Wicking plant box

Today I've made my first wicking planter box, using information I found on Scarecrow's blog , and the waterright site. The general principle is the water goes to the bottom of the box, and is pulled up through the soil by the plants. Worms help keep the soil "sweet".

First a bit of leftover perforated hose went into my broccoli box - one end jammed up against the side of the bed. Then I covered that with a bit of cheap "chux" type cloth. This got covered with a combination of straw mulch and mulch cubes to hold the water. Oh, and I put in a small drainage hole too.



Filled the box with compost, mushroom compost, and a handful of worms and worm castings from the worm farm. I put in an upturned drink bottle (with the end cut off and some holes cut into it) filled with food scraps to provide worm food. I've chosen to plant a few strawberries.



Looks good - but will it work?? We'll just have to see how it goes......