G'day Everyone, I hope you are all growing well! Thirsty Earth's Olla Watering System as reviewed in the video is here: thethirstyearth.com/ #not sponsored. EDIT - You can now buy the Thirsty Earth watering system with a discount in Australia and New Zealand by going to yoururbanoasis.co.nz/collections/your-cotta-pot-watering-irrigation-system and using the code "SSM10" at checkout. Thanks for your support and have fun "getting into it!" Cheers :)

@datwistyman

11 ай бұрын

I'm trying an experiment ATM down the paddock by the creek were the soil is always wet. Dunno how it will go? It maybe to wet? I'd love to plant more seeds and plants but I'm not sure if the cows and kangaroos rabbits so will just eat it all. Oh btw I'm not to far from you near Nanango area.

@JenkinsB

11 ай бұрын

Glue two cheap unpainted/unglazed flower pots (big box store/hobby lobby, etc.) together with construction adhesive and cap off one of the holes, this will be the bottom. Use the saucer as a cap for the other hole which will be on top. Cheap alternative to the custom made versions. I have a ton in my raised beds and they work great.

@KatBurnsKASHKA

11 ай бұрын

the way to say olla is oy-ya :) and it means pot actually. hola is hello.

@christopherestewart

11 ай бұрын

In Spanish, H is silent, J sounds like an H, and two Ls sound like a Y.

@dragani2330

11 ай бұрын

I'll try it with old, thin-walled hollow bricks. There are also tubular tiles for roof construction. The underside is closed with mortar, the top can be filled up. Such a brick costs about 20-30 cents. Let's see how it goes.

Hi Mark, over the last 5 years I have converted all my raised vege beds ( around 35 sq m) to home made Ollas as we are off grid , I believe in the mountains just to the west of your place. I slowly accumulated clay pots from a well known large hardware chain ( B) when on special at $1 each. Sealed the hole in one pot, attached the other using sealastic on the 2 rims to form a kind of diamond shape, painted the top/base of one (not plugged) to prevent evaporation and have 4-5 per sq m. They each hold just under 4L .Placed a stone or bit of tile over the fill hole to discourage critters. Filling them every 5-7 days is the water access equivalent to 2.5 cm rain fall. If it rains can go 2-3 weeks without filing. I have literally over a hundred in and never surface water unless to soak in amendments. I now plant in circles or spirals around each olla, looks cute. 5 years experience and I can safely say large vege beds can be done off grid and the plants absolutely thrive. Occaisionally one will have the sealastic fail, 5 minutes to pull out , wipe clean and reseal for another 4-5 years use. Research shows around 95% of the water in ollas is available to the roots compared to around 10% for surface watering. For anyone wanting to make their own very economically there is a great video on YT in the channel "Under the Choko Tree".

@jordellaskincare6843

10 ай бұрын

Thank you.. watering is such a key component of growing. Appreciate yr knowledge.. Coll

@barbarahowarth4953

9 ай бұрын

What size pots did you buy? And what kind of paint did you use? Thanks for your comment. It sounds like you've set up a great system.

@redo73

9 ай бұрын

Thankyou 💚

@rickychopsbarbershop4980

8 ай бұрын

So lucky people like you use the comment section. Thank you 🙏🏼

@AniishAu

7 ай бұрын

Making and installing clay pot irrigation (Under the choko tree) kzread.info/dash/bejne/ZnV7xNOrhMjRZJc.html

I've got a few I've made myself from unsealed terracotta pots. Two pots together, sealed with water tank silicone, and a rubber grommet for the top and bottom holes. I seal the bottom hole and leave the top one unsealed so I can just pop out the rubber grommet to refill. They've worked pretty well; key is to have them covered with mulch so they don't heat up and evaporate faster. Very cheap, couple of dollars worth of terracotta (honestly the grommets were more expensive but you can get a multipack) and a couple of days of patience to let the silicone dry.

@Slim_Chiply

11 ай бұрын

I've done the same thing myself with unglazed pots. I used concrete to seal the holes. Filling them was a pain, but after seeing the video, I'm going to use drip irrigation tubing or something similar and hook them all up to a bucket. It will make using them much easier. I like to do diy, so it will be right up my alley.

@lothre

11 ай бұрын

Any chance you could make a shortt clip to show exactly what you did? I love the low cost solution you made!

@theadventuresofbrockinthai4325

11 ай бұрын

​@lothre,yeah, I would like to see a video about it too.

