Wicking Beds

Foam boxes were used to construct the Wicking Beds. I got these at the local greengrocer, I had to ask extra nice, its not the first time I've been in there asking for them. "There's that craaazy lady again" 
These ones are all the same size and in good condition.

Inserting the Overflow Pipe

Using a pencil I traced around the pipe making sure it was 4-5cm above the bottom of the box. This area is the reservoir to hold the water.
To make sure it is a tight fit, I used a screw driver to puncture some holes and then gently pushed the pipe through to the other side.

Overflow Pipe

Using Waterproof Silicon, I sealed the join on the inside and the outside. I don't know if  this is standard practice when making wicking beds like these, but I didn't want the water overflow to seep between the pipe and the foam. It's getting a balance of doing it quick and cheaply and the longevity of the box.

Hydroton Clay Balls

I had some leftover Hydroton from the AP System, I thought I'd give them a go. I know that they will out live the foam box, but it will be interesting to see the end results compared to the wood chip.

Wood Chip

Traditionally in the base of a wicking bed are small rocks,pebbles, broken tiles, crushed brick etc
Wood Chip was used in these ones to keep the weight down and I didn't want anything to sharp that would pierce the foam
25mm PVC pipe were cut to length and are put upright at the opposite end of the drain.

Shade-cloth

Shade-cloth is used to cover the entire area, over the top of the Hydroton and Wood Chip. This used to make the reservoir and to stop the fine soil particles sinking down and making a mess.

Fill the boxes

The boxes were filled with a bit of potting mix, some leftover mushroom compost and some regular home made compost. Then I mulched them. Much easier to mulch them first, rather than trying to mulch around small plants.
After mulching, everything got a water.

Plants

Boxes are planted out.  Bush Beans, Garlic, Cucumber, Tomato, Silverbeet, Parsley, Rocket, Nasturtium, Dandelion. Quick growing leafy greens and herbs are perfect for boxes this size. They will be placed in the shade of the back patio throughout summer, in easy reach of the back door (Zone 2).

Overflow!!

The reservoirs are filled up from the pipe above the soil. I'm not sure how often I will need to fill them up, I'm guessing every week in the hot summer. I'll find out how they are progressing when I see them at the Royal show!

These Wicking Beds will be a part of a display at this year's Perth Royal Show. The "Permaculture & Friends" display will be in the Landcare area from Friday 29 Sept - 6th Oct. 

Special thanks goes out to my friend Michele K.