We FINALLY got ollas back in stock: growepic.co/3RvfSZG

If you have a Mexican grocery store near you, check if they have unglazed clay cups (cantaritos de barro/jarritos de barro)! They're normally used for cocktails and beverages, and come in lots of sizes that are practical for the garden. They're as inexpensive as getting a terracotta pot from Lowe's without needing to plug drainage holes. For the lid, I use a regular schmegular terracotta saucer. Happy gardening!🙂

In the places they originate from, ollas are also used to store drinking water. This is because as trace amounts of the water seep out of the olla, that water takes the brunt of the heat from the sun and evaporates off instead of letting the heat build up in the water still inside, thus the olla keeps your drinking water much cooler than if it was stored in another vessel.

*To all the DIY-ers out there: Don't use 2-component glue/sealant anywhere near stuff that you want to eat!* All epoxies are 40% bisphenols (BPA)... a "cold" curing process will leave a lot of the BA uncured so it will leech into the soil. Taken from the MSDS of Gorilla Putty: "Bisphenol A-epichlorohydrin polymer" is listed a key ingredient... definitely nothing you want in your food! ... and for the silicone rubber caulk: get "Aquarium Grade" or "Kitchen Sink Grade!" - the construction / general type contains toxins to inhibit the growth of fungi - again, nothing you want in your soil.

I garden here in north Texas, the drought was brutal this year. I used many of these in the ground and in containers. Combined with shade cloth, I was able to keep many plants growing and alive all summer untill the temperature dropped and the plants were able to produce. Many people here this year gave up even the experienced gardeners. I will be using this method for everything from here on out Combined with water collection.

Love my ollas! I also scour the thrift stores for terra cotta wine coolers and just put a saucer on the top of them once they're buried. Cost effective and easy to fill!

Was watching a video the other day saying that lots of sealants like silicone contain fungicides and other stuff, they suggested using aquarium sealant.

I have numerous DIY ollas buried in the front yard. They're perfect when you have no idea how much or how little water your plant needs, because the plant will figure it out themselves (as long as the olla is filled). I really like them for the onions and bunching onions, because it looks like a little onion fairy-circle, especially when I decorate the olla with a ring of rocks. With my DIY ollas, I like to line the top layer with silicone caulk as well, so that water slides towards the hole when i fill it up with my hose.

First of all we have used ollas that we made from 4" and 6" pots. Before I go on, they did a great job. They watered our plants fine. We used the larger ollas in our pepper and tomato. We used the 4" ollas in our bush bean bed. We live in the Boise area where we regularly get roughly two months of 95 to low 100 degree temps. I figured we would fill the large ollas a couple times a week and the smaller ones two or three times a week. Sounded good but did not work out that way. Because of the high heat we found they all required filling every other day. We also soon learned that when you stuck a funnel in the top hole to fill the olla we created a vacuum almost instantly. We solved that problem drilling an 1/8 " hole in the top of the olla to let the air escape. The watering so often required lots of time. Bear in mind that we were using about 30 large ollas and about fifty small ones. The other big issue for us is that it gets very cold here in the winter. That required digging up the ollas so they would not freeze in the winter. Ummmm .. .. .. we love our drip irrigation system. Turn on the water, let it run for an hour or so then shut the water off. Hook up an Ez-Flo with liquid fertilizer in it and it fertilizes while it waters. Yes I have a pile of ollas sitting outside by my shed. Let me end this by saying that when we dug the ollas up to remove them the holes where the ollas were, were absolutely lined with roots which told us that the ollas did their job. In our situation they were just not practical. This post in no way is meant to discredit the ollas. They worked.

Archaeologist here- Just an FYI, large jars with this shape are often called ollas whether or not they’re used for irrigation. It’s commonly used for pre-contact (before Spanish arrival) descriptions of Maya pottery too- and we do have examples of pot irrigation from various places in North America before the Spanish arrived. So maybeee 🤔

The jubilant, laughing face of the olla is perfect. It shares life with all its being, afterall.