@sapphyre8646

11 ай бұрын

I've done the same and set it up with an auto timer and tubing to the hose, for automatic top up. The trick is to not seal the tubing to the olla, or you'll end up blowing some up like I did!

@Slim_Chiply

11 ай бұрын

@@sapphyre8646 Thanks for the advice.

When I was growing up Dad used a 5 gallon bucket with holes punched in the bottom and sides to water our tomato plants. He would fill the bucket with cow manure (yes we had cattle) And water and feed the tomato plants at the same time. We always had so many tomatos we gave them to anyone in our church that wanted them.

@lollypop2413

10 ай бұрын

Good idea!

@lindaspellman2108

5 ай бұрын

I've done something similar with 4" plastic pots. I can spray heavy into the pot, and it will seep in slowly. Really helps combat poor soil that wants to go hydrophobic

I'm very happy that the "ancient method" is spreading. This is also what home plant growers have also tried to figure out in modern methods for summer trips. The terracotta just seems so much better than a plastic bottle for this. The difficult part of this has been that you kinda have to DIY your way around the regular terracotta pots for them to work like this, it's not convenient (the shape is not very practical) or very easy. In the future we're gonna need all the ways to preserve water and be efficient in gardening.

My mum is chilean so she speaks spanish, "el potto" made her crack up as "potto" can be slang for someone's bottom 😅 love your humour and all your advice ❤ we've grown so much with your help and amazing tips! Love to you and your family for your sincereity and generosity. Keep making such great videos!

G'day Mark. I'm glad you "lettuce" have a look at the system in your bed as having seen a glimpse of it in the previous video. I'm aware of the practice of using ceramic pots, but have not seen a connected system like this. Fascinating. Thanks and all the best. Daz.

@Selfsufficientme

11 ай бұрын

LOL... Lettuce not get too carried away with the dad jokes Daz! Cheers mate :)

@MyAussieGardenKitchen

11 ай бұрын

@@Selfsufficientme Hah, hah, watching your videos does that. 😂

I made my own with clay pots and I have found them most useful with tomatoes. They absolutely thrive on that steady source of water and there is not problem with wetting the leaves and getting any diseases or mildew.

Olla is an Egyptian water pot. These are low-fired unglazed clay pots that keeps water cool by sweating (since it's unglazed). The heat is let out, and you can have cool water in desert heat!

@AN-nx9hd

11 ай бұрын

The Egyptian pronunciation is two syllables (go figure) starting with ol where the O is pronounced like in "Oh!" and la as you would normally pronounce it. Very similar to how Mark pronounced oyia at the end of the video but replace y sounds with L. No idea what it's called in China, but I would wager they don't call it olla.

@mssixty3426

11 ай бұрын

Hmm that word is used in Spanish for a similar container, with the ll pronounced as a y.

@adam_1144

11 ай бұрын

@@mssixty3426 Spain has a lot of Arab influence. Look up Andalusia and read about its origin.

@Semiboes

11 ай бұрын

I think something usefull and easygoing was found in several countries. In Germany they say its from Mexico. Therefore Oyas would be correct. Who cares as long as a good idea is spreading. ❤

@thegreengoddess8850

11 ай бұрын

Its not Egyptian. It’s a latin word and all the Spanish conquered people used them including Native Americans. Mark it’s pronounced oy-ya or even o-ya like tor-ti-lla. Ya ending.

Would love if you did a series on pest control. I've seen your previous videos on some of the stuff you do, but it would be really nice to see a multi-video series where you follow a few plants from seedling to harvest. Love your videos and keep up the good work !

This also works very well for growing out fruit trees in pots in the nursery. I found that my trees grew faster and larger and were worth more than smaller trees at market. Profit increase about 15%.

@gattamom

11 ай бұрын

How long did it take you to recoup the cost of the system?

@Selfsufficientme

11 ай бұрын

Very interesting and coming from a retail perspective that's gold to increase profit and have a bigger healthier product for the customer to purchase. Nice one! Cheers :)

@thomasswainston2821

11 ай бұрын

For what pot sizes? Which type of olla?

@Darkfyre755

11 ай бұрын

I'm also interested in more info on this setup, it sounds awesome!

After years of experimenting with irrigation techniques here in hot and arid, 9b Sacramento, California, I have resolved to using a method that does not waste water and does a deep watering condition to keep all my planters productive. I use 1/4 inch drip line with emitters every 6 inches buried about 4 inches in good compost and top soil mix then heavily mulched. I use the finger test to check for moisture regularly and run my drip lines 2 times a day in hot weather for 10 minutes each time about 8 hours apart, so 4am and noon. I have had no deaths and good success growing almost anything. Thanks for your fun videos, I love them all.

