Healthy Soil ≈ Healthy Plants ≈ Healthy People

Category: Wicking Beds

  • “Our Growing Business” by a year 6 student

    “Our Growing Business” by a year 6 student

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    by

    Kai Wright
    in

    We started our business off by selling seedlings we bought and raisedfor several months during school. We made recycled newspaper pots togrow them in and we started a roster for watering. After a few months we sold a heap of these little seedlings to peoplewho wanted to start their own little garden. We raised 100…

  • Building a wicking bed for schools

    Building a wicking bed for schools

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    by

    Peter Van Beek
    in ,

    Choose and Prepare the Site Try find a position that gets at least 6 hours of sunlight per day in winter (e.g. North facing), with easy access and near a tap. Make sure the ground is level, not sloping. Avoid windy areas or ‘wind-tunnels’. Smooth the desired site. Remove sharp objects and/or use carpet or…

  • No plastic liners, bark or stones in wicking beds, tubs and boxes

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    by

    Peter Van Beek
    in

    What is Wicking? Wicking is the movement of water in soil, cloth or other materials through very small channels called capillaries – tubes as thin as hairs. Wicking works best when there are many millions of capillaries (invisible to the eye). In soil, wicking can draw water up more than 300mm. What Prevents Wicking? Wicking…

  • Making a Styrofoam wicking box

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    by

    Peter Van Beek
    in

    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 Tools Making the Box The box Drill the 10 mm drain-hole in the middle of a short side with the drill centre at…

  • Soils for wicking boxes and tubs

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    by

    Peter Van Beek
    in

    Many soils along the Queensland coast are sandy with low fertility. Often sold as garden soil, they are not good enough to producing healthy and high nutrition crops. These need a diverse soil biology and a complete range of major, minor, and micro minerals. Many of these minerals are supplied by a healthy soil biology…

  • The what, why and where of wicking

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    by

    Peter Van Beek
    in

    Wicking refers to water moving in soil, like melted wax in a burning candle, through countless invisibly small channels called capillaries. With the right soil wicking can draw water upwards to 300mm. Wicking Boxes and beds Any containers that are waterproof or can be made waterproof by a plastic liner can be used for wicking.…