The great 2024 wicking bucket/pot experiments

[21hens-incharge]

It's going to be a loooong summer.
Spring is taking forever to get here. This morning we are under a foot of heavy wet slushy snow.


Thanks for following along @LTAY1946!

It will be an adventure that I really hope works. I work long hours often 6 days a week so self watering is a real need if I am going to see any yield.

I have a small plastic wheelbarrow that doesn't really work as intended. I plan to try doing squash in it hoping to limit bug pressure. I will set it up with a different self watering system and document it along the way.

I grew butternut squash on a cattle panel years ago. It did well. I did have to make support slings for them as they are heavy. I look forward to seeing how the yellow squash vines do @LTAY1946. Please do let us know.

I had pollination issues last year as well. It was odd as a neighbor keeps bees. I will be planting borage and several other bee friendly things in the garden to hopefully draw them in.

I have been reading up on poly culture gardening and think that is how I want to go.

 

[21hens-incharge]

I have been enjoying this young mans gardening videos.

This is one I will give a try this year. Inter planting to draw those pollinators.

 

[Sally PB]

I had pollination issues last year as well. It was odd as a neighbor keeps bees. I will be planting borage and several other bee friendly things in the garden to hopefully draw them in.

I have bees, and planted some bee balm for them. I saw lots of bumble bees and some yellow jackets on the plants, but ZERO honeybees. What the heck?

I asked at one of the bee club meetings, and it turns out that bee balm flowers have too long of a throat, and honeybees can't reach the nectar therein. So different flowers attract different bees.

I will not be planting bee balm this year, that's for sure!

 

[CatInTheHenHouse]

I put in some dill and some catnip, but I don’t know if those are bee-specific much less honeybee-specific, I planted them at the recommendation of the Pollinator Pathway group in my area and they tend to be more ‘native pollinator’ focused than anything in particular. I found a few dead honeybees around my hummingbird feeder during a drought a few years ago, but I haven’t seen them around it in better seasons and anyway, that attracts wasps too.

I can’t speak to squash bugs, I’m still trying to find something I can plant to lure in more predators for aphids.

View attachment 3768777

…yup, guilty as charged. I’ve got some raspberry seeds and a blueberry I planted ‘to see what happens.’ If they actually sprout, I have NO IDEA what I’m going to do with them.

 

[LTAY1946]

I'm going to plant milkweed as a fence line border to attract more pollinators like honey bees. While in the tassel stage sweet corn is a big pollinator favorite. I planted Fordhook Lima beans two years ago and got no beans. They bloomed their hearts out but did not make any beans. Not far in another patch about a hundred yards away field peas made an abundance of peas. I don't know why. Okra was pollinated by bumble bees.

 

[21hens-incharge]

I am planting cosmos, borage, calendula, dill, nasturtium, and more that I don't recall this moment.
I have a giant salvia that would like a better spot. It draws them in droves so I may plunk it in somewhere.

I also keep a shallow large diameter waterer with pebbles and a piece of sandstone for the bees.

 

[LTAY1946]

A friend in TN planted about 3 acres of this for Monarch butterflies. I never saw a single on as this was the first year it bloomed. Honey bees were plentiful.

 

[LTAY1946]

A question about wicking? Is this the same thing or a type of hydroponic growing?

 

[21hens-incharge]

A question about wicking? Is this the same thing or a type of hydroponic growing?

Different than hydroponic for sure. While this isn't EXACTLY what I am doing it's close enough for a visual.

My plan is to cut the center out of the lid, drill 2 holes big enough to have the 4" round pots underneath, drill additional holes for drainage from the soil back into the area below. The 4" pots will be stuffed with potting mix and packed pretty tight. The idea is that the soil above absorbs water by drawing it up from the soil in the 4" pots. This way I use just one bucket not 2.
It's really hard to explain lol.
Think of it like this....when you dip the corner of a napkin or paper towel into water the water wicks up wetting more of the towel than was dipped.
If it works AWESOME! If not I water with a drip system this year.

It better work cause 12 food grade buckets with shipping cost $100. That doesn't include potting mix or plant!

 

[LTAY1946]

Different than hydroponic for sure. While this isn't EXACTLY what I am doing it's close enough for a visual.

My plan is to cut the center out of the lid, drill 2 holes big enough to have the 4" round pots underneath, drill additional holes for drainage from the soil back into the area below. The 4" pots will be stuffed with potting mix and packed pretty tight. The idea is that the soil above absorbs water by drawing it up from the soil in the 4" pots. This way I use just one bucket not 2.
It's really hard to explain lol.
Think of it like this....when you dip the corner of a napkin or paper towel into water the water wicks up wetting more of the towel than was dipped.
If it works AWESOME! If not I water with a drip system this year.

It better work cause 12 food grade buckets with shipping cost $100. That doesn't include potting mix or plant!

TSC has food grade buckets for a lot less... They did last year. I have bought food grade from Lowes. Possibly Harbor Freight. Not sure about Home Depot. I think they were about a $ more than a standard bucket.