Ollas in the Garden

Ollas are a perfect passive watering system

If you live in a hot area you’ve probably seen these terracotta jugs around. Ollas, meaning pot in Spanish and pronounced ‘oh-ya’, have been used in ancient watering practices. Using ollas in the garden has helped improve my gardening methods. The process of seeping water through the porous terra cotta walls into the soil is a key to better water distribution. 

I’ve previously considered using drip irrigation in my backyard, but I don’t like the thought of quickly deteriorating plastic in our space. While driving through my little SouthWest neighborhood, I have seen irrigation systems break because of the heat and wear. Puddles of wasted water pooling and no one knows until after they come home from vacation or a weekend away. I don’t like those kinds of surprises so to mitigate the risks of broken tubing and weathered plastic I use ollas in my garden. 

Ollas used in raised garden bed

Watering by hand with a hose or using a with a watering can is a method we have all used. In my first year of gardening I tried hand watering. It was possible to do as I only had two garden beds to care for. Hand watering is a preferred method if you are home daily and wish to spend that extra time enjoying your garden. For me, it was also easy to overwater my 2×8 ft beds. I lost some tomatoes and squash in my first year from watering too much.

Ollas are a great way to keep consistent moisture in your garden beds. Hand watering is still very helpful when you first plant seeds and seedlings. It is important to keep that top layer moist so your seeds can germinate.  This is still a method that you need in conjunction with using ollas to maintain moisture. After overwatering by hand, I knew I needed to try something else and upon learning about ollas they were the perfect fit for my garden.

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Ollas used in inground garden space 

Last year I tested my ollas to see how well they worked in an inground garden space. I wanted more space to garden and with a budget, gardening in your available soil is more accessible. I was able to amend the soil a bit and dug out space for my larger ollas. The ollas were installed in the summer and helped to keep the ground moist. I did add water to the top soil until our seedlings became more established.

Ollas used in grow bags

This was my first year using ollas in a grow bag. I was gifted ollas and growbags from Growoya, a company I have been curious about for a while now. I tried it this summer and while it was helpful to keep the grow bag moist, you still had to monitor it to ensure the soil wasnt drying out. The soil dried out slower with an olla, but it still needed to be added to at least 3x during the week. I think what I would do next time is add the two inches of mulch in woodchip form to help retain the ollas moisture in the soil.

Ollas used in terracotta pots

This spring I got beautiful berry bushes that I wanted to line the edge of my garden. I wanted to have the most success with growing them, so I decided to put them in large outdoor terra cotta pots and grow them in a container-style environment. I added my smaller ollas and the small growoya to my pots and it helped them thrive. The summer heat, winds and later monsoons gave my little berry bushes a tough experience. I noticed that during the summer heat of June and July, my ollas kept drying out. Turns out the Growoya was a slow release terra cotta pot, so it kept it’s berries moist for longer. As I sometimes forget to go out and check on my berries, I will switch out my smaller ollas and put them back in my raised bed and use the growoya for my pots.

Three Types of Ollas

Acme Garden 

This local shop Acme Garden in my area was selling ollas of two sizes – a small and a large. I found them online after reading my local digital paper and ecstatic to visit them in person. The first image in the gallery shows the small olla vessel. It has the sweetest little face carved into the front andiIt makes us smile when we see it. The lid is terra cotta material and fits loosely across the top. The larger olla holds about 2 gallons of water and is perfect for larger areas in a rasied bed or in an inground garden. The lid has an olla carved into the top and is easily removable when ready to refill.

Growoya

Growoya is an online company that I heard of after finding ollas locally. I decided to try their ollas, which they call “oyas” in their brand, as a delivery would save me the over 30 minute drive into town to purchase locally. They have three vessel sizes at this online retailer – small, medium and large. I won a giveaway contest online and got one of each size to try in my garden. The outside of the vessel is very smooth terra cotta and utilizes a silicon plastic lid. Growoya Oya’s feature a blue lid with their name Growoya carved into the top. The neck is much smaller than my local ollas and I think this design helps with water retention.

DISCLAIMER: THIS POST CONTAINS AFFILIATE LINKS. SEE MY DISCLOSURE POLICY FOR MORE INFORMATION.

BioGreen

I really wanted to try one of these BioGreen ollas available online as well. From the reviews it did say the terracotta make up was different from the Growoya because it released water more quickly. You can find them in my Amazon shop so you can try one for yourself. The design looks similar to the Growoya vessel with a smooth outer surface, a small neck and a silicon plastic lid. The BioGreen lid is green to match it’s brand. It was a cheaper option, which can be helpful for your container gardening.

Ollas in the garden

I hope you’re able to give these vessels a try. They have saved me time in the garden and reduced my watering time in half. They have been holding up through our mild winters, windy spring and dry summers. Let me know if it’s something you’re going to add to your garden.