@janeforever

11 ай бұрын

Live in the coastal area of Monterey County. While our temps aren't as hot as Sacto, we've got water issues here. So I'm doing to try this method & see if I can use less water than we do with our regular drip system.

The terracotta plant spikes that can be purchased on Amazon or other sites, that you put a wine or soft drink bottle into as the water reservoir, work a treat in a smaller garden. They are quite cheap, and much cheaper than that Thirsty Earth system. They may not be so practical for a garden as big as your garden Mark, but good for a smaller garden or gardens with lots of pots. They kept my Western Australian garden alive over a boiling hot summer.

@robine916

11 ай бұрын

Oooooh, I may check these out!

@Lunasgarden2021

11 ай бұрын

Me too, Adelaide summers can be stinkers

@Jen.O

11 ай бұрын

I was given long plastic cone shaped watering spikes that screw onto a soft drink bottle, I use them for individual bushes and new plants, got my natives through our southern California summer, so I can recommend those as well.

@Lunasgarden2021

11 ай бұрын

I’ve just ordered the terracotta ones on Amazon I think I’ll use them on my tomatoes in grow bags because I didn’t have much luck last summer in grow bags, lost too much water too quickly

@Selfsufficientme

11 ай бұрын

Thanks for the "tip" on the spikes! Appreciate you sharing! Cheers :)

Honestly I give your videos a thumbs up at the beginning because I know it’s going to be entertaining and educational even though I’m in Missouri, right in the middle of the USA I always find them useful!

@Selfsufficientme

11 ай бұрын

Thumbs up at the start is worth two in my opinion - thank you! All the best :)

A good ground-cover and mulch also helps hold moisture in the soil while protecting the topsoil from being displaced.

I live in the desert. I used ollas in my first two 4x12 foot gardens (1.3x4 meters). They gave me confidence that I was watering my plants the right amount, and that let me focus on the other hazards that plague new gardeners. I had a blast and had a fun time with them. I've never been able to grow before, and this helped eliminate the hardest part for beginners like me. It's also twice as efficient as drip watering, which is good in drought areas. On a different note, Spanish pronunciation is pretty straightforward, but a little odd for us who speak English. Here's some big highlights. The "ll" is said like a "y", the "h" is always silent, "v" is said like a "b", "j" is said like an "h". "C" is said like "s" if it's followed by an "e" or "i", and "qu" said like "k" if it's followed by an "e" or "i". Unless there's an accent (') on a syllable, put the emphasis on the second to last syllable. Lastly, and most importantly, the vowels are always pronounced the following way. "A" is said like "ah" (like in "lawn"), "e" is said like "ey" (like in "hey"), "i" is said like "ee" (like in "leak"), "o" is said like "oh" (like in "spoke"), and "u" is said like "ooh" (like in "book"). Once you know these rules, you can pronounce most words in Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, French, and Japanese (as written with English alphabet), with a few alterations to the rules.

I went to the website and for my 3'x8' raised beds the kit recommended was $109.95 US plus shipping. I have 6 beds so almost $700 for a watering system is a bit pricey for my tastes. I think I'm just going to stick with a nice relaxing evening of enjoying my garden and hand watering.

@SodaCrackers-ej5le

10 ай бұрын

I prefer hand watering too, but I also use my ollas during the height of summer, so I'm also standing there with a hose filling up cheap, terra cotta pots (fixed to their bases). My beds are 4x8 with 3 10" pots per bed (12 pots at $10 a pot, 7 years ago). If it's not zone 8+ then you'll be digging them up every fall & putting them to bed so they don't break.

I've used this method of watering in a section of my garden. The water comes from a rainwater collection tank that feeds to 6 olla per raised bed that are linked together trough weaping hose. I connected 3 raised beds together to the tank. The olla's are just 2 clay lots glued together with one end covered up. Works great!

I love using my homemade ones (made with clay pots and blu tac) to see how well my hand watering is going. If my olla is constantly empty than I’m not watering enough, if it’s always full than I’m watering too much and if it’s about half full than I’m watering the perfect amount.

I just bought some olla pots for my flower beds out front. We're in a severe drought here in Central Texas, so I was really lucky to see your recent video about this. The pots should be here soon. If they work well out front, I'll put them in the back butterfly gardens.

