Just realized I wasted $400 on a 'self-watering' planter system for my raised beds

The timers clogged with sediment after two months, and now I'm back to using a hose. Has anyone found a drip system that actually lasts more than a season?

4 comments

4 Comments

rowan_thomas842mo ago

My entire gardening budget is basically a tax on my own laziness. I've got a box of failed timers and clogged emitters that looks like a graveyard for good intentions. At this point I'm half convinced the only drip system that works is a neighbor's kid with a summer job.

seth_shah2mo agoOG Member

My buddy's fancy system flooded his basement, so now he just uses a bucket with holes in it.

jasonallen1mo ago

Keep that bucket and watch it fail during the first heavy rain when all your plants get washed out. I swear everyone starts with the fancy drip system just to end up with a hose and a prayer. A bucket with holes is just a slow motion flood waiting to happen. At least your buddy learned the hard way that sometimes simple breaks faster than expensive.

spencer_park262mo ago

Been there, rowan_thomas84. I finally just got the cheapest soaker hoses and ran them straight off the spigot with a manual valve. Way less to break.