That's a very neat concept. Much more appealing than the plastic bottle which sits on top of the ground but also more work to incoporate into the ground for plants that have already been planted. Maybe Lee Valley carries them. I will check.

Just as I ordered some bottle thingies to irrigate one of my gardens, I see this. But that's ok, I couldn't bury them where I want them, it would disturb too many plants. But I love the idea! If I ever start another garden, I will bury these right from the start.

chris

doesnt olla simply mean water jug??

anyway.. all porous adobe clay pots weep ...

go the the hardware store.. those little grey drawer thingees.. where you buy odd washers.. and O rings.. they usually have one with cork plugs..

buy a clay pot.. cork it up.. and give it a try.. for what i bet will be 10 or 20 bucks less that the 'special ones' ...

up north.. in ground freeze area.. they have to come out of the ground.. and DRY THOROUGHLY.. or else.. upon freezing.. they will crack

ken

Say, Ken, I was thinking the same thing about clay pots, but I'm wondering if they would crack if they were still open at the top and had room for the freezing water to expand? Wouldn't the pressure just go upwards and save the adobe? It's a moot point here where we don't get a hard freeze except about every 10 years, but my very unscientific mind is curious.

Susan

they are not fired.. the water is actually IN THE PORES ... and when that water freezes.. the cells explode .. akin to a hosta hit by freeze ... cell wall failure ... and that is why .... there are no adobe houses in MI ...

on fired.. aka ceramic/glazed pots... in theory.. it would just expand out.. the pot itself is impervious to water ...

unfortunately.. you wont know about hairline cracks.. until AFTER the freeze ...

all mine go in the barn or garage.. after a month of drying ...

God am i a font of useless information ... [except to the few, like you].. and now i am rhyming ... gotta hit send now ...

ken

Ah, yes, the fate of the two pieces of Talavera that I planted in in my garden....way too big to be emptied and hauled indoors and now with their shiny parts blown right off the surface...
No more of that pretty shiny stuff for me....

So THAT's what happened to my glazed terra cotta strawberry pot!

I had an unglazed one for years that I had no problem with (I always kept if off the ground to keep it from holding moisture) and last year planted a new glazed one with semperviviums - mini-hens and chicks. It must have frozen and popped off two of the little cup-like wells you plant in.

It is really a shame because I LOVED the way it looked. I was going to try to glue the cups back on, but haven't done it yet - I guess there would be no point in doing so if they are just going to pop off again. Maybe now that it is already compromised, I should try the old "broken pot turned on its side" planting LOL !

BettyLu

I've been using cheap 4" walmart clay pots epoxied together for two grow seasons with great success. All my growing is in nursery containers and I use 1/4" tubing to tie several ollas in series and then use a 20 gallon reservoir with liquid fertilizer mixed in. It's a super cheap, super simple system and is almost no maintenance. Just fill up the reservoir every couple weeks and watch your plants grow. Truly a lazy gardeners dream!

Bettylu: I would encourage you to find out how to glue your clay pot back together especially since you love it. When my father-in-law passed, I discovered he had a 20 inch clay pot in his garden. It had a huge crack in it that my father-in-law had glued. So I know it is possible to repair it. Of course any moisture in it will cause the pot to crack again when temperatures drop to freezing or below.

Feet2, I want to see a picture of that. I can't construct it in my imagination.

bkay

Feetz2, you have a good idea well worth investigating. With my moveable pots that I keeep rearranging, a self contained arrangement is preferred. But I can think of one corner of the garden where the self watering ollas with the reservoir feeder could work nicely.

And Ken, sorry I did not see your reply earlier that an "olla" is a water jug. Of course, how logical it is. I just liked the look of a Native American creation. The peoples of the southwest have dealt with water conservation for a long time, and naturally have adapted the basic materials available to them for problem solving.

Having a backup supply for the small olla in my mini hosta bowl would be a great idea, Feetz.

Here's a post I did on my olla construction technique. There are many ways to make ollas. I list several that are available in the links.

Here is a link that might be useful: One way to make ollas.

Here's another link I found not too long ago that details the basics of the olla system.

Here is a link that might be useful: Darrol Shillingburg Olla overview

Feetz, I notice you mention Arizona Pottery at your first link.

And, that is where I ran across the ones that AZ Pottery makes. I like them, but even without shipping to Hawaii, the cost gets kind of up there quickly.

I'm always interested in the history behind a concept, and that it is an old concept used by native peoples where water is scarce, a big plus to me.

Thanks for dropping into the forum here. It is an old idea which has a new life due to drought and climate change.
Making ollas, by any name, could become a small business for folks with the right resources.