Grow microbe-rich greens
Grow greens bursting with beneficial microbes to support everyday gut health and nutrient-dense meals.
From the Inventor of Wicking Beds, Colin Austin
HEALTH STARTS IN THE SOIL
Grow Food, Grow Community, Grow Health
5.0
★★★★★ Rated 5 out of 5
As Featured In
A few of Colin's Media Mentions
Grow Nutrient Dense Food
Colin Austin is an Australian innovator best known for developing practical systems that help people grow food, conserve water, and build healthier soils.
He is widely recognised for pioneering modern wicking bed systems, self-watering garden beds that use natural water movement to grow stronger plants with less water and less maintenance.
WickingBed.com serves as Colin’s archive of foundational ideas, projects, and innovations in sustainable growing, water efficiency, composting, and soil biology.
His newer health-focused work, including the connection between soil microbes, gut health, and metabolic food, now continues through Gbiota.com.
Gbiota Technology
Discover how Gbiota’s smart growing systems turn ordinary soil into a living engine of health. From wicking beds to microbe-rich soil biology, this is the technology that grows real food—food that transforms your gut, your energy, and your life.
Soil for Health
Explore how living soil feeds beneficial microbes, builds nutrient-dense plants, and restores the natural signals that control appetite, weight, and overall vitality. This is the science the modern food system forgot.
Food for Health
Learn how Gbiota-grown greens, smoothies, and nutrient-rich produce support gut microbes, balance cravings, and boost natural energy—without diets or deprivation. This is food that works with your body.
Wicking Beds
The wicking bed system is a way of growing plants in which water wicks up from an underground water reservoir. The major advantage is a significant increase in production while water use has been shown to be reduced by up to 50% of conventional practice.
Water Matters
Read Colin's extensive library of content about water conservation and irrigation.
Colin's Writing
Discover Colin's writing that blends science, common sense, and decades of hands-on experience—showing how simple changes in how we grow and eat can transform our wellbeing.
Grow, Build, Recreate, Connect
Build water-wise wicking beds
Build wicking beds that deliver steady moisture, save water, and produce nutritious food all year round.
Recreate the rhizosphere
Roots feed microbes, recyclers feed plants—replicate nature’s exchange to keep living soil thriving.
Plant-based tips & support
Get plant-based cooking ideas and community support to turn harvests into gut-friendly meals.
Sign Up to Our Free Newsletter
Share your expertise and inspire others by joining the Gbiota teaching community. As an instructor, you’ll guide learners through the connection between soil, plants, microbes, and gut health—helping them grow food that nourishes both body and mind.
Whether you’re passionate about soil biology, wicking beds, nutrition, or healthy cooking, we provide the tools and platform for you to create meaningful courses. Together, we can build a healthier future by teaching practical skills, empowering communities, and spreading knowledge that transforms lives
Read Our Latest News
Wicking Bed Liners Explained: Are Plastics Safe for Growing Food?
People often ask what lining materials are safe for wicking beds, especially when plastic films are involved. In this newsletter Colin Austin explains a practical, engineering-based answer: black polythene is
Read More »
The Vision for Wicking Beds: Origin, Purpose, and Soil Biology
Wicking beds are often described as a water-saving trick, but that misses the bigger point. Modern food systems are excellent at producing cheap energy food, yet many diets are short
Read More »
Wicking Beds: How Underground Water Storage Changed the Way We Grow Food
Wicking beds emerged from practical experiments aimed at growing food under drought conditions, first in Ethiopia and later elsewhere. The core problem was not the absolute lack of water, but
Read More »