The Solar Light Flower Pot for Emergency Lighting
Did you know that you probably have this emergency lighting solution in your yard already?
It’s one of my absolute favorite beginning hacks to introduce people to many of the quick and easy ways they can prepare for those everyday emergencies that happen – like the power going out. (See a few more of our tested hacks here.)
I keep a couple of these flower parts in different parts of our backyard, catching whatever light they can during they day. Then at night, if needed for emergency lighting, they can come in and light the night as long as they last through the evening.
Here are a couple of things you should know:
- The cheaper the light, the less light they put out and the quicker they die. So be prepared that you may lose a few in the process. We keep quite a few around just for this reason.
- Try to keep your solar lights from harsh weather. It seems ironic to say when your worst weather is coming, you should keep the lights away from it. But it’s true. Solar lights, especially those on the cheaper end, don’t like being traumatized by weather. And once the harsh weather is moving in, there’s probably not a lot of light to absorb. So they’ve stored what they can get already. We get in the habit of once a big storm is coming to go ahead and bring the lights in – just in case we need them anway.
- These lights aren’t meant to light up the dark, but to be something more like accent lighting or single spot lighting. We like to keep the pot on the kitchen counter for task lighting, near one of our chairs for spot lighting or taking a few lights and placing them in areas where we need to watch our step in the dark. We save our big lights to do the work of lighting up the night. Besides the typical resources for emergency lighting, we really love this foldable lantern. It tucks away easily to store and puts of a TON of light!
- Solar lights have a wide range of power – not all lights are bright. You’ll want to try out a few brands and price points to find the lighting solution for you. We tend to buy up a bunch at the end of summer clearance time. (The ones in this picture were .78/each in the clearance area at a big box chain store).
The flower pots are cute in the backyard during the year on our picnic table, at the corners of our deck and as accent ligthing on our front porch/walkway. Folks just think we’re a little eccentric in our lighting solutions – but we know we’re preparing for something more.
This is just one of the ways you can integrate a little emergency preparedness into your everyday life!
Katy Willis is a writer, lifelong homesteader, and master herbalist, master gardener, and canine nutritionist. Katy is a preparedness expert and modern homesteader practicing everyday preparedness, sustainability, and a holistic lifestyle.
She knows how important it is to be prepared for whatever life throws at you, because you just never know what's coming. And preparedness helps you give your family the best chance to thrive in any situation.
Katy is passionate about living naturally, growing food, keeping livestock, foraging, and making and using herbal remedies. Katy is an experienced herbalist and a member of the CMA (Complementary Medical Association).
Her preparedness skills go beyond just being "ready", she's ready to survive the initial disaster, and thrive afterward, too. She grows 100% organic food on roughly 15 acres and raises goats, chickens, and ducks. She also lovingly tends her orchard, where she grows many different fruit trees. And, because she likes to know exactly what she's feeding her family, she's a seasoned from-scratch cook and gluten-free baker.
Katy teaches foraging and environmental education classes, too, including self-sufficient living, modern homesteading, seed saving, and organic vegetable gardening.
Katy helps others learn forgotten skills, including basic survival skills and self-reliance.
She's been published on sites such as MSN, Angi, Home Advisor, Family Handyman, Wealth of Geeks, Readers Digest, and more.