Olla Success!!!

Well, it looks like the Olla experiment is successful. So much so that I bought another dozen unglazed terracotta pots to make some more to help droughtproof the garden.

After I glued the two pots together the other day (see this post) I let them dry for a couple of days as we had drizzle the next day and I wanted to make sure that the glue was thoroughly dry. 

 Once I was sure it was dry I filled the Olla with water and waited to see what happened and, before long I could see the pots getting darker as the water started permeating.....

 ....until it was quite obvious that the glue had done its job and the water wasn't gushing out through the hole in the bottom which I had glued a small flat stone over and there was no obvious leakage where the two pots were glued together. As I had read somewhere that it was a good idea to soak the pots in water first before burying them, I did that for a short time.

 Then I started digging and digging with my little trowel as I was too lazy to walk to the shed to find a spade. After I had been digging for ages and got so far down that I thought I would reach China, I buried the Olla but left about 4 inches of it jutting out of the soil as I just wanted to see how it went overnight before digging it up the next day to test the moisture in the soil. You probably can't see it clearly in the photo but it is sitting under my cracked mug which has violets growing in it.

I was very pleased when I finally dug it up as the water was definitely wicking out and there was still plenty left in the Olla. Two Ollas should be enough to keep my calendula patch growing well so that will be another section of the front garden which won't need watering apart from what I put into the pots.

 

My husband had to go to Masters so while we were there I checked to see if they had any unglazed terracotta pots as I had bought my first two pots from Bunnings. I wasn't sure what their size was but I noticed that Masters had 15cm pots for 85 cents each whereas the 17cm pots were about $1.49 which I think is what I paid at Bunnings. So I bought a dozen 15cm pots and when I got home I compared them with the Olla in the ground and I would say that it would have been a 17cm one. However, I don't think the difference in size will matter too much and am now keen to get them all glued together and put into the garden. 

Onto another subject....lovely Lynda from Living in the Land of Oz asked me to join a Blog Hop Around the World - Creativity which, in a moment of weakness, I said 'yes' to. So Lynda has written her post and I am due to write mine this coming Monday and link to two other bloggers who will then carry on the Blog Hop after me.

Slight problem though.....I haven't been able to twist anyone's arm to join in the Blog Hop as most bloggers I know are either too busy, sick, moving, looking after rellies etc. and I really don't like asking them when I know they have a lot on their plate.

So if any of my readers have a burning desire to help me out and join in the Blog Hop then please email me at nannachel@gmail.com and you will earn my undying gratitude.

(UPDATE: I now have two bloggers who are happy to join in the Blog Hop. Now I just have to get my head around writing a post for it. )

A friend and I are off to the Big Smoke today so think of us my friend trying to drive through the crazy Brisbane traffic. I just realised the EKKA is on tomorrow so hopefully there won't be too much traffic on the highway. Yikes! Have a great weekend everyone!