fruits.
How to make a self watering pot
1/4″ drill bit
1 1/4″ hole saw
2 food grade 5 gallon
containers – 1 for planting container and 1 for
reservoir container
container
for wicking basket
Take the container meant to hold the soil and plant life and drill a 1/4 “ sized hole to hold the pipe.
Cut a bigger hole in the center of the soil container to allow drainage from the soil to escape into your wicking basket.
You wicking basket can be made by cutting any plastic bottle in half and poking it with holes to allow drainage from the soil to escape into the container bucket.
Surround the wicking basket by rocks to support the planting container that will be placed above it.
Place the pipe through the dirt until it passes though the drilled hole and reaches the bottom of passing through the rocks just short of hitting the bottom…Add dirt for support. and plant your seeds or cuttings.
