Author Archives: jkmcintyre

Hand building an olla

Posted on April 29, 2010 by jkmcintyre


Trying something new. I’m using low-fire clay bodies that mature at cone 04-1. RedArt Terra Cotta, RedArt with sand, and Terra Cotta (which has grog). I will fire them at our bisque temperature, cone 06 (~1000C), where I hope they will remain porous Continue reading →

Posted in ceramics, DIY, olla irrigation, vegetable garden | 7 Comments

Planting my first garden ollas

Posted on April 21, 2010 by jkmcintyre


After nearly 2 years of mulling, planning, and anticipation, I planted my homemade ollas this week. I have no idea if they will work – the walls are quite thick compared to the commercial ones I’ve seen online and I don’t know how porous my pots are. Yes, I could have tested this, but I was too impatient Continue reading →

Posted in olla irrigation, potatoes | 2 Comments

Garden Ollas (O-Yahz)

Posted on April 18, 2010 by jkmcintyre


I first read about using ollas in the garden from the DeVraies family, full-time urban homesteaders in Sacramento. They also made a good video of olla installation here.

I was immediately intrigued. “It rains a lot in Seattle”, but what few people know is that it doesn’t rain much, sometimes at all, during summer Continue reading →

Posted in ceramics, olla irrigation | 3 Comments

The Soil Test

Posted on April 11, 2010 by jkmcintyre


Year 2 in the garden. It’s past time I tested the nutrient levels in my soil. I have a variety of beds so I bought a test kit. Although the kit advertizes ’40 tests’, the fine print reads (10 each for N, P, K, pH). So really, it’s only 10 tests. Bummer Continue reading →

Posted in soil test | 1 Comment