🖼️
The project:
We are turning our front yard into a thriving edible landscape – an inviting mix of vegetables, herbs and fruit trees. This replaces traditional lawn with something far more alive
. Alongside productive garden beds, we’ve added a small pond designed to attract frogs and boost biodiversity. Every element is DIY. Soil building, planting, mulching and creative use and reuse of Materials. Our goal is simple – transform an ordinary front yard into a beautiful functioning space that proves homegrown food can start right at the doorstep.
- Materials:
treated pine posts, beams, concrete, bush rock, repurposed railway sleepers and , soil, mulch, plants galore, fruit trees, hanging baskets, seeds, pond and pond equipment and water plants, brackets and so many screws!
- Tools:
drop saw, hand saw, circular hand saw, post hole digger, crowbar, drill, hammer, wheelbarrow, spades, rakes, level, square
- Step 1:
Pond was first. We surrounded it with bush rock, filled it with plants and fish and planted native violets to fill in the gaps. A deck was then built next to the pond and decorated with pots of flowers, some bollards recovered from an old school project and some rope.
- Step 2:
The native garden running alongside the driveway. It was full of non-native, non-native flowering plants and we removed these, built a wall from bush rock and planted native plants and scattered leftover bush rock around.
- Step 3:
The pergola. This is where most of the treated pine went. This was built to run down the pathway and we will plant some vines (passionfruit has just been planted, waiting for some grapes). Pergola is decorated with some old cast iron corner pieces and hanging baskets containing succulents as well as fruit (blueberries, strawberries) and vegetables (snow peas). A gate was added to the pergola purely for ascetics but hoping will provide some shade for the pond in summer, as well as being a place to add hanging pots and hooks for tools.
- Step 4:
Raised garden beds. Mostly old railway sleepers and bush rock. Filled with some good quality soil and slowly filling with seedlings. One more raised bed to build, and some netted frames to keep the cats and cabbage moth butterflies out!
- Step 5:
Fruit trees. Leftover railway sleeper pieces have been used to create raised beds for the cherry and plum trees. And apple trees will be espaliered in the pergola.