I experimented with one DIY olla this summer. I planted 6 tomato plants and used it on one of them, and it was the only one that had no blossom end rot....consistent watering. Next year I plan on making several. And I did this without knowing about the correct distance to place it . Also I purchased the lid from Dollar tree, much cheaper. Thanks for this very informative video

I picked up several taracota funnel shaped ollas. These are placed near the plants then a bottle filled with water is installed into the funnel. The corks from the wine bottles plug the drainage holes in the plant pot ollas. I collect water from the rain gutters and the in house dehumidifier. The tanks have goldfish to eat the mosquitoes, and fertilize the water. Combining aquaponics and ollas. Periodically I partly drain my tank to add the bottom muk into my sandy soil.

Oh my gosh! I recently met a ceramics artist at my local makerspace who is making these out of some clay that got messed up (its two different clay types mixed together that can't be fully glazed now). She invited me to join in making some for my own garden because she has so much clay. I'm going to be joining her this week.

I experimented last year with one olla and found it was really efficient so I’ve been buying terra cotta from thrift stores. Some are so beautiful it’s a shame to bury them, but they work so well!!

I buried some unglazed terracotta pots in my beds and they cracked over winter. Something to consider if your in a climate that experiences freezing winter. Building organic content in soil and using thick mulch will increase water retention significantly. I’ve heard 1% increase of organic content on an acre of soil, will hold an additional 20,000 gallons of water.

I actually use these in conjunction with my drip system in beds that need a lot of water. I'm here in Los Angeles, really hot really dry, etc; so I do the inverted method someone below mentioned where you seal the lid to it and left the drainage hole somewhat open, put a dripper inside and sealed that up almost all the way just leaving a little bit of space for air to pass back up. I bury it almost completely, maybe put a rock on top to mark the spot and prevent any surface evaporation.

I use grow bags so I would need much smaller ollas but thanks to you, I can make my own using much smaller terra cotta pots.

Tip for the drainage hole, fill a hole with putty on the inside, never fix a hole that will be under any pressure from the outside only(if you can help it). Doing it this way means the putty adherence strength is no longer what keeps the water in, but its mechanical strength as its pushed against the bottom by the weight of the water. Less chance It will be worked lose over time or pop off under pressure. Also spraying the inside of the lid with a waterproofing agent(like whats used on tile grout) would stop most evaporation from the top of the single pot Olla.

I made my first DIY Ollas this year and had mixed result. I used bees wax due to "sustainability" etc. and I noticed that some pots just lost a lot of water after some time, so don't use bees wax to seal them or fill them and check if it leaks after a couple of hours/days and THEN bury it. I also tried them in grow bags and had mixed results again. I noticed bad growth in grow bags with Ollas because the plants were simply too close to the Ollas and I suppose root growth was therefore not promoted. It was an experiment and I expected such results but it seems like the diameter is really key when using Ollas in containers. In my normal beds I noticed AWESOME growth and healthy plants.

As someone who lives in Utah and is also in a drought, this is awesome.

Thank you for showing cheap DIY ideas as well for the people who can’t spend the money on your product. I however, will be buying some from you ❤️ Happy farming!

I've been using those for about 3 years. No one where I live in West Central Georgia have a clue what I'm talking about. The amazing thing is the root ball that formed on the olla after the growing season

I use a plate for the top as it doesn't allow evaporation. They work great. I made my own hose that has a whole over each vessel so to fill I just remove the lid by sliding it out from under the hose and then turn on the hose and it fills them all at once. I do some weeding and keep an eye on when they are full as with a small hole it will fill slower than with a hose .You could use a drip system hose and put a large emitter over each post. you do still have to remove and replace the lid but it allows you to do more than one task at a time.

I started using them after hearing about them on a climate podcast. I use corks in bottom hole.

OLLA was also used to cool water to drink during the hot season which was common to see until refrigeration became common.

