Converted IBC beds (from $195)

Bed comes with slotted pipe for reservoir, flexible inlet pipe and geotextile as a barrier between reservoir and growing medium.

Bulkhead fitting (also called a tank fitting) enables beds to be connected together if you require, meaning all beds can be watered from the same pipe. Extra hole is an additional overflow in case of any blockages.

Top half - $195 ($210 with tank fitting)
Base - $220 ($235 with tank fitting)
(Additional 25mm tank fittings $15 each)
$70 delivery (we can fit up to 3 beds in our trailer)

IBCs are used to freight 1 cubic metre of liquids around the world on container ships. The plastic tub is surrounded by a sturdy steel cage. Reusing IBCs is a great way to reduce waste.

But it can be daunting to buy a whole IBC because you will need an angle grinder to cut through the steel cage and then you need to cut through the plastic and drill your holes in the right places. Cutting through the plastic with a jigsaw, angle grinder (or by hand) also generates a lot of small plastic dust so there's a big clean up operation involved to avoid getting microplastics all over your garden! (We learned this the hard way! We have now invested in a special set of shears that cuts the plastic without leaving any bits of plastic to clean up - yay!)

To save you the trouble, we can provide ready to use half IBC beds with all fittings. Please note we only use food grade IBCs so you can be assured of no nasty chemical residue in your garden bed.

Each IBC bed comes with the following:

• Top or bottom half of IBC (approximately 1 square metre growing space)
• Food grade silicon used on lids to ensure no leaks (top half only)
• 5m length of 100mm slotted agi pipe (Australian manufactured, 100% recycled product)
• 2 x 2m length of geotextile (we use black UV stabilised polypropylene fabric for long life)
• Flexible inlet pipe (Australian manufactured - we use the flexible one because it allows you to bend it easily to where you want it to go)
• 32mm outlet hole (fits up to 25mm (1 inch) tank outlet fittings) - we provide one outlet hole and one overflow hole as standard, but please indicate if you would like extra holes (e.g. if you plan to plumb tanks together) and we can easily do this for no extra cost.
• 25mm tank outlet fitting(s) (optional extra - great for connecting beds together, but if you don't need to do this you can save a bit of money. Or you can buy your own and save a couple of dollars!).

​Important safety note: we take a bit of extra time and do our best to file any sharp edges of the steel cages of our IBC beds but we can't guarantee there won't be a few sharp edges left - please be careful when handling! As an extra precaution, we also cut out the middle section of the cage, meaning the plastic insert is higher than the cage, so there are no pointy metal ends sticking up to catch your arm on when reaching into the garden bed. Some sellers cut the cage and then turn it upside down - we experimented with this but it makes it much harder to transport. Our approach retains the strength of the original cage, while making it safer for you to work with and move around. This approach means it takes a little longer for us to make the beds but we think it's a sturdier and safer bed!

Prices

Converted IBC Beds

 Converted barrel beds (from $69)

Converted barrel beds

Plastic barrels are used to transport 220 litres of liquid around the world on ships - the blue ones pictured here contained organic soy sauce!

While making these barrels is simpler than an IBC, cutting through the barrels is still a bit of a job and very messy too!
To save you time and effort, we cut these in half, drill the holes, make handles with quality rope, and provide all fittings (tank outlet fitting is an optional extra).
The resulting bed has a capacity of over 100 litres - about the same as a half wine barrel, but at a considerably lower price! And of course, it's a water wise wicking bed with fittings too. If you're not sure how much you can grow in one, see the picture at the bottom of the page - it's very much about the soil, and as you can see, things really can go gangbusters in wicking barrels!

​Note: we only use straight sided drums as pictured above. Beds can be a bottom or a top half (the latter have two small sealed bungs in the base). We only use food grade barrels for our wicking beds.

Each barrel bed comes with the following:

• Top or bottom half of barrel, 45 cm tall by 55cm diameter (about 1/4 square metre of growing space)
• Food grade silicon used on bungs to ensure no leaks (top half only)
• Length of slotted agi pipe (Australian manufactured, 100% recycled product)
• Section of geotextile (we use black, UV stabilised polypropylene fabric for long life)
• Flexible inlet pipe (Australian manufactured - we use the flexible one because it allows you to bend it easily to where you want it to go)
• 32mm outlet hole (fits up to 25mm (1 inch) tank outlet fittings) - we provide one outlet hole and one overflow hole as standard, but please indicate if you would like extra holes (e.g. if you plan to plumb your barrels together) and we can easily do this for no extra cost.
• 25mm tank outlet fitting(s) (optional extra - great for connecting beds together, but if you don't need to do this you can save a bit of money. Or you can buy your own and save a couple of dollars!).

Prices

Half barrel bed $69 ($84 with 25mm tank fitting)
(Additional 25mm tank fittings $15 each or 20mm fittings $13 each)
$70 delivery (up to 10)

Fittings for the bed (tank outlet is an optional extra).

View into the empty barrel - it's a good size!

So the snowpeas are looking pretty happy!

About Dr Cally Brennan - permaculture designer and educator

Getting Advanced Permaculture Design Certificate with Graeme Bell (left) and Dr Ross Mars (right).

I've always been a keen gardener, and have been practising permaculture for nearly 10 years. I have studied permaculture design with John Champagne, Graham Bell, Geoff Lawton, and Dr Ross Mars.

In 2013 I founded Canberra Permaculture Design and Education to service Canberra and the surrounding region. This small business provides garden advice and designs for both urban and nearby rural properties.

I am also a Director of the Board of Permaculture Australia, Australia's national permaculture body.
 
I have worked in many fields, including teaching and academia. Since moving to Canberra in 2006, I have worked in a range of energy and climate-change related roles in the public service. I have a BA from the University of Western Australia and a PhD from Melbourne University.
 
I live in Cook with my partner and our 6-year-old daughter, together with two dogs and a rather greedy resident possum.

I have presented at the Canberra Environment Centre, Urban Agriculture Australia's City of Food Series and at Floriade (2013 and 2014).
​

Useful information

Canberra Permaculture Design is a small business, located in Canberra, ACT, Australia.

Permaculture design is related to, but distinct from both landscape design and landscape architecture.
Landscape architecture is concerned with the way landscape, plants and buildings can interact to form a good design that is aesthetically pleasing. Landscape design is usually more focused on the plants side of the equation and designers often have qualifications in horticulture as well as design. Both disciplines tend to emphasise aesthetic values over other considerations, although this is not always the case.

Permaculture design takes an ecosystems approach to landscape design, with the aim of creating sustainable and productive relationships between plants and hard landscaping (including building structures) so that over time, nutrients are naturally added into the system. Permaculture tends to emphasise productivity and yield over aesthetics for its own sake, although permaculture gardens can also be beautiful.

Because of the emphasis on sustainability and synergies between elements in the garden, permaculture gardens may need a bit of work and commitment during the establishment phase. Once established, maintenance requirements are low, however, and often lower than in more conventionally designed gardens.