Really the main reason I wanted to start this blog is to
teach people how to make SIP planters (Self Irrigation Planters). Many people have to buy all their organic
produce and of course the expense can be quite high for some items. Here, organic tomatoes are very expensive
even though I live only 20 miles from the valley which has a wonderful tomato
growing climate. Cucumbers in the
amounts that I plan to ferment aren’t cheap either and then there is the
satisfaction of growing your own food. My goal for the planters were to be completely
movable, last forever, cheap to make, grow outlandish crops and be doable for
someone with a few simple tools. For
three years I have studied different configurations on the internet and am
thankful for people like the young men who came up with “Global Buckets” and
Larry Hall for his pioneering work on the “Rain Gutter Grow System”. I kept tabs on all these systems and the work
of others and gleaned from them while I pondered, thought, and debated in my
mind the pros and cons of each. What I
have come up with works for me but of course gardening is always a work in
progress that improves so a little change is expected.
I call my system “Life Buckets” because they are designed to
last a lifetime due the skirts that I have added to keep the UV rays from
breaking down the plastic. This cuts
costs and keeps them out of the landfill and of course saves on the work of putting
the buckets together. These skirts are
simple to make and could even be made without sewing by the use of fabric
glue. My rough calculation is that each
bucket costs around $5 to $6 to make. The
buckets were purchased new because I had no source of used ones, also, the material
used for the inside screen and the skirts were sourced from thrift shops for
very little money. The inside colander
was purchased at a dollar store for $1 and the PVC pipe was purchased at a
hardware store. Growing medium was mixed
by myself with purchased bags of peralite, peat moss, compost, and steer
manure. I also added organic fertilizer,
and rock phosphate in the tomato buckets.
Most likely I will spray and water with some compost tea later and dress
with more organic fertilizer formulated for veggies later in the year depending
on the individual needs of the plants.
So far my planting choices are tomato, peppers, cucumbers, and summer squash. Others will be added soon though. My thoughts on plant choice consists of what costs
me more to buy and has the best chance of success. This too will change some in the future but I
am excited to see what the year will bring me.
Ok let’s get started. This will
be in multiple posts because of the nature of a blog format but I hope that
everyone can glean from my instructions and experiences to make growing our own
food the next revolution of getting healthy as a personal value and quest.
