You can keep your home garden thriving on long hot days by just adding a hidden water bottle reservoir. All you will need is an empty plastic bottle around the same height as your pot. Adding this DIY reservoir will be much easier with a new planting than an established container.
Planter DIY Water Reservoir
Cut – Pick a bottle that isn’t longer than the pot you are using. After that, grab a knife and cut the bottom off the plastic bottle and remove the cap.
Place – Fill half of the pot with soil and then place the empty bottle, upside down at the center. After that, start filling out the rest of the pot, allowing the bottle to stand firm at the center.
Plant – Add your new plants in the donut shape around the bottle.
Water – Just fill up the bottle with water and it will slowly trickle down to the deep roots of your plants. You may still need to pour water on the top soil while your plants start to grow.
As the plants start growing, the bottle will become less visible, but you will still be able to fill it up when needed.
Make sure you don’t over water your plants to protect them from mosquitos. In warmer climates even reservoirs made from 2-liter bottles dry out every day all summer long. Using the bottle upside down makes it easier to refill with water; if you would like to use a bottle cap-side-up instead, you will need to be more precise when pouring the water in. And you will need to be even more careful not to over-water, as the trapped space will get very warm and potentially fetid.