Selfsufficientish.com

This works.....although it might just put you in A&E!!!!!!!!!!!!

Firstly gather up a selection of 2 litre pop bottles and mesh bags used to hold garlic in. Cut the mesh into 2 inchish diameter discs, remove pop bottle tops and lash the mesh over the open end of the pop bottle. Just like Blue Peter!.

Now cut the pop bottle into 2 pieces about 4 inches from the top using stanley knife or/and scissors. The top section becomes your plant pot, the bottom section becomes your water reservoir.

Not all pop bottles are the same dimensions or design. You need to sort out which top sections fit into the bottom sections without falling in. You will have some pots that fall into the bottles. No worries there is still another chance for a visit to A&E. Take the ice cream containers you have saved because you thought they would come in handy and drill a hole in the top with a hole saw, I think mine is 68mm. The spare pop bottle top sections will fit upside down into a correctly sized hole.

Now just fill the tops with compost and put half a dozen lettuce seeds (you will thin to the best plant in a couple of weeks) and the bottoms with water and put stand the tops in the bases. The water level needs to be maintained to the level of the mesh and soon you will see the lettuce roots growing through the mesh into the water.

A picture paints a thousand words but I do not have the means to post any photos. Perhaps someone will oblige in due course, maybe even post a photo of an accident with the stanley knife!. You have been warned!.

I have been using lettuce for a couple of months and have 50 growing at the moment. I have been wondering whether to add some feed to the water but have not tried it yet. Perhaps if a few people are willing to give this a try the method could be refined. To me the major advantage is you can keep your containers in a place where slugs are unable to access.

Minesapint

It can be quite handy to run a strip of cloth from the reservoir, up through the neck of the bottle, to act as a wick to help keep the soil moist.

I've just bought some seeds with a plan for all year indoor lettuce. We don't drink much pop, but do seem to have a few bottles lying around, so I will definitely be giving this a go

Careful, you'll be challenging Odsox in the 12 month tomato stakes soon. Consider 12 month lettuce a gateway plant.

Sorry for my antiodean ignorance, but what is "pop"? Down here the term is usually applied to sweet, bubbly, cheap alcoholic beverages commonly consumed by females in their teens.

Almost the same Weedo, except not alcoholic.
Think lemonade and cola type of drinks, although I won't confuse you with Irn-bru.( some weird Scottish concoction)
We need a smiley in a kilt

Well so far it seems ok, fingers crossed it works

Well my little lettuce is growing. But my water wick has turned the water red. It came from and old pair of pj's that must of been washed a million times

Maybe your soil is quite acid, or alkaline?

Green Aura wrote: ↑Fri Nov 16, 2018 9:29 pm Maybe your soil is quite acid, or alkaline?

I think it might be more likely the water. Presumably the compost is commercial potting compost which would be pH neutral(ish)
But Manchester water which apparently comes from the Lake District is probably on the acid side (soft) and is slowly leaching out the dye in the cloth.
It would be the same with rain water, as it is here (which used to eat my immersion heater elements until I bought a stainless steel one)

Thanks. My little lettuce is still holding on, but has stretched and the soil has gone furry. I like the self watering bottle but I think a small wick would be better, and the light at this time of year clearly isn't enough

What a great idea. Thank you.