Many people love them and swear by them. One of the problems with them is in misusing them. Misusing them means keeping the reservoir filled up at all times which in turns keeps the lower portion of the mix soggy at all times.

On the other hand if you water normally and simply allow the drainage to collect in the reservoir and feed back up on a hot summer day, that isn't such a bad thing.

Even if you do keep the reservoir filled up, you aren't likely to kill anything in the heat of summer with it.

On this forum you have advocates of super oxygenation of plant roots. While this is undoubtedly in the plant's best interest, it isn't always in the gardener's best interest. As Al (Tapla) often says, it is about trade offs and compromise.

It sounds to me like you wish to avoid watering anymore often than you must. As such, you make a compromise. You use a system that will offer less aeration than if you were willing to water more frequently. This is not 'wrong'.

Just about everything you wish to grow will do fine. Perhaps not as good as another, more labor intensive method, but "fine".

Not everyone is willing, or able, to commit to daily waterings of everything they have. So, a compromise is made. Nothing wrong with making a compromise as long as you understand you are making a compromise and are OK with it.

Personally I wouldn't tolerate anything that had to be watered daily. Waaaay too much work for me. But, that is just me and others have their own 'thing' going on.

Have fun and it all works out. Just a process, not a destination.

Thanks! I didn't know that keeping them full was "misuse." I haven't been watering them lately just to see how long they can go without, but I sort of had in mind to keep them generally full. Now I know better!

I think I am willing to water every day and put lots of labor into it, but I am thinking ahead to vacations and other absences that would leave my less-than-enthusiastic husband in charge. This is why I've gone with the self-watering. We'll see how it all goes!

Well said, username!

I'm one of those who enjoy watering by hand. It's VERY much a zen thing for me, and not on the list of things that I call 'work'. But I make darned sure that everything is accessible by hose. I would have to re-think everything if I had to haul water. Now, THAT would be work! ;-)

You didn't say what you filled the containers with. I hope it was potting mix. If it was topsoil or "soil" of any kind, you are going to have a serious drainage problem. Take it from one who learned the hard way.

I used a "self-watering container mix" that was sold by the same company as the containers. Seems like great stuff. Way nicer than the Hyponex stuff I bought at the hardware store.

Now I use 2 & 3 liter bottle that have the cap area cut off. Heating the top portion cause the plastic to melt down to form a ridge. The ridge cause the evorated mositure to collect at the top of the bottle and drip back in right next to the plant stem. I have plants I haven't watered in 3 weeks. Even better the evaporated mositure get airated before it drops back into the bottle. Another even better point is I once forgot to place holes in the sides of one container. (clear plastic) In bright sunlight with only a few squezzes on the side that stalk of sweet corn grew as the same rate as the others that did.

Goog morning georgeiii I sure would like to see pictures of your method of self watering. Try to post them for all to see.

There's pictures on the Vegetable in containers thread. Look at the mouth of the bottles where the condensation is forming. The sunlight on the food grade plastic is heated by the sun causing evorapation which rises along the sides get trapped by the curve and drops back in. In fact username 5 and I have been having a conversation over there on this method.