How to Make a Wicking Bed

So here is the details on how to make an underground wicking bed. I made mine 8' long x 14" deep x 3' wide.

Materials

• 10' of Drainpipe
• 2 PVC Endcaps
• 1 PVC/ABS Elbow and 1' length of pipe to fit
• ABS/PVC Glue
• Gravel (the bigger, the better)
• Plastic Dropcloth
• Landscaping Fabric
• Shovel
• Rake
• Compost
• Mulch

Steps

1. Put down a layer of compost about 1/4-1 in deep over bed area
2. Take out any invasive plants (weeds, groundcover, ect)
3. Dig a really big hole (8' long x 14" deep x 3' wide)
4. Make sure the ground is level on the bottom for even water flow
5. Fit elbow and 1' length of pipe to end of drainpipe
6. Cut drainpipe to fit and glue endcap on
7. Put down plastic dropcloth
8. Put down landscaping fabric to prevent gravel from tearing holes in dropcloth
9. Add gravel until drainpipe is covered
10.  Put down lanscaping fabric

11. Fill with dirt that you have dug up

12. Rake and cover with compost layer

13. Cover with mulch layer and rake smooth

     Below are some pictures of me planting my raspberries (my grandmother's favorite) in my self irrigating pots. Next to the raspberries are grapes and a mini dwarf pomegranite that piqued my interest at the nursery. To the right is my first planted fruit tree! It is a semi-dwarf navel orange tree, and it already has blooms, so I can't wait to see what it does this year! I also planted some blueberries along the back fence, which I'm sure there will be pictures of soon. Also, I found 5 little ripe strawberries from a plant that we've been growing since last year. What a surprise!

Self Irrigating Pots

     Today we worked on Self Irrigating Pots, or SIPs. Also, glued together some pieces fo my wicking bed. I'm getting to know the people at the local hardware store well because of all the times I've been in there recently. It's a good opportunity for me to tell people about what I'm doing, they all seem really intrigued.

    I had some  help from a friend who lives down the street and we put together our first pot in about 45 minutes and whipped through them after that. Unfortunately, I made some mistakes to start. I bought some 20" pots wth holes in the bottom, and obviously the water leaked out. Also, I forgot to put in the overflow, which is very important. I left off today with a leaky pot and a dead drill in hopes that tomorrow will hold more promise. The good news is, my friend thought it was such a god idea that she's putting some in her backyard, too!

How to Make a Self Irrigating Pot

Materials

• Plastic storage bin, 5 gallon bucket, or large pot (preferrably without holes in the bottom)
• 2' of pipe (I used PVC)
• Storage bin lid, bucket lid, or other similar material that will fit inside pot (I used a metal fencing)
• Bricks (Optional)
• Wick, can be a premade drain or 4" length of pipe with holes
• Landscaping fabric
• Mulch, compost, coil

Steps*

1. Measure depth of water basin to about 3-4"
2. Measure width of tub at this point and cut fencing to fit
3. Cut two holes in fit fencing to width of drain and pipe.

4. Place bricks in bottom of container for support.
5.  Drill holes in bottom of pipe.
6. Place wick (drain) and pipe (holes down) in respective holes in fencing.
7. Place fencing, wick and pipe on top of bricks.
8. Cut landscaping fabric to fit over fencing, leaving holes for pipe and wick. 
9. Drill overflow hole below fencing line.
10. Fill with soil and/or compsot and place plant into SIP.
11. Water from 2' pipe until water comes out the overflow hole.

*According to my specific project.

Wicking Beds

     Wicking beds are my new favorite idea. Basically, there is a french drain or "weeping tile" under a raised bed that you fill with water from a downspout. (Or a super groovy greywater system). The water then wicks up from the drain into your bed. There are many benefits besides the obvious saving water. This is where I first learned of them: http://www.energybulletin.net/stories/2011-05-31/bottom-diy-guide-wicking-beds.
     Since I began my research, I made a few tweaks to the design. Everything is going underground, and I'm using laundry machine and fresh water to fill the beds. I've dug a hole about 8' long x 3' wide x 14 in deep. My plan is to put an overflow drain underground with the bed to create a swail effect. This excess will supplement my herb garden from the ground up. Here are some pictures, more to come.
P.S. I did it all myself. :)

Greywater Guru

     So I met with Leigh Jerrard today at an impossibly hard place to find in Los Angeles. Let me just say that LA makes me crazy to begin with, but getting lost four or five times didn't make it any better. Fortunately, Leigh knows the area and calmly talked me through ridiculous directions.
     Leigh is a fantastically nice guy who agreed to meet with me to discuss my Permaculture Project whe no one else would. We basically planned a super groovy greywater system that is automatic. I'm creating a wicking bed and hooking it up to this amazing system in hopes that I won't have to worry about my little darlings.
You can check out the Greywater Corps here: http://greywatercorps.com/gallerypublicschool01.html.
Leigh is going to be sponsoring my project, so I look forward to keeping in contact with him! He's wonderfully helpful and if you have any questions about a greywater system, he's the guy. Details about the greywater system to come. You can check out my wicking beds in the following post.