Thanks for the information JamesL. I'm an apartment dweller without the proper exposure for a balcony garden so it's indoor gardening for me. I have room for three five gallon buckets and thought I could grow something else in a tray. I was thinking something like this Sterilite 4-Gallon (16-Quart) Stacker Storage Box (18"L x 12.63"W x 7.13"H) or Sterilite 10-Gallon (40-Quart) Stacker Storage Box (25.75"L x 18.37"W x 7.13"H).
I created a hydroponics system that used microsprayers to water six net pots in one of these 10 gallon containers but had to shut it down when it caused my indoor allergies to flare up in a big way. Hopefully the SWC doesn't produce this reaction.
The wicking chamber I used was a 24 oz yogurt container that 4.5 inches across and 4.5 inches deep. It's affixed to the bottom of the top container by zip ties and sits on the floor of the bottom container. I punched about 40 holes using a 3/16 drill bit in the wikding container. I saw one set of plans that said the holes in the wicking chamber should be 1/2 inch but that sounds too big to me.
I didn't use any lime in my mix because coir and perilite are both PH neutral so no PH adjustment is needed but I do wander about air getting into the mix. I saw one SWC plan that include an air pipe to improve the amout of air getting into the mix.
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