Self-Watering Planters That’ll Keep Your Garden Alive

Halfway through brunch a chill runs down your spine. You forgot to water your houseplants. Again. For the fourth day in a row. They’re drooping and suffering while you sip on mimosas. Your poor neglected children. No matter how many calendar reminders you set, you forget. It happens to all of us, but you can make your plants’ lives a little less stressful with one of the best self-watering planters. You only have to fill it once a week, instead of watering a couple of times a week. 

Self-watering planters have empty reservoirs beneath the soil. The soil draws water up into the planter whenever it’s dry, so your roots aren’t sitting in water and getting moldy. They drink when they’re thirsty, essentially. These reservoirs can often hold a week or two of water. They have easy-to-read water indicators, so you can tell exactly how soon it will be before your plant needs a refill. 

We found planters for both inside and outdoors, depending on what kind of garden you’re cultivating. Although the possibility of over-watering your babies is gone, you can still under-water them if you don’t keep the reservoir filled. The planter doesn’t magically fill itself… yet.