Hot take: My $40 self-watering planter was a total waste of money

I bought a fancy self-watering planter for my balcony lettuce, thinking it would save me time. It cost about forty bucks and promised to keep soil moist for a week. After two weeks, my lettuce got all soggy and started to rot because the reservoir kept things too wet. On the other side, my friend swears by her cheap plastic pots and just watering by hand every other day. She says it gives her more control and her plants look better. Did I just get a bad product, or are these self-watering systems not worth it for small balcony veggies?

3 comments

3 Comments

skylerc8618d agoMost Upvoted

Maybe you just need to adjust the water level for different plants? My herbs love the same kind of planter.

robin83618d ago

I had the same problem with a basil plant in one of those. It drowned. Went back to my old clay pots and a watering can, way less hassle. What kind of lettuce were you trying to grow?

paul_webb458h ago

It's funny how @robin836's basil story shows we overcomplicate simple things. My neighbor bought a fancy coffee maker but still uses her old french press every day. Sometimes the old way just works better.