New Wicking Bed Questions

decal · **Posted:** Sun Feb 13, 2011 5:12 pm

Hi,
I am about to have some corrugated garden beds make up with bottoms in them so I can use them as wicking beds.
My questions is how high from the bottom should I have the overflow outlet?

The GB's are going to be 850mm high.

Is there a rule of thumb or a set hight that works best?

Thank you in advance.

:wave:

Simo · **Posted:** Sun Feb 13, 2011 6:22 pm

Hi Decal, general rule is the free draining part of the soil that only wicks up the water from the reservoir should be 300mm as this is a good depth for growing most vegies.

Those garden beds sound very high at 850mm, which will be great for not having to bend over to garden so put the out let about 300mm down from the top. If you don't need the sides so high you could save some money and just make the sides 600mm with a 300mm reservoir and 300mm of free draining soil.

Post picture when you get them

decal · **Posted:** Sun Feb 13, 2011 6:39 pm

Hi Simo,
They are going to be potato beds, that's why I am after the depth. I had 300mm in my mind for some reason.

Will start a members thread once I get them into place.

:wave:

Faye · **Posted:** Sun Feb 13, 2011 11:48 pm

Hi Decal,
I shall be interested to follow your ideas. I got very excited last year (12 months ago) and bought 2 raised beds around the height that you are talking about, they are still empty. This is due to the fact that it will cost me a fortune to fill them, they have no bottoms as that would have cost me another arm and a leg. I am thinking one will be a wicking bed, and the other is filling with scraps to lessen the cost of a good soil mix. I am beginning to think I was a little over zealous. It might be nice not to have to bend over in my old age though :wink:

Food&Fish · **Posted:** Mon Feb 14, 2011 6:54 am

What the others say is good advice but i have a new twist on wicking beds
I have one of these working and so far its the best
now you have a bottom in your bed instead putting a drain hole put a tap [any kind] right at the bottom that way you can set the water height any where you want it
when i plant new stuff i almost fill it right up
if you want to kill slugs etc fill it up
if it looks like rain just leave the tap on
try it

Simo · **Posted:** Mon Feb 14, 2011 9:55 am

Good idea F&F, some one else (might have eve been Decal) suggested having a couple of outlets with taps at different heights up the side of the bed so you could choose your overflow level for different types of veg.

This would work well with the 850mm high beds, you could have one 300mm from the top for when the bed is full and you are growing above ground veg and one 300mm from the bottom for when you want to put spuds deep down in a half empty bed with heaps of GB volume left for top dressing them. Like this:

mantis · **Joined:** Mon Sep 13, 2010 2:07 pm **Posts:** 24

Variable height using either method but milnes seems the easiest and most controllable. With 850mm deep beds I would set the overflow at 400mm and leave 450 for the spuds

decal · **Posted:** Fri Apr 22, 2011 5:30 pm

Thanks everyone for the suggestions, the beds turned up a couple of weeks ago but have been too busy with work to get started.

Attachment:

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The outlet on the side is threaded so I can add a tap.

decal · **Posted:** Fri Apr 22, 2011 5:37 pm

My questions is what's the best way to stop the soil from mixing with the rock?

I have heap of heshin material I could fold several times but this would rot over time and then let the soil fall into the storage area.

Am I better off using shade cloth? Another thought was to place a bucket in the bottom which the soil would sit in with the rocks around it. Like a how a normal self watering pot works?

Attachment:

IMG_1321.jpg [ 79.23 KiB | Viewed 14226 times ]

Will try to get at least one of the beds up and running over eatsrer?

decal · **Posted:** Fri Apr 22, 2011 5:40 pm

This is the one I have bought for the Mother in-law, at 83 the height will make it much easier for her to look after.

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It's not the cost of the rock and soil I'm too worried about it's that I hurt my back last week and the thought of having to fill it makes hurt even more! :crazy:

Jamey · **Posted:** Fri Apr 22, 2011 8:29 pm

Im new too WB too...

so when you say overflow, is this the height you would have the gravel in the bed????

IE:

600D Bed...

300 Gravel, 300 Soil mixture (would use a potmix/perlite 50/50 ratio....)

decal · **Posted:** Fri Apr 22, 2011 10:17 pm

Jamey wrote:

Im new too WB too...

so when you say overflow, is this the height you would have the gravel in the bed????

IE:

600D Bed...

300 Gravel, 300 Soil mixture (would use a potmix/perlite 50/50 ratio....)

Yep Jamey that's correct.

decal · **Posted:** Mon Apr 25, 2011 11:32 am

I just had an idea :learn:

Instead of putting just rock in the bottom I put a square create(ie: milk create) in there 1st with holes to allow water in and air out. Maybe covered in shade cloth to stop the rock from getting in?

Could cut out a semi circle so it fitted over the the filler pipe, this would save me money on rock as all I only need to fill in the gaps which would be more then enough to allow for the wicking effect. It would give a large void to help store water.

I think there are pretty cheep for 'B'.

Am i :crazy:

or does it :rock:

?

Food&Fish · **Posted:** Mon Apr 25, 2011 4:31 pm

decal wrote:

My questions is what's the best way to stop the soil from mixing with the rock?

I have heap of heshin material I could fold several times but this would rot over time and then let the soil fall into the storage area.

Am I better off using shade cloth? Another thought was to place a bucket in the bottom which the soil would sit in with the rocks around it. Like a how a normal self watering pot works?

Attachment:

IMG_1321.jpg

Will try to get at least one of the beds up and running over eatsrer?

Simple dont put rock in i only put rock in the 1 st one the other 10 no rock
Just a bit over the bottom pipe and a bit of weed mat over that

decal · **Posted:** Wed Apr 27, 2011 9:33 am

How deep are your beds F&F?
My concern is my beds are very deep and the water wont make it to the top with just the soil?

Also would it just make a muddy mess and over the time the soil will go sour?

:fart:

sorry had sausages last night :lol:

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