You can glaze the cover and the portions that are above soil, this will reduce evaporation or even stop it

Another option is terracotta watering spikes. They look like a big fertilizer spike, but are hollow so you can invert a wine bottle to keep them filled. Since the bottles aren't opaque, you can see when they need to be refilled. You can also DIY the spikes into buried gravity fed irrigation by plugging the tops (I did it with cement, but it's not the easiest) and inserting drop irrigation tubing into them. The line is fed by a tank somewhere that makes filling easier since it's only one place and can be automated using a float valve system. I've also seen the two pots ollas set up for gravity feed.

We had such a rough garden growing season here in Kansas last year. I am stepping things up this year to hopefully give me that edge. I've been thinking greatly on a more passive watering system as water did not go deep enough last year. So, I've been looking at and for ideas. And lo n behold! Here you are with the perfect solution. I'm living off SS, so I don't have a lot to spend. Plus, I'm more into DIY at this point in my life. And BOY! Have I got clay pots. Thanks once again for a surprisingly simple, excellent idea to beat Ma Nature's attempts to foil me. I'll report my success, or lack of, this fall. 😊

I just got some watering spikes that do the same thing. Fill terracotta spike, put tube in gallon of water and it siphons water to the plants. Currently keeping my indoor cloth potted plants nice and hydrated.

Such an interesting passive watering concept! May have to try this for my most thirsty plants! Thanks for sharing:)

I''ve been using something like this for years with great sucess. Burry a plastic bottle with a few needle-sized holes on the bottom, you can close the lid so it doesn't evaporate.

Kevin, Thanks for the DIY--the costs of premade ollas can be really prohibitive. 😊 Suggestion for a design variation: Attach the saucer to the top of the pot w/ silicone or Gorella glue. After curing, turn the DIY olla saucer-side down & bury, using the pot's original drainage hole as the fill spout. The shape of the pot means the original bottom is narrower, therefore, there will be less evaporation from that end. Additionally, you can paint the pot bottom w/ a sealant to decrease evaporation. 😁

Another great benefit of this is that it greatly reduces the amount of nutrients washed out the soil due to continuous watering.

My gram did this with old coffee cans laced with pinholes. Worked like a charm.

We might try this for our side garden. I think they’re perfect for garden beds close to the foundation of the house 😊

Who hasn’t heard of Ollas at this point? I’ve tested them for several years now lol. They work great btw

Using the one pot and lid DIY ollas is something I've actually had a bit of success with. Seal the lid to the top of the pot and bury the pot upside down. The slope of the pot gives you the narrowing of a regular ollas and the drain hole becomes the fill hole. This gives the added benefit of reducing the surface area of water exposed to the air. Cover the hole with a smooth rock to keep out mosquitos.

Thanks for showing the DIY version even though you sell them! I'm trying to figure out how to irrigate my garden for next year. It used to be nice therapy but as my garden grows it is impossible to stand out there in the heat for 2 hours to water it.

Rain barrels raised and punctured hose makes a great irrigation system

I loves ollas. I add them to my garden beds in conjunction with drip irrigation. I also use it in areas far from a water source. They work great in large containers.

Or...you could turn the plant pot upside down, seal the plant saucer to plant pot rim, pour the water thru the small drainage hole, then cover it with a rock. Then, the neck will be smaller than the base, sorta like a real olla.

An additional way I have seen with the terracotta pots is to put the silicon around the top of the pot seal to the tray, plant, fill through the drainage hole. One could make a floater with a fake flower little flag as the flower, flag lowers you will know when to refill.

I've used ones I made myself out of terra cotta plots. I had the best luck with squash and tomatoes. Young plants still need a fair amount of auxiliary water. I used silicon to fill the hole. Worked great.

They work great, i have been using them for about four year, i made about ten out of unglazed pots, different sizes

Thank you! I’m looking to build olla’s for my beds for next year. The information here is exactly what I needed.

