Posts: 1416 Location: Mid North SA Joined: 09.07.06
Posted on 06-09-2008 22:45
The Beginning
Our main vegetable garden is situated on our spare (in town) block alongside of our house block. We planted the fruit trees around the edges, put a pond in the middle and all went well for some years.
About 3 years ago things began to get very dry here...it could be a drought or it could be a sign of what's ahead in this region.
Our town is close to Goyder's Line, the line drawn in 1865 by George Goyder that marks the point between cropping land and pastoral areas in SA.
Recently there has been talk of moving this line over 100kms to the south around Clare...this link has an interesting article on this subject.
It just about became impossible to water the garden enough to grow food here...what water I'd put on would be slurped up by the surrounding fruit trees and gum trees in the front garden leaving little for the vegetables.
There had to be a way of keeping that water for the vegetables.
Wicking Worm Beds
I first read about Wicking Worm Beds in Grass Roots Magazine No 182 (A PDF of that article called Shade House PDF is available on the Waterright site ) I thought it was worth a try so started a small bed in an area, under a gum tree, where I couldn't grow anything and soon had great crop of Pumpkins...
Two more beds were made but it soon became obvious that there wasn't enough growing area...the beds needed raising.
Over Xmas I purchased from the Waterright site a DVD by Colin Austin Making A Wicking Worm Bed he included another one on Solving The Water Crisis. Both proved very interesting. This Update was posted on my blog.
In Autumn this year I decided to try some Wicking Box Gardens These proved very successful especially during the record heatwave for SA in March.
So How Do These Beds Work?
Above is a simplified diagram of an in-ground wicking bed.
Basically, water is stored at the bottom of the bed and 'wicks' it's way up through the growing medium to saturate the roots of the plants...as it dries oxygen is pulled into this medium allowing the plant's roots to breathe. The plant roots do not grow in the wet 'pool' area.
The way I've made these is by digging out about 10cms into the earth. This area is then lined with a plastic sheet including the sides so that water can be retained in the below ground 'pool' area.
In this area I have used sand as the medium to hold the water...sand seems to work for me. Others have used bagasse and I did try straw in the boxes but found it broke down very quickly. I'm planning on trying one with gravel/rocks soon.
This area needs some way for the water to reach it...usually this is via some slotted drainage pipe but there are other ways to get the water down to the bottom of the beds. In my first bed I used 4 litre juice bottles and it worked OK.
The drainage pipe can have poly downpipe added with connectors and either needs a cap on the end or you can just have both the ends of the pipe exposed to enable you to fill it with water from either end.
Now use something to hold the raised growing area in...I've used cut down water tanks and galv iron sheets joined in a box shape. I have also tried mesh and one lined with newspaper but these galv ones look neater.
Before putting the 'box' on the top you need to allow for a drainage hole or gap...some way of allowing excess water to drain away...it's also useful to know when the beds have had enough water added.
The growing medium needs to be fairly rich in compost/humus. The best material for the wicking action is pure compost worm castings...I mix these with compost and add a layer of new compost on the top. A good mulch layer is needed on the very top to stop evaporation. Also it keeps the area cool for the Worms that live there...more about them later!
But mostly, it's important to be a good steward of a small patch of earth and to know that you are one among millions who are helping to heal a wounded planet, one garden at a time.
Paul McKenzie, Why Garden?
Well done and very welcome simplisity, should explain to all who have been asking how it is done. My collies and lettuce grew well and the second lot of Bok Cho are powering on.
Of to the farmers market at North Lakes for a look and the back to set up my new bed.
Posts: 1416 Location: Mid North SA Joined: 09.07.06
Posted on 07-09-2008 12:54
Thanks folks Annie it was a bit hard but not a lot more than normal bed preparation...they shouldn't need more than topping up with compost and mulch each season now. Herbman they should be great for pumpkins under those gum trees...good luck! Lollie3 why not try a box version, you can use a broccoli box or a plastic container as in these videos Wicking Beds and Global Warming and Introduction to Wicking Beds
Hey ccBear have a great time building the bed and don't forget the photos
But mostly, it's important to be a good steward of a small patch of earth and to know that you are one among millions who are helping to heal a wounded planet, one garden at a time.
