Backyard Farming Forum
Bringing food production home

G'Day Gang,

I have been a bit slack on the forum lately due to everyone wanting me to keep them cool!
I have built a few experimental wicking beds that seem to be going well. The small green containers are from the "B" store and you will recognise top part of a IBC. The corn was planted as seedlings from the local hardware store 4 weeks ago. They were 150mm high and never looked back when planted.
I have used sewer pipe for the reservoir with a bit of shade cloth over it to keep the sand from filling it up. I used yellow sand that has quite a high percentage of clay for the reservoir layer up to the overflow. On top of that I put a 75mm layer of aged horse poop then 100mm of white sand from a previous dirt bed. The mulch is oaten hay Mainly because I haven't had time to put the Tagassate through the mulcher yet. In each bed I put a handful worms from the Aquaponics system and the only thing that is looking a bit off is the snake beans, but I would hope they will come good when the beds mature a bit more.

The large bed is using about 50lts of water a week and the small beds are using about 10lts a week at the moment.The water usage has gone up with the foliage growth which is not surprising with the warmer weather.
We had 43 Deg C the other day and the plants showed no sign of stress even in full sun.

I am very pleased


Cheers
Dennis

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Self Employed Refrigeration Slave

That corn is looking really healthy Dennis, the 28's are having a field day with mine.

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I shall wait for the Meek......Then take it from them


http://backyardaquaponics.com/forum/vie ... =18&t=8219

Yep, we have plenty of 28's as well but they are keeping themselves occupied with the corkscrew and our fruit trees at the moment

Just noticed a couple of flowers on the cucumbers this morning

Cheers
Dennis

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Self Employed Refrigeration Slave

Looks great Dennis, you have to love wicking beds.

The 28s have picked all my chillis, decapitated one sun flower and seem to like taking test bites out of my yellow zucchinis

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Why did the chicken cross the road? ... To have her motives questioned.

Just put together another couple of wicking beds.










More next post.

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Self Employed Refrigeration Slave

Number 2 Post.



I have ad some issues with drains blocking up so hope a bigger surface area will solve this.




More coming

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Self Employed Refrigeration Slave

Post number 3







But wait there is more!!

Forgot to add. On top of the horse poop I put another 75mm or so of garden dirt.

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Self Employed Refrigeration Slave

Post number 4



I also put in some seaweed pellets, sulphate of potash and trace elements.

I put a handful of worms in each bed as well.

I will post some progress photos as things grow.

Cheers
Dennis

_________________
Self Employed Refrigeration Slave

Looks like a yummy mix Curnow!

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Faye's aquaponic system http://www.backyardaquaponics.com/forum ... start=1785

Looks the goods Denis, must have been wicking bed day as well as mothers day , here is my days effort. Same construction as my prevous raised bed that I have expleined here somewhere. Double lined with heavy builders plastic with a tank flanged used as low as I could to breach through. The male section of tank flange faces inwards and continues through into the 90mm resiviour pipe (why - because I can) that is drilled with 20mm holes all the way along the bottom. Filled with water to help settle the plastic into the corners.

Coming on nicely there Mike

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Faye's aquaponic system http://www.backyardaquaponics.com/forum ... start=1785

Old bail of rye grass hay that has been sitting around thrown directly over the resivour pipe before the garden soil from around the area was scalped off level to fill the whole bed. About half full I levelled it off and spread a heap of dynamic lifter across it as well as plugging the flange outlet and filling the bed to about the 250mm level with water as the soil was that dry (despite this area being under constant irrigation from my ATU) that it was aquaphobic. Onto this I also emptied my stink tank which is a 100 odd litre drum filled with a stinking brew of pee, wormjuice and compost tea....mmmm nice

Topped off the rest with more of the surrounding soil (this is basically where my dirt garden has been for the past few years) before planting some bush beans and pea straw mulching them. The rest of the bed was seeded with beetroot, carrots, dragons tounge beans, lettuce and leeks and will be mulched after they come through.

In a few days, after I am sure the entire bed is saturated and settled I will pull the plug on the flange and drain it into my old IBC FT which will become my new stink tank for use in watering the beds. The external part of the flange is the female section and I plan to screw a threaded elbow into it that can be rotated to change the water level in the resivour to suit the plants and seasons.

Curnow looks good just a tip with that design there's no need for the sand [dirt all the way to the bottom]

must be wicking bed time i just finished my 10 th planted with a boysenberry tree onions and schlotts [spelling]

G'Day F&F,
When you say the sand is not needed all the way to the bottom, what do you put in instead?

Cheers
Dennis

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Self Employed Refrigeration Slave

Just dirt or soil potting mix whatever
Working on my 11 th now just alternate layers of soil compost and coco fiber
i think i will have to put a top on it to stop the plants from jumping out of the bed