Olla Watering Kit

Thirsty Earth: Automatic Olla Watering System For Your Garden

Happier Plants. Bigger Harvests. 61% Less Water. Grow a lush garden with minimal effort. Vacation-friendly. This is your solution to the daily hassles of growing your own food.

• Share your harvests & impress your friends! Thirsty Earth makes growing a bountiful garden fun & easy (and gives you BIGGER harvests).

• Easy to install. Works with any garden – raised beds, rows and containers. Install before or after planting your garden.

• No more water waste. Save up to 46,322 gallons of water* a year!

Your kit includes EVERYTHING you'll need to set up your watering system.

Terracotta, food-grade plastic

The Thirsty Earth watering system works by using ancient terracotta olla technology and combining it with modern watering systems.

The porous terracotta lets water seep through it, slowly watering your plant’s roots. Your plants get water when it needs, where it needs – at the roots.

Which means plants get 100% of the water they need, with more than 61% less water lost to evaporation, that traditional drip lines waste.

Q: Does this olla garden watering system work for row gardening?

A: Yes it does. To capitalize on the water plume the olla creates, you'll want to base your row spacing around our ollas 18" diameter water plume.

Q: Which Olla Watering Kits work best for my Birdies beds?

A: The Small Watering Kit is best for the Small Short and Small Tall Birdies Beds, the Medium Watering Kit is best for the Medium Short and Medium Tall Birdies Beds, and the Large Watering Kit is best for the Large Short and Large Tall Birdies Beds.

Q: How do I install my Thirsty Earth Olla Garden Watering System?

A: 

1. Bury your olla cotta cups in the soil (raised garden beds or in the ground).
2. Set up your hosing system.
3. Your bucket/reservoir that's included in your kit will fill your cotta cups (terracotta ollas). Your bucket will fill your cotta cups (ollas). You can handfill your 2.5 or 5 gallon bucket weekly. Or set up your kit to auto-fill your ollas by a hose hook up, single drip line, sprinkler head or rain barrel.
4. Place your bucket/reservoir in your garden bed/row garden or anywhere around it. Your bucket needs to be 0"-6" above your soil for optimal water pressure and water savings.
5. Your plant’s roots will call for the water it needs. The porous terracotta olla let water seep through the cotta cups, slowly watering your plant’s roots.
6. Watch your plants grow!

Q: Can I install this olla watering system if I've already planted my garden?

A: Yes. You might need to adjust our recommended placement of your ollas to give your established plants a little more room. Shoot for burying the olla cup 3"-6” or so from the plant. Where you place your olla is a judgement call based on the size of your plant and roots.

Q: Where do I bury my olla cotta cups in my garden?

A: Cotta Cups emit approximately 1.5' - 2' water plumes in ideal loamy soils. Utilizing a grid layout like the one below will give you excellent coverage. While your bed size may vary, this is the general way to go about it. Adjust as needed.

Q: What's the best way to fill my olla cotta cups with water?

A: This totally depends on your preferences. There are 5 different water sources you can choose to have fill your olla cotta cups. You can fill a 2.5 or 5 gallon bucket about weekly by hand, or have your olla cotta cups be automatically filled by a hose, drip line, sprinkler head or water barrel. We recommend choosing what's most convenient for you.