Sealed Bottle Garden Hasn´t Been Watered For 50 Years Yet It’s Thriving

Not everyone has a skill for gardening, and most of us don’t even bother to give it a try. It’s common to think that most plants are finicky, need too much care, need perfect conditions, and a host of other excuses. But would you believe that a garden can flourish for 50 years with hardly any care? And not just any garden, but a tightly sealed bottled garden at that!

David Latimer sealed some seeds in a jar back in 1960, not knowing that 50 years later he’d be the owner of his very own bottled garden! An example of a closed yet perfectly functional ecosystem, the 10-gallon glass carboy holds what can only be described as a lush bottled garden complete with its own means of producing its own food via photosynthesis.

David Latimer's 50-year old bottled garden

David’s bottled garden started off as an Easter Sunday project. He places some compost and a quarter pint of water in the carboy, and planted some seeds using wires. He sealed it up, and only opened the bottle again in 1972 to water his little garden, which the spiderworts have completely taken over. The only other maintenance his garden gets is plenty of exposure to sunlight.

So, what’s the science behind this? Simple! The bottled garden gets water through the condensation inside the glass. Add in a bit of sunlight, and you have the complete recipe for photosynthesis. Let’s backtrack to grade school biology. Photosynthesis is the process plants use to get ATP, which is basically the fuel that keeps living things alive. All a plant needs is some light energy, such as sunlight, carbon dioxide, and water to produce the carbohydrate that keeps it alive and flourishing.

For those of you who think that maintaining a garden is a lot of work, think again! It might be time for you to grab yourself some fancy jars, so you can make your very own bottled garden!