Our first wicking garden - in a raised bed.

Well in week three of the Links to Learning relationship with Narrandera Food Garden the students built a wicking garden. A wicking garden is a system in which water is retained in the gravel at the base of the bed, and only moves up as the earth above dries out. It's a simple permaculture principle and reduces water use by reducing evaporation and reduces the frequency with which watering is required by retaining water within the loop until it's needed by the plants.

TAFE teacher Karen Lenehan demonstrated the way a wicking bed works first using a small one made using a polystyrene box, gravel, shade cloth, soil and a poly pipe. It's simple, anyone can do it. Karen has built 5 larger beds at home and she only needs to water weekly or less.

The students laying the shade cloth (you can use weed mat in the base of the garden.

With pond liner in on top of weed mat - the gravel layer goes in.