Wicking beds are self-watering raised garden beds, that operate on the principle of sub-irrigation. Water stored in a reservoir located at the bottom wicks water upwards to the soil above, watering the plants from below. When constructing wicking beds, it’s important to understand how they operate, and the needs of the plants that will beContinue reading “What is the Ideal Soil Depth for Wicking Beds?”
Tag Archives: raised garden beds
What Are The Best Rocks to Use in Wicking Beds?
One of the questions that many people have when constructing wicking beds is what are the best rocks to use in the water reservoir section underneath. Coarse scoria is the recommended material, but are there any reasonable substitutes? As a bit of background, a wicking bed is a self-watering raised garden bed which works byContinue reading “What Are The Best Rocks to Use in Wicking Beds?”
Beginner’s Guide to Vegetable Gardening – Part 2, How to Prepare the Soil
Preparing the Soil for Growing Food The secret to successful food gardening is rich, healthy soil. What goes into the soil goes into the food coming out of it! Plants take mineral nutrients and water from the soil, along with carbon dioxide from the air and sunlight from the sun to feed themselves and produceContinue reading “Beginner’s Guide to Vegetable Gardening – Part 2, How to Prepare the Soil”
What is the Ideal Size for a Raised Garden Bed?
What is the optimum size of a garden bed? What is the most efficient width and length in terms of human ergonomics? What is the perfect balance between cost of materials, gardening space and usability? These are important questions in permaculture energy-efficient design. How Wide Should Garden Beds Be? Accessibility is critical in garden design.Continue reading “What is the Ideal Size for a Raised Garden Bed?”
Wicking Bed Construction, How to Build a Self-Watering Wicking Bed
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. Self watering pots have been around for decades, and are based o theContinue reading “Wicking Bed Construction, How to Build a Self-Watering Wicking Bed”
How to Build a Timber Raised Garden Bed
A raised garden bed is an elevated garden bed that sits higher than the surrounding soil, or the ground that it sits on, and is usually supported by some sort of frame or enclosure, though this is not always the case. Timber Raised Garden Bed Construction Timber raised garden beds are built using planks ofContinue reading “How to Build a Timber Raised Garden Bed”