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There are lots of ways to make controlling watering easier in a dry environment. Wicking beds and variants of them are one of the ways that water loss can be reduced.

To make a wicking bed basically water is contained in a reservoir and transferred to the growing bed soil by a porous wick of some kind. The surface of the growing bed is usually covered with mulch to reduce evaporation from the surface.

to make a self watering planter
wicking bed schematic


https://permies.com/t/175707/wicking-mat-material-bad-wicking
https://permies.com/t/55677/capillary-beds-thoughts
https://permies.com/t/83834/Scientific-Test-Water-Wicking-Materials

There are however many variants on the theme.

Wicking beds:

self watering planter
basic wicking bed


https://permies.com/t/210468/Dave-Watering-Greenhouse
https://permies.com/t/55926/Wicking-Bed-Instant-Deep-Rich

Grow bag in kiddy pool is a variant on this:
https://permies.com/t/217454/grow-bag-kiddy-pool-system

Ollas:
The reservoir itself can be made of porous material and can be put under the bed. A terracotta pot will slowly seep water deep into the soil:

self watering buried pot
Olla pot schematic


https://permies.com/t/189969/Ollas-irrigating-clay-pots-save
https://permies.com/t/56986/Clay-Pot-Irrigation-Experiment
https://permies.com/t/19615/Ollas

Chinampa:

These could be considered giant wicking beds! They are watered from underneath by the high water table provided by the surrounding canal system.

traditional market garden system
Chinampa schematic


https://permies.com/t/63991/wetlands/Images-Chinampas-share-teaching-education
https://permies.com/t/74407/permaculture/chinampas
https://permies.com/t/147910/permaculture/Floating-Gardens-Bangladeshi-style

Hugelkultur:

The buried wood acts as the water reservoir and wicking medium combined - all natural materials that make good soil as the bed matures:

Hugelkultur bed self watering beds
Hugelbed schematic


We have a whole forum dedicated to them!: Hugelkultur forum

https://permies.com/t/hugelkultur
https://permies.com/t/52077/Buried-Wood-Beds
https://permies.com/t/75654/Hugel-bed-hedgerow
COMMENTS:
 
steward and tree herder
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Location: Isle of Skye, Scotland. Nearly 70 inches rain a year
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I put this together as an introduction to wicking beds and variations thereof. Did I miss any significant variants? Any other useful links to include?
Thanks!
 
Nancy Reading
steward and tree herder
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Location: Isle of Skye, Scotland. Nearly 70 inches rain a year
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I added Jen's grow bag in kiddy pool thread as a variant of wicking beds.
 
What I don't understand is how they changed the earth's orbit to fit the metric calendar. Tiny ad:
turnkey permaculture paradise for zero monies
https://permies.com/t/267198/turnkey-permaculture-paradise-monies
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