Wicking Beds

Over the winter our ideas about what to do with the concrete evolved from "get rid of it" to "keep it to make in-ground wicking beds". I first learned about wicking beds in my PDC course and got hands-on experience with it during a permablitz in April 2011.

The basic idea of a wicking bed is that there is a large reservoir of water in the bottom of the bed where water is wicked up through landscape fabric into the soil for the plants to use. This method reduces the need for daily watering and encourages plants to develop a healthy, deep root system. See more info on my other blog Apple Tree Sustainables.

Here Rob Avis is demonstrating how to connect the bulk head fitting

The plastic (or rubber) layer ensures that water stays contained in the wicking bed, the weeping tile aids in water distribution throughout the bed, and the black stand pipe is where the homeowners will input water.

Here is the finished product of 5 level above ground cedar wicking beds.

This experience gave us more to think about in terms of how to best use our concrete as a heat sink and minimize garden watering. Another piece to the puzzle is found!