A gravel wicking bed. The soil is 100% gravel by volume with 15% compost and biochar filling the gaps.
Maybe I need to find some gravel, I’ve not had much success getting mine to grow at all. I’ve only managed to get 2 plants started from 12 seeds so far this year.
Would that be the quality of the seed rather than soil media? Or are they germinating and not growing well?
I’ve been running that particular bed for a couple of years now. No species has struggled in it. It’s 1 of 4 gravel (structural soil) trials.
I put this one together on weekend with a new recipe type. It’s 3/4 gravel topped off with a living soil mix of peat-sphagnum/scoria/compost (first shovelful has just gone on in pic):
I’ve had seed from a couple of different sources and not had success germinating them. I soaked the last batch in water overnight before planting and had the two sprout, which is an improvement on previous attempts! I think they might need a lot more water to sprout successfully, I am going to try a bit longer soak and watering more often. I don’t think all the warnings about not watering beans after planting to prevent the seeds rotting in the soil apply when you have very free draining soil.
