Self Watering Wicking Garden Bed

There are commercial raised wicking beds self watering containers and container gardens on the market which are convenient for those who want instant gratification but for those of us on a.

Self watering wicking garden bed.

Self watering pots have been around for decades and are based o the principle of sub irrigation where the water supply sits below the. The self watering planter boxes themselves were gorgeous they kept rabbits and other critters from munching on the greens and we went for weeks on end without having to water. Wicking garden beds are the ultimate self watering garden they water the plants from below and you can easily build one yourself. I ve grown tired of incomplete or even faulty tutorials.

The basic idea is that the bottom of the bed contains a reservoir where water is held until needed by the plants. Wicking worm beds have built in water tanks located below the soil and built in worm farms where the worms have access to the whole of the growing area as well as the worm farm itself. I typically allow 1 2 inch to 1 inch max space between each pipe. Simply line the bottom of your container or bed with the pipes allowing a little space for wicking medium potting soil to be squeezed in.

After years of testing i m ready to share the most important elements that every self watering wicking bed needs to have in it. Wicking beds are an especially great system to use in community gardens because they save people from driving every day during hot weeks to water their beds. I can t keep silent any longer. A wicking bed is a self watering raised garden bed and even though the design is a relatively new innovation that is catching the attention of many produce gardeners worldwide it is essentially nothing more than a large scale version of a self watering pot.

The basic design is for a 50 cm high garden. Wicking worm beds are similar to raised vegetable garden beds. Water is drawn up into the soil via capillary action from a reservoir in the bottom of the wicking bed. They were developed by colin austin a retired engineer living in queensland australia.

The results of the diy self watering system were amazing. We watered three times all summer long no kidding and we had garden fresh salads until frost. In self watering garden planters the perforated drain pipes are very easy to use and are quite adaptable to a variety of sizes. Building sip raised beds.

Crates tanks baths troughs and drums can all be used to create a wicking bed. Its easy its cheap and works. Our raised cypress garden beds or instant veggie crates are also the ideal container for wicking projects. Think of them as a giant self watering plant pot.

Watering from the bottom up prevents evaporation of surface water which occurs when you water beds from the top. Self watering wicking bed design principles.