Sutherland, NSW

We installed two wicking beds connected by an arched trellis in Sutherland, NSW.

One bed was 4m x 1.4m x 0.45m high, the other 3.5m x 0.6m x 0.45m high.

The archway was ideal for growing tomatoes and cucumbers over in summer, and snow peas in winter.

The larger bed grew prolific amounts of produce - in one season there was 40 corn cobs, 30 eggplants and sweet potato all companion planted. See this blog post for more details: https://www.urbanveg.com.au/post/sydney-companion-planting-experiment

The Sutherland Shire sits on warm, free-draining sandy soils with long hours of coastal sun, which makes it good growing country once the watering is taken care of. That is the real value of a self-watering raised bed in Sutherland: the reservoir in the base keeps the soil evenly moist through the dry Shire summers, so the garden never checks its growth while you are away or busy.

Beds this generous open up the space-hungry crops that struggle in pots and narrow borders, from corn and pumpkin to tomatoes and a long run of salad and herbs. Built from our iron-oxide, vegetable-safe timber rather than cheap pine, a raised bed like this stays square and keeps producing for many years. If you'd like a productive feature garden — arches, companion planting and all — in Sutherland or the wider Shire, we'd love to help you design it.