@woodlandsartgal

11 ай бұрын

Houston area here. The 110° F heat here killed most organic veggies the raccoon skipped in May, so not many ollas needed now. Wondering how hot will the water get, the one in my hose comes out boiling at 7:00 pm.

Our 2 new peonies were stressed due to the unusual heat we were having. I made 2 ollas from terracotta pots, (like the clip you inserted at 2:41, I siliconed a rock over the hole in the bottom, and placed the pot tray over the top) placing them behind the shrubs close to the base. It has made a tremendous difference in their health! I think a set-up like you received would be excellent for gardeners who vacation often or who just have a busy family schedule. 💕

Being in the uk this ain’t a problem at the moment but realistically this is a good tip for the future for alot of countries and folk. Cheers Mark. Your one of a good number of elite teachers which share their knowledge and kindness (in your case with a bit of cheekiness! Love it). Appreciated

@Selfsufficientme

11 ай бұрын

Thank you! I'm not sure about "elite" but I appreciate you saying so and I do try my best... Cheers :)

@redo73

9 ай бұрын

We Aussies don't do 'elite' 😅

My terra cotta watering spikes I use in my potted plants work so well that I started using them in my tiny garden too. They are great. I love this system that ties them all together with one big water source!

Thanks Mark. I've experimented with a similar system in a large pot with a tomatoe. Instead I used flexible tubing with the most tiniest holes punctured every say 40mm apart. I arranged it in a spiral configuration down the pot. Hooked up to a reservoir. Oh, I had another next to it that I hand watered. The tube watering tomatoe grow more quickly and more vibrant with better yeald. I'm disappointed with myself because I didn't record anything. I did give both an organic liquid fertilizer and gypsum. I cut the dosage of the tube feed by half as I thought it would block the holes. Which it did at the bottom ones. All in all a success I say. Maybe try a similar on in your beds. The thing you have to play with is the height of the reservoir. Higher more pressure, more water. ✌

@Selfsufficientme

11 ай бұрын

I love the experimentation! Thanks for the tip on the reservoir height. Cheers :)

@johnndavis7647

11 ай бұрын

.44 psi per foot.

I have about 3 purchased from a company. Then made some for my self from with pots from Bunnings. BEST THINGS EVER.

I’m going to try make my own based on this concept! Thanx for the ideas Mark…these days we have got to be resourceful as possible!! ❤

Wow Mark your garden is looking great.

Thank you for reviewing these products Mark. Excellent video.

I purchased the Thirsty Earth system for my greenhouse beds. I have it connected to my outside faucet and it atomically fills the buckets. So far it has worked great. I enjoyed listening to you talk about your experience with them.

@Selfsufficientme

11 ай бұрын

Good to hear you're happy with the system! Cheers :)

Oh awesome, I've been waiting for this review to come through! Thanks!

Ollas are great for water-scarce areas. I'll give a simple pronunciation tip to follow: double L in Spanish is pronounced like a J or a Y. So in future say it like Oya and it will sound great ;) long-time subscriber, love the content!

I made some from two terra cotta pots and used silicone to stick them together. I was shocked how watertight they got. I ended up refilling mine every other day or so, but I love the idea of attaching it to its own reservoir (bucket). It's been great for areas that are too far away for my regular automatic drip irrigation.

Oh, yeah... Love the idea. May give it a try. Thanks, Mark!!

I’ve punched tiny holes in the bottom & sides of sturdy plastic water or soda bottles & burying them next to seedlings when I plant them - cheaper alternative - can do with a circle of bottles around newly planted trees- some people bury the bottles upside down with a hole in the cap & a few tiny holes on the bottom half of the buried bottles & cut the bottoms of the bottles which is exposed above ground & filled with water from a hose😊

What a super idea. Great upload.

Very interesting Mark. As always you do a great job in informing us and explaining. You are helping and inspiring many many people. Me included. Cheers Ron, Tasmania

Thank you 🙏 Mark, always appreciate your honest opinion sharing your experiences and knowledge with us. 🙂

Thank you so much for sharing this video! And information, I greatly appreciate it!

Never heard of this Method before! Thank you Mark!!!

Thank you for doing the experiment and sharing the results with us.

Great video, Mark! I've been looking at irrigation options for my little garden, and this will be #1 on my list next Spring.

LOVE YOU MARK!!

