You’ll need a hefty list of materials, but it’s worth it to keep veggie gardens happy and watered for up to 10 days – even in the heat
Hotter summers make for harder growing soil conditions, and the poor veggie garden beds can suffer the most. One way around this is to set yourself up with wicking beds.
The basic theory behind wicking beds is that the water is stored in an airtight reservoir underneath the soil, and it “wicks” up through the soil to the roots above as the plants transpire moisture through their leaves.
A raised garden bed that features a firm frame
Brickies sand (very fine sand), enough to cover the base of your garden bed to a depth of 50mm
Food-grade plastic sheeting, enough to line the entire garden bed, all the way to the top
Two lengths of 50mm slotted agricultural pipe, one long enough to reach one-third of the length of your garden bed; the other long enough to reach the entire length of the bed
50mm poly pipe, enough to reach from the top to the bottom of your garden bed
25mm poly pipe, enough to reach half the height of your garden bed
A poly elbow, to join the shorter piece of 50mm slotted agricultural pipe to the 25mm poly pipe
Sealant, to seal the agricultural pipe in place
14mm construction aggregate (blue metal gravel), enough to fill the bottom half of your garden bed
Geotextile fabric, enough to cover the entire base of the garden bed
High-quality topsoil, enough to fill the top half of your garden bed
Mulch (pea straw or lucerne straw), enough to cover the top of your garden bed to a depth of 50mm
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Read more here Home And Garden | The Guardian
