How to
Build a Wicking Bed Garden
Materials
Pallet
Political
Signs
Liner
Gravel
PVC
Bedsheet
Soil
Seedlings
I've
been using shipping pallets because they are easy to find for free.
But any salvage number will do.
Start by
lining the bottom and sides of the frame with repurposed political
signs. The signs will help fill the gaps in the pallets and protect
the liner. I've got an agricurtural plastic donated, but, any
waterproof material will work. And if you're lucky, you score some
old billboard material.
Next you
want to rock about six inches of pea gravel crushed glass or loose
stones and this is gonna act as your reservoir. Cut a feeder a pvc,
but bamboo is the nice alternative one available. Your feeder should
rest about halfway into your reservoir. Now fashion overflow tube.
The next
layer will be our wicking fabric. Landscape material, fabric scraps
or old sheets will work just fine. Now I're ready for our soil. Any
mix of garden or potting soil should do fine but I always amend our
beds with organic matter. And now you're ready for planting. You can
start from seed but I've had much better luck transplanting
seedlings. When its time to water, just stick a garden hose into your
feeder and fill the reservoir on the low pressure. You'll know your
bed is full when you see water coming from your overflow.
This is
a great place to plant a hardy herb, like rosemary. Now the first
week or so, you'll need to water from above to help your babies get
established. But once they are, plants love to be watered from below
and with regular attendance and care, your garden can be booming in
no time.
