The Wicking Bed Garden Guide
Raised, self-watering beds for water-wise growing
Introducing the Wicking Bed Garden Guide
Wicking beds are important to me for a whole bunch of reasons. The water bill that arrived in my first summer at Little Cottage on a Hill — $900 for the quarter — was the loudest of them. The beds ended up solving much more than water.
I had a slightly tricky leftover space that once housed our chooks in the early days before they were moved to their final home beside the potting shed-greenhouse space. A long, flat, narrow strip behind a north-facing fence, in its shadow for a good part of the day. Building the wicking beds from full-height IBCs (Intermediate Bulk Container) lifted the garden up closer to the sun, and turned that awkward strip into something sculptural, almost architectural. Full height IBCs also meant I could garden standing up. I’d been in a serious accident before I came to Little Cottage on a Hill, and the beds let me keep growing food without kneeling to do it. The plants too precious to have out in the public space of the verge live in the wicking beds, too.
A wicking bed waters itself from below. A sealed reservoir sits beneath the soil, and water wicks upward to the roots as the soil dries, so the bed drinks only what it needs. You water less often, you lose far less to evaporation, and the roots reach down instead of waiting at the surface.
From six wicking beds I harvested over 160 kilograms of produce in just eight weeks.
The guide below walks you through how I build mine, the full-height IBC design from page 242 of [The Productive Garden Companion]: sourcing and preparing the containers, the reservoir and overflow, the soil layers, first plantings, and the small rhythms of keeping them going.
Download your copy here
The Wicking Bed Garden — A Complete Guide: materials and sourcing, the reservoir and overflow, soil layers, first plantings and seasonal care.
This is the e-book from my website. If you had been thinking of purchasing a copy, don’t.
Download your copy here as a thank you for purchasing The Productive Garden Companion.
Related Resources
If you’re working out where a wicking bed might fit, the Quick Garden Audit and the Zone-Planning Worksheet from the book live in the resources library too. And The Productive Garden Companion itself is the long version of everything here.
Workshops
My workshops are about fostering the reconnection between the layers of everyday life, the self and the natural world.
Time: 10am to 1pm
Dates:
Saturday 21st November 2026
Location: Stonewalls, Musk.
For as long as I can remember, I have tended a productive garden. From childhood veggie patches to the abundant landscapes of Oak and Monkey Puzzle, growing has always grounded me and shaped how I see the world. This workshop draws from that lived experience.
Whether you're working with a courtyard, a veggie patch or a larger garden, this is about creating a productive space that offers both beauty and abundance.
We explore what productive gardening really means. I share how my process has evolved across very different properties—Oak and Monkey Puzzle and Little Cottage on a Hill and for the first time, Stonewalls—blending hands-on learning with thoughtful intent.
We cover soil care, compost systems, green manures, vertical growing, chickens, worms and closed-loop cycles. You’ll see how I use wicking beds as productive, water-wise microclimates, and how I approach different soil types and site conditions.
We talk about heirlooms and hybrids, perennial and medicinal layers, espalier techniques, and the role of beauty in even the most functional plantings.
This is not a technical how-to on growing food. It is a practical and inspiring session on preparing and shaping a garden that is generous, resilient and connected to place. You’ll leave with tools and ideas to help you begin.
Dates: Sunday 1st November 2026
Time: 10 AM – 12.30 PM
Location: Little Cottage on a Hill, Daylesford
For years, I’ve designed gardens that balance beauty, productivity, and sustainability, but when I discovered wicking beds, they transformed the way I grow. These self-watering garden beds have changed everything—from reducing water use to making gardening more accessible, efficient, and abundant.
In this hands-on workshop, I’ll guide you through the practical steps to create your own wicking beds—whether you’re working with a small courtyard, a backyard, or a larger productive space. You’ll gain an in-depth understanding of how wicking beds work, how to build them using IBC containers, and how to create a thriving, water-wise garden with minimal effort.
We’ll explore my own wicking bed garden at Little Cottage on a Hill, where I’ve grown everything from celery and purple sprouting broccoli to sugar snap peas and edible flowers—all with less watering and less maintenance. You’ll leave with the knowledge and confidence to build a garden that is not only sustainable and resilient but also deeply rewarding to tend.
This workshop is designed for anyone looking to garden smarter—not harder. Whether you’re just starting out or a seasoned grower, wicking beds are a game-changer in sustainable and productive gardening.
Time: 10.00am - 1.00pm
Dates:
Saturday 7th November 2026
Location: Daylesford, Victoria
Whether you're starting from scratch or reshaping an existing space, this half-day garden design workshop invites you to see your garden differently. From the structure of the land up, this is not a plant-by-plant session. It is a place to think like a landscape architect and begin shaping your dream garden with clarity and purpose.
Together, we’ll explore the fundamental principles that guide thoughtful garden design. You’ll learn how to observe and respond to the unique conditions of a site, and how to work with what already exists to support the kind of space you want to create. We’ll talk about how to create rhythm, balance and a sense of flow in the garden. Not through formulas, but through a practice of observation, clarity and intention.
Using tracing paper and bold textas, you’ll begin a layered, iterative design process based on Natasha's own garden. A technique that prioritises experience over detail. This isn’t about where your grandma’s rose will go. It is about learning to see the bigger picture, and how to design in a way that brings coherence and life to your space.
You’ll leave with the tools to create your own garden brief, a new approach to site mapping and design thinking grounded in landscape architecture, and a renewed way of seeing and shaping your garden. No matter its size or complexity.
We draw from real projects such as Oak and Monkey Puzzle and Little Cottage on a Hill, and explore how to reimagine constraints as creative opportunities. There is also a guided tour of Little Cottage on a Hill, where we see how theory comes to life in a compact space.
Come along & join our community, whenever you’re ready...
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Hello!
Welcome. I wanted to give you a closer look at my wicking bed garden, and everything you need to begin creating one of your own.
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Community & Collaboration
Everything I do is about connection and community. I’m deeply passionate about meeting and working with people, brands and businesses that align with my values. If you think we’d create magic together — I want to hear about it!
Acknowledgment of Country
We acknowledge the first custodians of the land on which we live and work, the Wurrundjeri People of the Kulin Nation. We pay respects to Elders past, present and emerging and to all First Nations People. Sovereignty was never ceeded and treaties were never signed.
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