Healthy Soil ≈ Healthy Plants ≈ Healthy People

Making a Styrofoam wicking box

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by

Kai Wright
in
Partially finished wicking box with the box and piping already set up and installed and waiting for the soil
Partially finished wicking box with the box and piping already set up and installed and waiting for the soil
Materials and tools required laid out on a wooden table
Materials and tools required laid out

Building your first wicking box is a cheap and simple way to get growing. Take care while building and you will be up and growing in no time.

You Will Need

Materials

  • Watertight box of any size. The example uses a 30 litre broccoli box.
  • 90mm storm drainpipe
  • 40mm PVC pipe
  • 90mm mosquito screen. Not shown in the image above
  • Duct tape.

Tools

  • 10mm drill bit (for drainage holes)
  • 40mm hole-cutting bit
  • 60mm hole-cutting bit
  • Electric drill
  • 30cm ruler
  • Hacksaw or pipe cutter
  • Sandpaper (to soften or round edges)
  • Pencil
  • Strip of lino (to mark the cut on the pipes)
  • Scissors (to cut the duct tape)

Making the Box

The box

Drill the 10 mm drain-hole in the middle of a short side with the drill centre at 95mm from the outside bottom in order to open into the top of the reservoir pipe.

10mm holes keep the cane toads out, larger holes don’t. Holes opening into soil will be clogged up by worms.

Setting up the Water Reservoir and Fill Pipe

Marking a straight line around the pipe by using a piece of lino to ensure the line is straight
Marking a straight line around the pipe by using a piece of lino to ensure the line is straight
Pipe cut with a wedged edge designed to fit in a tapered polystyrene box
Pipe cut with a wedged edge designed to fit in a tapered polystyrene box
  1. Cut a length of 90 mm PVC drainpipe to fit lengthwise in the box. Measure, as boxes vary in wall thickness and larger boxes are tapered at the base. Compensate for that by cutting wedges out of the ends of the pipe so it sits flat on the bottom of the box
  2. Cut two 60mm holes in the water reservoir pipe, with the centres 150mm from each end of the pipe.
  3. On the opposite side of the large holes cut the hole for the fill pipe, about 70mm from one end.
  4. Cover that end with duct tape to stop soil from washing in.
  5. Cut about 500 mm of 40 mm PVC pipe and stick it into its hole in the water storage pipe. Use a round file or silica. to ensure a tight fit, if needed.

Putting it All together

  1. Place the water storage pipe in the box, with the large holes facing the bottom and with the fill-pipe opposite the drain hole.
  2. When filling the box, place soil behind the closed end to make sure the open-end fits snugly against the box.
  3. Place mosquito screen.

Next Steps

For soils to use, see Soils for wicking boxes and tubs

For about what to avoid see No plastic liners, bark or stones in wicking beds, tubs and boxes

Written by Peter Van Beek – May 2024 (Version 2)

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