Paul McKenzie, Why Garden?
Posts: 1416 Location: Mid North SA Joined: 09.07.06
Posted on 07-09-2008 17:51
Now for the Worms
The integral part of these systems are the Compost Worms that actually live within the beds. They are the workers who keep the growing medium 'fresh' and 'rich'. That is aerating and feeding the soil. They do the digging for you!
You feed them in-situ regularly (I feed mine fortnightly) and they keep providing you with a healthy growing environment for your food plants. A pot, bucket or tube is placed within the bed worm so that food can easily be added.
On the larger beds I've used 4 litre plastic buckets with (about 15mm) holes drilled into the sides and bottom. These are buried about halfway (past the holes) into the growing medium. Put some compost material in them and mix the food under this.
In the wicking boxes I used lengths of 50mm poly tube that Doc cut down to about 20cm and drilled holes into.
I find it easiest to liquify their food in an old blender. This makes it easy to pour down the tubes and ensures all the food (including eggshells) is quickly eaten by the worms.
The worms move into these containers to feed and then go out into the growing area...leaving their 'castings' to nourish the plants. In summer the feeding tubes will need to be covered with a wet sack to keep the worms cool.
Something to be aware of is that the worms in the beds are at risk of being eaten by mulch scratching birds especially escapee (killer) chooks.
I didn't have any problems last year but might this year because the beds will be in a more open area.
This is one reason why the idea of using shade houses over the beds is good...I'll see how they go and may have to include some netting on the beds. The blackbirds usually come around in summer and scratch mulch everywhere!
But mostly, it's important to be a good steward of a small patch of earth and to know that you are one among millions who are helping to heal a wounded planet, one garden at a time.
Paul McKenzie, Why Garden?
Hi Scarecrow.
This is a fantastic thread. It is great to have a visual reference. Cant wait to get on to making mine. Lettuce is powering in the Broccoli box and I would like to grow spinach in the same way. Soccer season finishes next weekend (woohoo from an over it soccer mum and wife, coaches wife and team manager) then there should be more time for the garden
Posts: 1371 Location: South Burnett QLD Joined: 25.07.07
Posted on 07-09-2008 18:14
Hi scarecrow,
Do you intend to use the same 'soil' in the beds this year, or start again?
I ask because I used to grow watercress in perlite in the self watering pots, watering from the bottom with occasional very weak hydroponic fertilizers. (cos watercress isn't a gross feeder)
I had a beautifully flourishing crop when it suddenly died. Looked as tho it was burnt.
Research convinced me that the reason was that I had (lazy me :uhoh watered it from the top a couple of times, washing down to the root area salts, which had concentrated in the top as the wicked water evaporated.
Do you think this is a likely problem with wicking beds, or do the worms make a difference d'you think? Or maybe restricting fertiliser to compost teas may help.
In my styrene boxs I cut the bottom out of a 1 litre yoghart container to put my worm feed in. People just have to adapt what they have on hand.
Worms are what keeps the wicking bed going in my opinion, they burrow, fertilise and enrich the soil. In a pot the fertilising is your main benefit once they are stabelished you should not need to add any more. Rotate your crops and add more organic matter each season. Take some soil out and add some composit which has not fully broken down.
The ONLY stupid question is the ONE NOT asked.
Edited by ccBear on 07-09-2008 21:47
Posts: 1416 Location: Mid North SA Joined: 09.07.06
Posted on 07-09-2008 18:42
Good luck with them Weaver
Hi Marigold
The idea is to use the same soil, I'll be topping these up with compost and a good feeding mulch...lucerne or maybe pea straw. Feeding the soil all the time.
The worms add a lot to the nutrition of the soil. As long as you keep feeding them they'll keep on producing castings. Also when the worms move through the 'soil' they are mixing the castings through and aerating the mix.
Yes I'm tempted to water from the top in these beds too, force of habit I guess. I didn't notice a problem with salts last year but I'll keep an eye out this year. The mulch on top is supposed to lower the level of evaporation. We also cover all the beds with shadecloth.
I would only use natural fetilisers, probably liquid in these systems or the worms would suffer and only if the plants looked like they needed it. Last year the pumpkins, zucchinis, and the autumn greens grew well without additional fertilisers.
