Indoor plants require attention. You are the weather system. Sadly, I often forget to water the plants I am trying to grow indoors. I have created many an artificial drought from inattention. I get busy with my daily life and soon I have a sad, little wilted plant that is past the point of saving.

We became interested in passive watering systems for this reason. Spending the time at the beginning of indoor plant stewardship to address how it will be watered prevents a tragic end in the future.

A personal favorite is the string method. Put a string in the bottom of the container when you are initially potting the plant, poking a hole in the bottom to pull the string through. Then place the first container inside a slightly larger container half-filled with water. The string hangs down, sucking up water into your plant’s root system. This waters your plant for weeks while you go about your business. Perfect for those who are ecologically minded, yet forgetful.

Recently, we added another great passive water system to our kitchen. The Dish Drying Rack Herb Garden Watering System.

Kitchen Window Garden

Brett built the simple wooden rack over our kitchen sink to hold dishes as while they are drying.
Drying Rack Detail
The shelf has thin slats that let water from the damp dishes drip on to the basil, dill, rosemary, thyme, and cilantro plants sitting below.

The plants get plenty of sunlight from the kitchen window and water from the dishes above done three times a day. This new kitchen system is working for us on several levels–practical, aesthetic, and functional.

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