Worked out the cheapest, most compact and most simple automatic watering system for me. Uses 3 buckets, one float valve, simple barbed fittings and clear 1/2" tubing. There are no penetrations below water level and no alterations to planters. Top bucket only holds 5 gal, so you can hook up to larger tank if you desire. Use only clear tubing to detect any air bubbles. I am going to use Hudson valve to feed top bucket when away from home. Used 3 Lowe's buckets. Top Bucket - no alterations Bucket 2 - Cut off top below the expanded "ring" for spacer to lift top bucket up additional 2 3/4". Discard bottom. Bottom Bucket Installed 1/2" US Plastics #23136 float valve slightly above desired water level. Installed barbed elbow on float inlet. Installed clear 1/2" tubing from elbow over the top of top bucket to reach bottom. (Siphon action feeds float valve on bottom bucket) Ran 1/2" tubing from bottom of bottom bucket through side (above water level) to barbed connector. Ran 1/2" tubing from the barbed connector to barbed "Tee" at top fill pipe of first container. Ran 1/2" tubing from "Tee" to bottom of fill tube. Tubing runs from bottom bucket to "Tee" on first container, to "Tee" on second container, to "Tee" on 3rd, etc. (Last container doesn't have "Tee", tubing runs directly from last "Tee" to bottom of container fill tube. Primed siphon of container tubing by holding end of tube in bottom bucket to garden hose. Put top bucket into bottom bucket and fill. Primed siphon of top bucket to float valve. Note: Fill planting containers first, as the siphon action to the float valve only supports a small but adequate flow rate.

Hey Mell, Good thoughts. Couple of points: -To clarify, my design has all the plants growing in pots (1-7 gal), not in the actual raised bed itself. The bed is just a large reservoir of water with a support medium. If you look up SIPs (sub irrigation planters) or Eathboxes or earthtainers, you'll see this method at work, albeit in the form of a bucket in a bucket (or tote with a reservoir in the bottom). -You can also see this system concept at work in something called the "rain gutter irrigation planter" (link below) - it's just bags or buckets with wicks sitting on top of a rain gutter filled with water. That's perfectly fine and tons of people do this. I'm proposing something similar, just in the form of a raised bed that looks nice and not like a paint mixing station. -So, yes, lots of people use this method, just not in a nice wooden raised bed. I like my garden to look nice, so I'm sanding and staining my raised bed. If pure performance was all that mattered, I'd probably go with the bucket version. -I'm not sure how people with true wicking beds replace their soil, but it must be a horrible pain the ass. People who grow in earthboxes or bucket SIPs can easily dump their soil out each season. -Peat is fine to put in the pots, just not in the wicking bed itself. The wicking bed should only have inert media that doesn't break down. I tailor my soil for the plants I grow in -- 5-1-1 mix for longer term trees or perennials. Normal peat-based potting soil for the rest of my veggies. With veggies, you want to get rid of the soil anyway since it's filled with diseases (tomatoes especially). Once I get my system up and running I'm going to experiment with different soil mixes, but you can go to the Earthbox website and see a ton of recommendations for soil mixes. I like Gardener and Bloome Blue Ribbon, but lots of different brands work. -Yes, clay balls are very expensive, but pumice, lava rock, etc. or gravel by the yard is cheap. Home Depot sells 1/3 yard of gravel for $35. I'm not concerned about how much water the reservoir holds since it's controlled by a $15 float valve. I'm guessing a layer of red bricks could also work as a support and wick, but haven't tested it yet. -Twine and rope will break down or get saturated with salts in one season. The system will work in the beginning, but will cause all kinds of problems in future years. -These systems don't lead to root rot or stagnant water for a number of reasons. But, again, check out the link below for a lot more info on the basic principle. Moss and algae only really grow if water is exposed to sunlight. In this system, the water level is 1" below the rock level and never exposed to air. So no mosquitoes either. -Cost wise, my design is pretty cheap: ply for the bottom, 4x4 or cinder blocks for support, 2x4s all around to form the bed (you could even go shallower if you use a float valve). Pond liners are only $50-70 depending on size. No metal plates or anything else. $70 for the gravel support. Or go crushed lava rock and it's even cheaper and will act as the wick to the plant pots above. In total, my 12'x3' is about $150 or so for materials, not including additional fancy options like trim or stain. -Best part, this system doesn't break down. You can easily pull the planters off the bed for harvest time, refresh the dirt, etc. I'm building this system for my disabled mother. She can manage 1-3 gallon pots, but digging in dirt is a no-go. Her system will have two beds: one low bed for tomatoes, corn, etc. and a table-height one for salad, herbs and everything that doesn't get huge. -Finally, here's a picture of a commercial "capillary bed" working in the exact same principle I'm talking about. The commercial version uses a plastic or stainless steel table with a layer of black wicking cloth that's always saturated with water from a reservoir. Here is a link that might be useful: Rain Gutter Grow System This post was edited by Jay-Part-Shade on Sun, Aug 17, 14 at 20:15

Do a search over in the container gardening forum, there are a lot of folks over there that do self water container gardens and have perfected the mixes to use in them... The compost in Mel's mix would probably cause more harm than good...in containers you want to take amore inorganic approach, utilizing fertilizer for nutrients... Containers don't support the microbial life well and are more likely to be a better environment for the bad types of microbes rather than the good ones. Check out raybo's stuff, he has a ton of great info. Tapla is also a genius when it comes to container gardening and fertilization etc... Good luck and happy growing:)

Labradoodlemom, Because the issue has varying opinions, it aroused my curiosity and I did some basic research for you. Before you fill it in, if that's what you choose to do, find out for sure if it is a cistern or a well. Find out where the piping that exists in the hole, terminates at the other end. Also determine the source of the water. You want to make sure it's not going to continue to be fed or cause an issue elsewhere under or around the home. Regarding future real estate issues, you are going to have to reveal the location of decommissioned wells, tanks etc. anyhow. Your area may also require documentation or certification that it has been properly decommissioned and sealed. You indicate the water is about 8 feet from the top. That means the water is about 9 feet deep which is substantial. Try pumping it out and see how fast it recovers. If it is recovering quickly, you may have to use more aggressive methods to seal it. I still say use the water for gardening etc. Just about every area in the country is encouraging the use of cisterns for that purpose. It protects the waterways by allowing more time for the water to be distributed into the soil instead of washing silt and other undesirables into the waterways. That way, you can inexpensively seal the top and if functional, actually enhance the value of the property. It would be very politically correct and a lot less effort and expense than properly decommissioning it.