I have been meaning to write about wicking beds for some time, but with so much rain, I thought any water saving ideas would just fall on waterlogged ears! Not that wicking beds are just about water and time saving, the approach also ensures plants are not given too much or too little of the wet precious stuff, that it is evenly distributed and there is no waterlogging, it ensures your soil is not washed away, and not least, even though it is at the end of the list, that your crop grows faster, healthier and is more productive.
Paradoxically wicking is the oldest, new way to water your garden beds, and there are not many things you can say that about! It is new in that it is a lost approach that is hardly used by gardeners anymore and is just starting to come back into vogue, and it is old in the sense that it is how plants get the water themselves and was used by gardeners as far back as 2500 years ago, so even older than me!
In the simplest of terms, it is just water storage at the base of the garden bed, that the plants access by capillary action, so that is they draw the water up through the soil, as they need it.
I am going to resort back to the expert on all things gardening, Angus Stewart, who in these videos will show you how to build one and using one.
If you want to find out even more about them have a look at Australia's leading and most innovative wicking provider, WaterUps.
Just some more water for thought!
Enjoy
Peter