Wicking Bed and Self Watering Setup For Nonstop Container Salad Greens

Wicking beds are an innovative product of recent invention that have quickly gained in popularity among produce gardeners. They resemble self watering pots in that they dispense water on demand, giving an additional source of irrigation when required.

Spirit levels can help ensure the scoria layer in a water reservoir is even and uniform, while mulching after construction will reduce evaporation and conserve moisture.

Planting

Wicking beds usually consist of three components; the main container/reservoir (pond liner/IBC), water wicking material (scoria) and planting soil. To prevent layers from mixing together, a barrier is often added in between; climbing plants like beans, peas and cucumbers may also be grown using this system; just beware that using poles as support stakes would pierce through and damage it irreparably!

When building a wicking bed, it is crucial that the scoria layer remains evenly moist throughout its entirety, in order to efficiently draw water up through soil layers and then through wicking material.

Care must be taken when fertilizing a wicking bed as excessive levels of salts may accumulate due to its moist environment and no rainwater being available to wash away these salts naturally.

To build your wicking bed, you will require several tools. With all the materials on hand, assembling one should be relatively straightforward – though initial assembly might take some time before becoming easy to maintain and use over time.