DIY Garden Olla Pot with Terracotta Clay Workshop

Learn about olla irrigation, a sustainable ancient method of irrigation for your garden


ClayMotion
ClayMotion
4.9 (8)
1k followers

3 hours Class size 6 to 8 guests     $115

VIC Country
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Craft
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Pottery
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Clay Sculpture and Hand Building
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Sustainability
Love gardening? Want to be more sustainable? Looking for things to do in Ballarat? Then this hands-on pottery class is for you!
During this 2.5 hour workshop, you will learn how to make your own olla using terracotta clay and the coil building method. Your olla will hold approximately three to four litres of water, and you will also make a lid. Your garden creation will need to be kiln fired to be useable in your garden.
Once you learn the method of creation, you can make as many as you need at home for your garden and bring them into the studio for kiln firing.
 
What is an olla?
  • An Olla is an ancient watering/irrigation system constructed with unglazed porous clay pots.
  • Olla is the Spanish word for “pot” and is a clay pot used for irrigation.
  • An olla can save 30 per cent to 70 per cent of the water used by other irrigation methods.
  • Veggies and flowers LOVE ollas because they provide just the right amount of water exactly when the plants need it.
  • Installing an olla is simple, just dig a hole, bury the pot and fill it with water!
  • One three-litre olla will irrigate a 60 x 60cm garden bed.
Ollas may be the most efficient method of local plant irrigation in drylands known to humanity due to the microporous (unglazed) walls that do not allow water to flow freely from the pot but guide water seepage from it in the direction where suction develops.
When buried neck-deep into the ground, filled with water, and crops planted adjacent to it, the clay pot effects sub-surface irrigation as water oozes out of it due to the suction force which attracts water molecules to the plant roots. The plant roots grow around the pots and only “pull” moisture when needed, never wasting a single drop.
You'll leave this workshop with your own DIY garden olla pot and the skills to continue creating many more for your garden!
Add-on available for this class
  • Terracotta Clay 10kg Bag ($20)
You can add these when you book (optional).
 
Knowledge required
No previous knowledge or experience required.
 
What you'll get
All materials, tuition and kiln firing are included. You will learn how to hand-build a pottery vessel using the coiling technique from terracotta clay and take your own creation home.
 
What to bring
Just wear comfortable clothing that you can get messy in.
 
Suitable for

This class is great for a team building activity or hens party.

Location

ClayMotion - 37 Tierneys Road, Dunnstown VIC

DIY Garden Olla Pot with Terracotta Clay Workshop location
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Your teacher

ClayMotion
ClayMotion

4.9 (8)
1k followers

ClayMotion was established by Dawn Whitehand, a practicing artist since 2000. The studio offers a beautiful and peaceful art-making environment for a diverse community of makers ranging from emerging and established artists to anyone in the general public looking to learn a new skill. At ClayMotion it's all about using art and clay as therapeutic and expressive mediums through workshops, classes and private events.
2025-01-03 15:00:00
V48I01Z33L 34c052b7f77f35dccea660a6ce51910d production VIC Country VIC AU vic-country