Wicking Beds for Drier Times

The intensely wet weather this year has resulted in some of the most challenging growing conditions we’ve ever encountered at the farm. We know these conditions won’t last forever (despite the rain this weekend!) and we continue to plan for the future.

We were excited to receive a donation from ‘WaterUps from Down Under,’ a wicking bed system for our demo garden at the farm!

The wicking bed units are made in Australia from recycled polypropylene. They are designed to hold a reservoir of water underground, keeping the garden bed above moist. This will be quite handy in the regularly drier summer months, as our demo garden does not have an irrigation system.

Now that they are installed, we plan to build some traditional raised vegetable beds next to them, which will make for an interesting comparison. We are particularly interested to see how much water will be saved. We predict that the wicking beds will need topping up every few weeks, whereas surface watering will use more water and require more staff time.

WaterUps also donated us a large, freestanding planter with their wicking system. Su Meh has placed this in the Children’s Garden and plans to grow some ginger in it.

Enjoy,

Emily Henderson
Fair Food and Farm Manager

In your box this week:

Note: We sometimes need to make changes to what we pack in your veg box based on the quantity or quality of produce that we can harvest and source. If you have any questions about what is in your box, don’t hesitate to contact us at [email protected].

Feature Veg: Daikon Radish

Daikon, sometimes called white radish or Oriental radish, is milder and sweeter than regular red radishes. They are common in Japanese and Korean cuisine and are used to add texture and sweet flavour to dishes. Daikons are way more versatile than most people think and can be eaten raw or cooked. Shred or finely slice them raw in salads or slaws, add them as you would water chestnuts to lettuce wraps or gyozas for some extra crunch, pickle them with carrots and add to a banh mi sandwich or cook them in a similar way to turnip.