it all started with a large cleared area in my small backyard and the purchase of an "L" shaped Raised Garden bed.
Wow, impressive work @Maursie. What a fantastic project and a brilliant way to introduce yourself to the Workshop community. I'm sure your wicking bed will earn plenty of admirers and that you'll get loads of questions.
I'm curious about whether you have planted in the bed as yet and whether you've seen any great results so far compared to a standard raised garden bed which you need to hand water regularly. We've had some members sharing pictures of their harvests recently on this discussion - What to do in the garden in March.
Thanks again for sharing. I'm really looking forward to seeing more posts from you soon and trust that you'll also get heaps of helpful advice and project inspiration in return from other members of our amazing community here at Workshop.
Jason
Thank you Jason, no plants yet as just finished but have seeds already to go and worms for farm. Watch this space..........
No worries @Maursie. We will be keen to get regular progress updates. 😁
Please let us know if you need a hand with anything.
Thanks again,
This looks awesome! As for potting mix did you use bagged mix from Bunnings or buy from a garden centre? If from Bunnings which one did you use? I’ve got mushroom mix for my potted veggies, was thinking of using the same thing in my beds?Thank you
Thanks for joining in the discussion @Natty5676. Let me tag @Maursie for you so they are alerted to your question.
There's been a lot of interest and discussion on the site recently about raised garden beds and what to use to fill them. You might find some of these discussions useful:
Welcome to the Workshop community. We trust you'll get loads of helpful advice and project inspiration from our members. Please don't hesitate to let me know if you ever need a hand getting the most from the site.
Many thanks,
Love the wicking system - I use the tubs (always in Bunnings Kaikohe & Whangarei) as its easier-to-manage (zero digging) & for its mobility...
Also deep irrigation systems for fruit trees to reduce water consumption. Great content - thanks!!
Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @Iri. It's great to have you join us and many thanks for contributing to the discussion.
I trust our community would be very interested in seeing your setup if you'd care to share it with us.
We look forward to hearing more about and seeing the projects you have going on around your home and garden and would encourage you to let us know if you ever need assistance or have something to share with the community.
Mitchell
Oh how great is this !!!!! Can’t wait to see it planted up and growing 🌿💚
Hi @Maursie,
Hope you are staying safe and well.
Just wondering if you could provide an update about this very popular project with the community? It would be great to see the bed all planted up and read about your plans for growing and harvesting plenty of produce over the warmer months ahead.
Please let us know if you need anything.
@Maursie
I dont see where you have added a drainage pipe? I am inserting two wicking beds at the moment and wondering about the drainage pipe. Thinking of digging a channel where the drainage pipe will be and just having the pipe come under the side of the bed instead of going to the trouble of drilling a hole through the side.
Hi @Africanaussie,
In the last picture of the series, I believe @Maursie shows the drainage pipe in the lower left-hand corner.
@Africanaussie sorry for tardy reply, bit busy, but as @MitchellMc mentioned there is a photo of overflow tap which is placed just above the drainage stones. Hope this is of some assistance.
Drainage gravel needs to be small as possible. The smaller the gravel, the better the "wicking" effect .
Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @Poyda123. It's fantastic to have you join us and many thanks for contributing to the conversation.
It sounds like you are particularly knowledgeable about wicking beds, and I trust our members will appreciate any advice you have for them.
We look forward to hearing more about your projects around the house and garden, and we'd encourage you to let us know if you ever need assistance or would like to share them with the community. I trust you find loads of inspiration here as our amazing members are contributing their projects all the time.
Thanks Mitchell, yes I've built a few. A recent project was to build seven out of old bath tubs at the Southern River Community GardenWicking Beds awaiting soil.
Hi Poydar123,
Wow, that project looks really interesting! I’m just in process of designing area in our back garden and want to use wicking beds in it. Could you please provide some more information on how you made wicking beds out of the bathtubs? Thank you. Anne
Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @Annea. It's fantastic to have you join us and many thanks for jumping into the conversation.
Let me mention @Poyda123, so they are alerted to your kind feedback about their project and your question.
We look forward to hearing more about your wicking bed plans, and we'd encourage you to let us know if you need any assistance or would like to share them with us. I trust you'll find loads of inspiration within the community as our creative members are sharing their projects here all the time.
Hi Mitchell, thanks. I’ll keep posting as we go along. Anne
I appreciate the question too - its a a crucial part of the process. Putting in the draining pipe means drilling through the iron sides and the plastic. What size of drainage pipe? At what height? Its hard finding instructions for that - for instance, what’s required to drill through the metal?
HI @MrCee
Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. Thank you for joining the discussion.
If you're drilling through steel, I suggest using a Bi-metal Hole Saw. These hole saws are rated for drilling through mild steel, timber, and plastic.
When choosing the size of the pipes, it is often based on the size of the raised garden bed. You'll notice that in the first post the raised garden bed used is The Organic Garden Co 150 x 150 x 41cm Zincalume L-Shape Raised Garden Bed. It is 410mm tall and the pipe used looks like a 90mm stormwater drain. If you were to use a smaller garden bed a smaller pipe set would be needed. Using a large pipe set would take up too much space and there would not be enough soil for the roots to grow in.
Pipe height is roughly based on the size of the garden bed. The majority of the wicking beds I've seen online have a pipe height at least twice the height of the raised garden bed. I suppose this is done for convenience and guarantees that no soil will enter the top of the pipe.
Are you building your own wicking bed? Any updates you can provide would be much appreciated.
If you need further assistance, please let us know.
Eric
