Make Your Own Olla: Ancient Wisdom for Modern Gardens

Program Type:

Home & Gardening, Lectures & Presentations, Science & Nature, Special Events

Age Group:

Adults
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Event Details

Learn how to transform terracotta pots into ollas—an ingenious ancient method for passive watering. Perfect for anyone looking to conserve water and keep their plants happy with less hassle! Registration required. Limited to 10 adult participants. 

An olla (pronounced ohh-yahh) is an unglazed clay pot with an open top, narrow neck, and wide base. The clay pot is buried beneath the soil surface with only the hole in the top exposed above the soil line. The olla is filled by pouring water into the open top. The moisture tension around the pot creates suction, so water is only pulled through the clay walls into the soil whenever it is dry. If the soil is wet, water will stay in the pot until the surrounding soil dries out. This creates a consistent soil moisture level to help plants thrive. 

Ollas are expensive to purchase in the US, however there is a simple way to create your own ollas using materials easily available in our area. This workshop is for adults who want to learn how to make their own ollas for their gardens and container plants. 

This program complements our "Spark! Places of Innovation" traveling exhibition that will be at Camp Verde Community Library from June 14 - July 26.  This workshop showcases an innovative way to conserve water and enjoy thriving plants in this arid region.

Spark! Places of Innovation has been made possible in Camp Verde, AZ by Arizona Humanities.  

Spark! is a Museum on Main Street exhibition developed by the Smithsonian Institution. It is inspired by Places of Invention, an exhibition developed by the Smithsonian’s Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation.  

Museum on Main Street is a collaboration between the Smithsonian Institution and State Humanities Councils nationwide that serves the small-town cultural organizations and citizens of rural America.  

This project is sponsored in-part by the ASU College of Liberal Arts and Sciences – Humanities Division and the Community Foundation of Southern Arizona