A plan before
a purchase.
Find a watering approach, then work out your storage. Two practical tools for a smaller growing space.
Find a starting point.
Answer four practical questions. This suggests an approach to investigate, not a product endorsement.
Explore a reservoir-fed solar pump
A solar pump is a candidate when there is no faucet and no safe high tank. Check panel exposure, lift, tubing limits and power backup for the exact model.
Read the relevant guide ↗Confirm your installation constraints and follow the exact manufacturer’s instructions. No setup is guaranteed for unattended use.
Size a water reserve.
Enter measured daily system delivery, not a guessed amount per plant. How to measure delivery. Understand the storage formula.
Reserve must be between 0 and 200%. This input range is a tool limit, not a recommended margin. Enter 0 if there is no unusable water.
Start with your measurements
Complete all four fields to calculate storage. No water requirement or reserve percentage is assumed for you.
Formula: daily delivery × days × (1 + reserve ÷ 100) + unusable water. This does not assess plant needs, structural loading, leaks, power failures or changing weather. Values stay in this page’s memory and reset on reload.
Check the plan in your garden.
The selector identifies an approach; a trial checks the actual installation. Test outlet delivery and pot moisture before using the calculated storage for an absence.
Then use the vacation watering checklist to record refills, exceptions and the helper’s checks. If the equipment is still undecided, compare the four watering approaches.