Hi Mark, I have seen other videos on these. But yours was the best because you showed the results of your experiment. Really generous of you to put your money out there to show us a product and how it works to save us the expense. I'm going to give it a go.Thanks!!👍

What a wonderful idea!! We have watered through buried pvc pipes with small holes all around the lower section...but it all drains out into the deeper soil very fast. I love this idea!

Thank you for sharing my go to Grower, I learn so much from you Cheers !!!!

I think this would be perfect for my balcony garden! Thanks for the heads up!

I was just thinking of making my own ollas 3 days ago. Great video Mark

Lovely demonstration! I use terracotta vases in my fabric raised beds. I agree their reach is not very far. I lifted the vase and found the networks of roots in the shape of the pot. It was wild but they need to be right on top of it. Probably depends on the size of the olla but then you start to lose growing space. I agree this is fantastic for smaller pots that dry out quickly Thank you for sharing!! 💕🌱

@gattamom

11 ай бұрын

I’d love to know about your fabric raised beds!

@teebob21

11 ай бұрын

@@gattamom Search for "grow bags"

Sir thank you for sharing your horticultural expertise!🧐🤔👊👍

Thanks for doing this. Very interesting.

Love this channel ❤️ very informative and inspiring 👏

With how hot is been in the climate this year this is a very good topic to bring up. I live in Northern Minnesota we have not had the 110 etc degree temperatures but, we also have not had very much rain, so I have been watering quite frequently. I have been researching ways to water more efficiently. And I am surrounded with more than 400 lakes in a 25-mile radius!

I have learned so much from your video's and can't thank you enough for posting them, I know we live in very different climates considering your in Australia and I'm in Virginia but your technics are priceless. I just ordered the Olla and can't wait for planting season this spring, I'm always looking for the best way to do my planting and I like using containers because I have limited mobility. Keep making the video's and I really need to learn more about how to raise chickens.

Hi Thank you for your posting and sharing your experience, I’ve experimented with Ollas and I use them throughout my garden I’ve put terracotta pots together and fill them accordingly they work fine I’ve put 3 and 4 together and buried them the plants love it they are an inexpensive way to set up your garden Great show !

I've used a similar set up with a clay pot to root cuttings.

Thank you for this video. I found it very interesting.

Mark- so glad you are trying this. I have used ollas for 3 years now and the plants that benefit have done so much better than others that I hand water in this hot summer!

That watering method is really, really old! Here in spain people use old clay pots for that purpose. They seal the bottom hole, bury the pot and fill it with water, and then place a lid on top of it. It works really great

@AhrayahLaban

11 ай бұрын

Does it have to be fresh water or can you use a compost tea to have the extra stuff seep out too?

@mbern4530

11 ай бұрын

So there are no holes at all? The water goes through the clay wall of the pot? What if the pot is glazed, would that affect the water seeping through it?

@lectric

11 ай бұрын

@@AhrayahLaban People use fresh water usually

@lectric

11 ай бұрын

@@mbern4530Yeah it has to be an unglazed pot so the water 'sweats' through the pot if that makes sense

@AhrayahLaban

11 ай бұрын

@@lectric Good to know, thanks!

Thanks for that Mate Handy for those out of reach fruit trees or plants from the sprinkler

Great ideas for olla use. We're in a very long drought here and I wish I had some for the fruit trees! Thank you for the testing data. 🌏

Thank you. I'm going to try this.

Thanks for the great video.

This might work well for tomatoes because they benefit from constant but not to much water. You could also just put a put right next to each tomato plant

@karabean

11 ай бұрын

I have a couple terra cotta water spikes around my tomato plant this year and they really flourished!

@deusdragonex

11 ай бұрын

This year has been my first year with an Olla and my tomatoes love it. Every year before, I'd gotten blossom end rot because I just couldn't get the watering schedule correct. This year, with the Olla, it's taken all of the guesswork out and I haven't gotten any blossom end rot (except for a tiny amount on a couple of my San Marzano tomatoes, but I think that's because we've gotten a TON of rain over the last couple of months).

I got some tiny ones for my houseplants a number of years ago since I was going on vacation and didn't have anyone to come water my plants for me. So there's definitely that angle of the convenience and usefulness of time-release water.

Nice looking veggies! Great video, thanks 👍

This would be good for people who's work takes too much time up, but want to grow. Set up before work and go 😊

Yes they absolutely work well. I have always seen them as a big round container with a small opening on the top.

Nice idea and set up. We use olla type watering in northern New Mexico ( USA) it’s pronounced, oy-ah. Thank you for showing how well it works! Really enjoy watching your cast.

The most lovable gardener on KZread!

