Thanks for the great demo. But now I am freaking out (as the GD says) because I only put knife slits in the bottom not big holes like yours. Are mine too small? Should I bring them in and make bigger holes? That would require a snow shovel and an ice pick however, but whatever it takes;o)

Blessings,
Dea

I love these bottles, and have had the most luck with them than other containers. I do cut mine a bit different, in that I leave the bottom a litle larger, in order to have more dirt.

Dea,

I make good drainage holes for the simple reason that we have very wet springs and starts to summers here. Things might be different in... is it Michigan? Sorry, I'm having a brain fart on state abbreviations tonight. :O) Chalk it up to a Canadian thing.

You could be fine. I wouldn't go trudging out and digging them out this time of year. Wait until the spring and check things out then.

OK thanks. They are froze to the table anyway. We keep getting these snow, ice, snow storms here in Michigan. Snow piled to the rafters I can live with but the ice under, and on top of, is a real pain this year.

Blessings,
Dea

Thank you so much for the pop bottle pictures! I think I can do that! I'M JUMPING INTO WS!!!! My first attempt will be columbine, HH, Catalpa tree, and maybe poppy, and some Littleleaf Pea Shrub.

What do you use to cut the pop bottles?

Deanna

Deanna---I use a box cutter to cut mine with. Works pretty good, actually. Just put a new blade in it.
Duane

Ditto what Duane says. Just watch where the blade is in reference to your hands and fingers and legs... (I'd put a smiley face here but it's really not funny when you cut yourself. Last year I wasn't watching and was cutting toward my leg since I was sitting. Patched up a pair of pants and sewed up my leg. Seriously.)

Deanna - just keep an eye on those bottles when spring comes. I had a few of mine with only knife holes not drain well last year. So I just wedged a small stick or something into the slit. Saved them from drowning that way :)

Are the Pop bottles placed outside (after being planted) with the twist-off caps removed? I saw that in some photos. Would that be for ventilation, or would the slits in the side accomplish that job? NEVER MIND! I was just going to ask if that would let cold air in!!!!?!??!DDDDDDDDDDUUUUUUUUUUUUHHHHHHHHHHHHHm, I guess this is just difficult for me to comprehend. But do you leave the caps off?

Yes, throw the caps away. You won't need them. You want the rain and snow and air to get inside.

These are my favorite tools for cutting bottles and making drainage holes. Safer than utility knives, for sure. No toxic fume either:

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Great Pics! But I do have a newbie question.... How do you vent? You mention the V cut, but how do you do it? Could you show a pic of that? Also, how did you get the great bottle rack? Beautiful setup. Thanks tons

I do mine a bit different, but anyway you like is good as long as you got drainage and the tops stay on! Tom/Token posted a little while ago how to make them with a band saw which is a very fast method if you have one.
I cut X's(not too tiny) on each "foot" and the drainage works good for me.
I make a flap to get the top back on. I find they "lock" together pretty good. You of course can't lift from the top, but the top will not fall/blow off.
I find as long as the cap is off, there's enough venting with mine. The flap on mine does make a side vent.
Here's my pics. I forgot to leave the cap off!
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Remy

Thanks, that's just what I needed. This is TOO exciting. I cannot wait to start. No seeds around here yet.