Build a Self-Watering Raised Bed from Two Storage Totes

Build steps

1. Know what you are comparing. The EarthBox Original, put together as a garden kit in green with four casters and the Natural 8-3-5 fertilizer option, came to $69 in EarthBox's own online store on November 7, 2026 ($43 for the box, $9 for the casters and $17 for the fertilizer and dolomite). The box alone, with its aeration screen, fill tube and two mulch covers but without casters, fertilizer or dolomite, is $43: about the same as this build. Shipping is not included; the store adds it on orders under $149. According to EarthBox, this matches the EarthBox 80151 garden kit. It holds about 2 cubic feet (57 L) of soil and measures 29 × 13.5 × 11 in (74 × 34 × 28 cm). It comes with an aeration screen, a fill tube, two mulch covers, 1 lb (0.45 kg) of organic fertilizer, 1 lb (0.45 kg) of organic dolomite and four casters. This build has no casters, fertilizer or dolomite; you buy potting mix for either one.
2. Know what you actually pay. Two totes ($11.15 each), two pieces of PVC pipe ($5.98 each) and a 100-pack of UV-resistant zip ties ($8.29), all from Home Depot, come to $42.55 at the prices checked on November 7, 2026: about $43, if you use a cup or small tub you already have as the wick basket. Net pots for this job were only found in a large 80-pack, so they are not in the total. Sales tax and shipping are extra; Home Depot notes that store prices can differ from online prices.
3. Get two identical totes. Use two 18 gal (68 L) totes of the same model with lids, here the Rubbermaid model 1823619 from Home Depot, 23.9 × 16.5 × 15.9 in (607 × 419 × 404 mm); the Home Depot page lists the height as 16.5 in (419 mm). The upper tote nests inside the lower one. The Home Depot page calls it an 18 gal (68 L) Roughneck storage tote made of polyethylene, but it does not give a recycling code. Reviews on that page say the Roughneck line has been discontinued, so check that your store still has two.
4. Cut the legs and the fill tube. Cut one 2 ft (61 cm) piece of 1-1/4 in (32 mm) PVC pipe into four legs of about 6 in (15 cm). Use the second 2 ft (24 in, 61 cm) piece as the fill tube. It has to reach from the top of the upper tote down to the bottom of the reservoir: 16.5 in (42 cm) tote height + 6 in (15 cm) legs = about 22.5 in (57 cm). That fits in the 24 in piece, with about 1.5 in (4 cm) to spare. This length is worked out from the listed tote height and the leg length, not measured on a built planter; check it against your own totes before you cut. The legs hold the upper tote above the water in the lower tote; their length sets how much water the reservoir holds.
5. Make the holes in the upper tote. Drill drainage holes in the bottom of the upper tote. Cut a hole for the wick cup and a hole for the fill tube; the outside diameter of 1-1/4 in (32 mm) pipe is about 1.66 in (42 mm), so pick a hole saw to match. Punch or drill holes in the cup so water can soak into the soil.
6. Drill the overflow hole. Drill one hole in the side of the lower tote, just below the bottom of the upper tote. Extra water runs out there, so the water level cannot rise above the bottom of the upper tote; only the wick cup reaches down into the water. This depends on the hole being in the right place, so mark its height with the upper tote standing on its legs. No fitting or sealant is needed.
7. Assemble and fill. Stand the four legs in the lower tote and set the upper tote on them. Push the cup through its hole so it reaches into the reservoir, slide the fill tube down to the bottom and hold it with two zip ties. Fill the cup with potting mix, then the upper tote. Cut planting holes in the lid of the upper tote and use it as the cover. The lid of the lower tote is left over. Pour water down the fill tube until it starts to run out of the overflow hole. Self-watering does not mean you never water: you have to keep refilling the reservoir through the fill tube. EarthBox advises filling its own box every day until water runs from the overflow; this build has not been tested, so check the water level often.
8. Check these points yourself. The volume of soil and of water in this planter has not been worked out. EarthBox says its Original holds 3 gal (11 L) of water and 2 cubic feet (57 L) of growing media (maker's page, checked November 7, 2026). The price of fertilizer and dolomite to match the EarthBox kit was not checked. At Lowe's, a comparable 18 gal (68 L) tote was $10.98 on November 7, 2026; PVC pipe and zip ties at Lowe's were not checked. The EarthBox price is the sum of the box and two options in its maker's store, and shipping is added below $149.