The natural rock minerals you can get are supposed to be good for these systems but I haven't used any yet.
I'm still learning with this system too and I'll be adding to this Log as I go this year.
Thanks for your input ccBear you answered while I was still typing
But mostly, it's important to be a good steward of a small patch of earth and to know that you are one among millions who are helping to heal a wounded planet, one garden at a time.
Paul McKenzie, Why Garden?
Posts: 1905 Location: Central Coast NSW Joined: 07.07.08
Posted on 07-09-2008 20:42
Those visuals are great. I think I know what I could do with my 'coming-very-soon!!' garden beds to minimise working, watering and feeding soils.
Thanks again Scarecrow!!
Where do you get enough worm castings from? I still only have two trays - only enough to cover 1/10 of garden bed!! I'd need to order in some soil - what type of soil would you recommend?
Posts: 1416 Location: Mid North SA Joined: 09.07.06
Posted on 08-09-2008 16:36
Hi Darls
It depends on just how much you'll need to build your beds up. I've managed to get by with good humus rich soil rescued from ex-veg beds around the garden with some good compost mixed in.
If you need to buy some in try to get a good loam or better still a load of compost. I have even heard of some lucky folks being able to purchase worm castings by the trailer load.
Now that would be perfect! Doesn't happen over here.
I've just put a few handfuls of worms around the beds and covered them up. I'll let the worms mix the soil for a few weeks...I can't plant yet anyway, it's too cold still.
If you have access to good compost supplies and get a good mixture going you can plant into the beds straight away.
Compost worm castings are ideal but you work with what you have. The worms will be making castings while they are living in the beds for future crops. In theory the growing medium in the beds should only get better.
Oh and I prefer to make suggestions not recommendations...but that's just me!
Good Luck
But mostly, it's important to be a good steward of a small patch of earth and to know that you are one among millions who are helping to heal a wounded planet, one garden at a time.
Paul McKenzie, Why Garden?
HI Scarcrow
Spent a couple of hours on Saturday constructing my first ever scarecrow and it was a pretty dismal effort oh well next Saturday I will revise it a bit and hopefully refine it a little more.
My question is about poo -alpaca poo to be specific. We have heaps of the magical stuff and use it as a mulch laying it on top of the beds twice a year and it works its way through. Worms seem to love it as they are very prolific in my raised beds. Do you think this would be appropriate for wicking beds as well?
Posts: 1416 Location: Mid North SA Joined: 09.07.06
Posted on 08-09-2008 19:08
Ha! As long as the scarecrow does the job Weaver...I don't think one would work around here...the birds aren't even afraid of the Black Ninja (cat).
Knowing absolutely nothing about Alpaca poo (sorry)...I should think it would be OK if it's not too fresh.
Is it more like horse poop or sheep poop???
Do you normally use on vegetable beds?
Never mind, I just googled Alpaca poo and it looks like sheep poo.
So if it's as mild as sheep poo then it should be fine!
But mostly, it's important to be a good steward of a small patch of earth and to know that you are one among millions who are helping to heal a wounded planet, one garden at a time.
Paul McKenzie, Why Garden?
Yes it is like sheep poo but alpacas are much more thoughtful and poo in just a couple of piles in a paddock so it is very easy to pick up . Even the babies are trained to use the piles by about day 3
It is very mild and doesnt burn anything so we use it direct on the beds.
I have been told that alpaca poo is better than horse poo as it "cold composts" (what ever that means). It is in a much more readily useable form and doesn't need to sit like horse poo (well, that's the way I undersstand it anyway) I know of someone who has put alpaca poo straight from theanimal under some eucalypt trees that was just bare soil and in a short space of time, now has a lovely lawn growing under the trees.
The stuff has magic qualities, doesnt smell and grows fabulous vegies. We have thrown fresh stuff straight onto gardens (from the float after transport) with no damage at all.
should explain to all who have been asking how it is done. My collies and lettuce grew well and the second lot of Bok Cho are powering on. 
Looked as tho it was burnt.
watered it from the top a couple of times, washing down to the root area salts, which had concentrated in the top as the wicked water evaporated.
oh well next Saturday I will revise it a bit and hopefully refine it a little more.
(sorry)...I should think it would be OK if it's not too fresh. 