Thank you for the honest review. I prefer slow self watering, whether mist or drip, so this is a good option. I'll look into it, thank you!

I bought this system for my containers on my deck. It’s fantastic! Especially when you go away for a week and don’t have anyone to take care of the watering!

Thank you for that video. It was interesting. I use a plastic bottle for my large hanging baskets. They are large wires with moss or 16" fiber pots. I put the cap on and slice about 4 or 5 cuts down the side of the bottle to allow the water to seep out, and cut off the bottom of the bottle. I put it upside down in the middle of the basket, and the bottom faces up. Plant the basket and you have a self watering pot. Just top it up with water. 😊

I've used the terracotta pot homemade version in one of my beds that's up on 'stilts' instead of being a full bed (got my first Birdie's Bed from Epic Gardening and I LOVE it!). I did three eight inch pots down the center of a 2 foot by 4 foot bed. The 'planter style' raised bed dries out crazy fast and the ollas need to be filled daily, but it's let me have some very nice lettuces this year, despite the heat. I'm about to put in my fall crop.

Cheers, thanks for the video mark. I've noticed when using my Ollas, I need to refill them when they reach about half full because gravity does the work to drain the water out the bottom of the olla. Especially with smaller ollas, it might be half full but the soil around it or the pot that it is in can be dry. That's a cool method of using the 5 gallon bucket as a reservoir and I'll look in to it..

Always like seeing innovative, low maintenance irrigation techniques since I live in a desert. I did some experiments with a simple clay pot from the local hardware store, but I had to fill them each manually and trying to deploy them in my ground beds was way too much of a pain in the butt. Might have to pick up one of these for my raises beds though.

This is awesome! Thanks so much!

Another great video Mark, I love your videos 💚🌿💯

Cool set up using drip tubing! Ive done this in large containers using milk jugs. I just put small holes all over it with an ice pick. Bury it up to the neck in the center of the container and fill with water. I keep the cap on it so dirt doesnt get inside, but keep it very loose so the water will drain out.

an honest review. thank you!

Hey Mark, nice to see you come up in the feet on KZread. That sounds like a great idea. Looks good.❤👍

I’ve been meaning to try a system like this out. Seems very beneficial

You're a good bloke!!!

Ah Festo, love their tubing stuff!

so crazy, I revented this and have been working on a good way to get a seal on my ollas. perhaps I should buy one and see their construction.

Interesting concept.🤔 Will look into it. Thanks mate. 👍

fascinating. i love this channel. cheers brother

I’ve watched every episode ( some more than once ) of both your channels Mark and you never disappoint ! Excellent as always, best wishes to you and your family, from Britain 👍👍🇦🇺🇬🇧

@Selfsufficientme

11 ай бұрын

Thanks for all your support! All the best to you and yours also mate. Cheers :)

I looked at these last year but thought for the size of my garden wouldn’t be cost effective but they are a great idea for the people you mentioned mate

Yes I did enjoy this video and I will try this Olla

Love this dude.

Good information! I've used terra cotta pots for watering Japanese Maples in large ceramic pots, which work fairly well. But I've never had to water a large vegetable garden this way. It's good to know this system may not work so well in a large garden. But, experimentation is key. What works for some, may not work for everyone. Thanks!

always a joy to learn about self sufficient gardening from australian russel crowe

Thanks Mark! Great video.

hmm, I may try these in my raised beds on a smaller scale. love the idea for my smaller raised beds that I am constantly watering.

Thank you for the nice review and lead on the Thristy Earth system! My lettuce seems to struggle in my raised bed despite 2x day watering. I think I need a lot more organic matter in the top, but I also think Ollas can help buffer things for them based on your results.

Wow! Your supersized cos lettuce, I thought it was a cabbage its so big! Good on you for trying out a new system and sharing, not only the installation, but the comparitive outcomes. Really impressive stuff.

Amazing difference

I've used 5 gallon buckets with very small holes drilled in the bottom and about 3 or 4 rows all the way around from the bottom up the sides. I did that in Texas heat many times in various garden beds. But, like you, I like to hand water. That way I can see each plant and what they need.

Awesome content Mark. I'm definitely going to give this system a try in one of our raised beds next season seeing as rain here in Arkansas after a particular time in the summer can be hit or miss at our property. Thanks for the info. Getting into it👍

Great info. I made my own which seem to work good. My green thumb however aren't great. I believe the 2 LL's together in Spanish makes a Y sound. So it's OYA in sound.