Growing Salad Greens in a Wicking Bed

Today we are looking at growing salad greens in a wicking bed.  This type of growing medium is ideal for thirsty vegetables.

So, here’s one I made earlier.  During the Easter break, I reported to you all that I finished off the wicking bed in the pool area.

You can read about how I built it at this post titled Building a Wicking Bed on Concrete.

We are currently using it to grow salad greens, like pick-and-come-again lettuce, mizuna, spring onions, miners lettuce, etc.  I found the perfect spot in the back yard between the deck and the car port wall.

This is what it las looked like when I first planted it out.

And here it is again in early May.  A bit of growth, and I put in some spring onions in the vacant space.

So what does it look like now?  I think you will be surprised at the growth.

This is just over 30 days growth compared to the May picture.  We have received steady rain over the last few weeks, so that has helped, but I top the reservoir up once a week anyway.

I have not fertilised the bed in any way, shape, or form.  The compost growing medium supplied by the chooks is all that I added above the geotextile layer.

We find that these types of leafy greens grow best in cooler weather; they appreciate part shade.  I reckon that this will be a great place to grow lettuce during the summer as well.  It is shaded by the wall from about 1pm onwards.

It is amazing growth for this time of year.  We have been harvesting salad greens every couple of days for sandwiches and a side salad for dinner.  Delicious.

Wicking beds certainly deliver the goods.  Who has had success growing veggies in a wicking bed?  Would you make one now that you have seen my results?