I thing I might make a few of those 2 pot ones this winter. I think they would be especially good for tomatoes and cucumbers to keep their water regulated in the hot summer days 🌞 Silicone would work for joining the pots, but look for something labeled as adhesive for outdoor use would be best 👍

I saw some ollas available in a nearby Sydney store last year. Only problem- they started at $65 each! No way, hosa. So I'm now in the middle of making five of them myself. I'm using the 2 pot method except at the top hole I'm adding some tubing that will reach up to the top of the bed. In the top of the tubing I'm adding a funnel so it's easier to fill up. I'm experimenting with using some old water bottle funnels (which never worked with the bottle watering method) and also some narrow tops of 1.25l drink bottles. I'm actually not going to bury these pots near the surface either. I'm repurposing some small-ish plastic barrels (which previously had transported herbs) to use as vegetable planters in the spring (around September in Australia). The DIY ollas will sit on the bottom of the barrel so they will function as both watering back-up and to fill in some of the dead space. Hopefully the plants will reach down deeply to get to the water which will help their roots to become stronger.

Best water saving system we have been using in our garden for last 4years

Excellent, thank you! Another video I saw shows gluing the saucer to the top of the pot and then using it upside-down (with the small hole at the top for filling water). But I like the topsy tursy two pots together style, too. Smart! We have very dense clay soil here so putting these in and out (for a tree) is not a small thing, I need to leave them in year round... but valuable in our dry summer months (and during our drought). I think for freezes I'll have to think of something else clever, like putting something on top of it (California zone 9b so the freezes don't go deep).

My grandma taught me a similar method using yogurt containers with a a small hole poked in the bottom with a nail.

I use these as my main watering system. I only get time to water in the evening when I get home from work. I can fill all the pots (I have many) without having to worry about leaving plants wet overnight. I will still water with the hose when I get the chance. But I don't need to worry about them. Everything is growing so well!

I have made Ollas with unglazed Terra Cotta flower pots and their saucers with a squeeze tube of silicone. Easy and useful.

Great idea, something new to try here in the Texas summer heat alongside of my DIY 2-liter plastic bottle with tiny holes I poked into the sides then buried the whole bottle (same refill principle with the screw-on cap above ground). Thank you!

How beautiful & simple. Thanks for sharing this technique. Be well.

Thank God, your ollas vid is something useful and easy on the mind vice flood of negative news. Anyway, this solves maintaining moisture in a large container. Thank you

Great explanation about origin and use of these garden watering pots!

I’ve been waiting for these to get in your store! I just bought 2 - one for myself and one as a gift.

I ran across the olla DIY last year. The first set the hubby made was made with either 2 inch or 3 inch pots from dollar tree (the ones that came in a 2 pk). He sealed the hole in the bottom with either hot glue or silicone (don't remember which). Instead of gluing 2 pots together he wanted to be able to see how much water was left, so he used a plastic clear bottle with bottom cut off (I think it is a 1 liter pepsi bottle). I just remove the lid to refill being careful not to put lid on to tight. Later during the season, he wanted to try to adding them to a drip line with a water tank, which worked even nicer. All I had to do was fill the tank once a week instead of filling individual ollas every few days. I live in zone 8a with highs in the mid 90's to low 100's. This year hubby is building me an aqueduct from the house to a 250 gallon tote on top of a tower made from a plastic pallet sitting on cinder blocks. I have been filling that from a cute little pond that he built years ago (pond is just a little bigger than 250 gallons). The pond is filled from a rain barrel over flow pipe.

Will definitely try it for my west facing balcony that is an oven all summer long

This saves me so much time going around and refilling them constantly. Hundreds of them! Every day! Its much better then a few swales....

Wow this is cool. So many wonderful things from the past from "simpler times" we should be using now that would make everything so much better.

I've been using DIY Ollas for a few years and to help cut down on the evaporation just smear some of the silicone you used to join the two pots together on the top of the Olla where it is going to be exposed to the air.

These look amazing for the large pots I use.

I love it. The new animations help a lot.

I keep meaning to get stuff for similar ways to irrigate the garden with how hot and dry the summer in Texas is.

