Soda bottle as herb planter: Cute, green and cheap!

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Turning a 2-liter soda bottle into an herb pot doesn’t sound pretty but as the photo above illustrates, the result can be quite attractive, especially when mixed in with non-soda-bottle planters. I found this arrangement on the newish blog Mapleton-Bklyn about a first-year rooftop garden in Brooklyn.

The author, Chris Mazzini-Chin, says these planters took him between five and 10 minutes each to make. Not bad -- especially since the raw materials are free. And as an added scientific bonus they are sub-irrigated, which means water moves by osmosis up from a water trough at the bottom through the soil to the roots. Neat!

Want to make your own? Sub-irrigation Internet proselytizer Bob Hyland has posted a how-to on his flickr account. Mazzini-Chin said he simplified these instructions by using a cotton ball for the wick and using brute force to punch the holes rather than heating up a skewer.

Happy planting!

--Deborah Netburn

Note: Mazzini-Chin’s wife points out that it is through capillary action and not osmosis that water makes its way up. Thank you Mrs. Mazzini-Chin!