What are Wicking Beds?

Wicking beds are a type of raised garden bed that have built-in irrigation channels, either physical channels or channels created by stones, which keeps the soil at the right moisture level - not too wet and not too dry.

Traditional raised garden beds and in-ground beds tend to either dry out quickly due to lack of water or get too wet with water sitting in the soil.

This is where wicking beds come in. Wicking beds have soil half-way down the bed but then have scoria or a wicking structure in the bottom of the bed, which draws up water from an in-built water reservoir to irrigate the soil.

Wicking beds that use scoria or blue metal also use a thin material such as felt between the stones and the soil to stop soil from falling into the water.

Wicking beds that don't use stones to filter the water, use in-built funnels which mimic a root system and funnel up the water.

Here at Farmer Phil we specialise in creating robust and good-looking wicking beds from used IBCs (International bulk containers). These containers are food grade and have previously been used to transport goods such as olive oil or vinegar. They are cleaned and Phil slices, prepares, plumbs, and builds the food grade IBC wicking beds ready for growing straight away and delivers them to gardens around Castlemaine, Victoria, Australia.

Wicking beds can save you $hundreds of dollars in vegetable costs, if not $1000s if you were previously a packaged lettuce buyer! It's easy to grow your own food and we show you how.

What are IBC Wicking Beds?

IBC wicking beds (Intermediate Bulk Containers) use scoria or blue metal to funnel water and a felt material to separate soil from water.

Our food-grade IBC wicking beds are converted from bulk containers used to transport food liquids such as vinegar or olive oil. Re-purposed food-grade IBCs are a popular and cheaper alternative to commercially made wicking beds and use standard plumbing parts.

IBCs retain their form and are housed in their original IBC metal grate. IBCs are not UV protected so we like to cover ours in black weed mat which helps to protect them and makes them look great.

Farmer Phil slices, prepares, plumbs, and builds food grade IBC wicking beds ready for growing and delivers them to gardens around Castlemaine, Victoria, Australia.

Phil has 30 years horticulture experience and knows what grows where, how, and when it grows. He'll show you how easy it is to grow vegetables year-round and your wicking beds will deliver healthy vegetables for years to come!

What does a ready-to-plant Farmer Phil Wicking Bed Include?

A ready-to-plant food-grade IBC wicking bed from farmerphil.com.au costs $360 and includes:

• A free initial consultation to discuss location, sun, and light requirements.
• A complete and ready-to-plant wicking bed
• All plumbing attached and tested
• Healthy soil mixed by Farmer Phil
• The scoria or blue metal substrate
• The Geotech wicking felt
• Fully covered in black weed mat for UV protection and good looks
• An anti-terminte treated pine base so your bed is waist high (is a game-changer in our opinion)
• A detailed IBC wicking bed guide explaining the plumbing and plant growing
• Free delivery
• Free help and advice at any time for those vegetable growing questions - ring the potting shed or come and see Phil at the markets!

What is the Installation Process?

• Your wicking bed will pre-plumbed and the base prepared off-site at Farmer Phil's
• On-site Phil will level your ground, install the base, add the scoria and soil, and fill the reservoir with your water
• Phil charges $40/hr for the installation of your bed. If his ute is not too far from the wicking bed location, the installation will normally take up to one hour

Can I buy an IBC Wicking Bed Kit and build it myself?

Yes you can! You can buy one of our IBC wicking bed kits and gain confidence and skills by building your IBC wicking bed yourself.

An IBC wicking bed kit from farmerphil.com.au costs $165 and includes:

• 1x 1m x 1.2m Food grade IBC wicking bed with metal encasement
• 2x reservoir ag pipes
• 1x water inlet pipe
• All tap plumbing parts already attached for you
• Geotech wicking felt (separates soil and scoria)
• Black weed mat bed cover
• Full instruction guide
• Free Local delivery
• Free help and advice at any time for those vegetable growing questions - ring the potting shed or come and see Phil at the markets!
• Kits do not include: soil, scoria, timber base, site leveling, or installation

What is the Size of a Farmer Phil Food Grade IBC Wicking Bed?

• Size: 1m x 1.2m
• Depth: 500mm
• Timber base: 200mm high
• Total height of a complete ready-to-plant Farmer Phil wicking bed: 700mm