With the drought I had where I live this summer totally doing some diy this winter for the next season, all garden things are on clearance right where I live so win win for me lol

A little hack you can do is chop up some weeds like dandelion, nettle and verde lagos and put them in your ollas to slowly decompose and add more nutrients to the liquid. It takes a few months for it to break down.

Awesome! Best irrigation for Arizona deserts! Make sure you test a diy one. I had to fix leaks before I used mine.

I saw your past video on ollas and gave it a try this year. It definitely saved my tomatoes with this summer's drought. Thanks Kevin 👍

These are great and when I have made them and had a water indication system of sorts built in. Before you join the pots measure something like a small diameter piece of PVC tube that fits the hole loosely as well as being long enough to show if the olla is empty add a small cork to one end. You may need to make the pots hole a little bigger and or a second hole to make it easier to fill, then join them as you did in the video, top it up and the cork will make the tube stand up as it empties it will show when you need to top up.

They sell the little versions of thes that let you recycle old water bottle or wine bottles. I personally have great success with them. These are far more pleasing on the eye though.

I do this with large drink bottles that i make pin prick holes in. Change them often so they don't break down. they really help during heat waves

This seems cool, if I lived in a dry climate I might consider it. In my case watering time is my bonding time with my plants. It gives me a chance to check on them, make sure there aren't any pests and that their leaves are nice and green.

I just started using something like this. The spikes. Long neck bottle. Works like a top.

I’ve seen stuff about Olla before side but I love the face on the one of them and you did it in a great way actually showing Distance and I like the little chart. I did a screenshot of that so I can blow it up and look at it and show a couple ways to put it together, and I didn’t realize it was Mexican. I’m gonna have to check with the Mexican stores around here to see if we actually have any that they have for sale in the store locally

AWESOME INFORMATION! I'll try it on my balcony! THANKS!

Such a good idea! I'd like to make some for my porch to help cool down that area in the hottest part of summer.

We call them Ollies and we made enough for our gardens from unglazed pots, glued together at their tops with marine silicone, one bottom plugged, filled once a day to water to stop the drying out oc the gardens!

Love this! I just bought a few ollas to try out in the spring

I love using ollas! I need to grab some of yours bc that face is adorbs!

Im testing out that diy olla rn. I used a cork instead of putty. I also purchased some rubber stoppers in case the cork doesn't last.

This is great! I live in the tropics, it gets really hot here

Great idea! I'm gonna try this.

I'm going to try this next spring! 🙂

8:24 For best case results, unstack them and apply a thick bead to one of the mating faces. It's a better bond. I'd use a tube of construction adhesive, personally. Great video, thanks!

Great Idea....:) QUESTION: I would assume the bigger the container the more area it can water?

Thank you so much for very specific information!!!

The first one with the lid you can also seal the lid and reverse it an use a pebble as well

Wow! Great idea. Thanks.

I play Pot of Greed, which allows me to irrigate two crops!

I’m going to try this.

New subscriber!!! I’ve seen some of your Shorts on here!! I trust you!!! I’m finally starting with growing my own food and flowers!!! And I am need of your guidance 😊😊😊❤❤❤❤

If you had a single floating ball inside the vase that was larger than the neck, then you could fill it until the ball floated and autosealed the top of the vase. You would still want to have a lid, but it might also help with evaporation a bit.

Most excellent info! Thanks!

Neat concept. Thanks for sharing.

This is such a good idea!!!

FWIW, this would be *PERFECT* for use with an automatic watering system using float switches + 5v water pumps pulling from a resevoir. The whole thing should cost less than $5 per olla and will keep them topped up 24/7. If you have larger ollas, you could use 'mini floating ball valves', which work like your toilet tank, for a fully mechanical system. Cheers!

Can also make water filter from unglazed pots. Seeps thru and keeps contaminants inside

Fantastic diy project!!! Thank you so much. I'm wondering how they would perform with corn? This year I "learned" I needed to water more than I did.. Always informative, thank you ❣️