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A dry, barren backyard was transformed into a lush garden that produces organic vegetables and provides a refuge for blue-tongued lizards and other native wildlife.
The project
This was the backyard when we moved in a year and a half ago.
It was a total wasteland with just a couple of palm trees and a sick peach tree.
We cleared all the stones and gave them away.
We removed all the Besser blocks that had been placed all around the fenceline. This allowed air to flow through the place and let blue-tongued lizards in to check out a garden full of food for them.
My husband built a bee hotel for native blue-banded bees, and within six months we had a 50 per cent occupancy rate. They are one of the the reasons our garden grows so well, as they are master pollinators!
The magpies and currawongs love the bird bath. So do the dragonflies.
We have also had a mummy possum come visit with her baby. She now has her own hideaway box in the corner of the shed, and she keeps it very clean.
We did inherit one huge palm tree in a corner of the backyard. It’s messy but it feeds fruit bats, honeyeaters and lorikeets. We have just built a hardwood nesting box for one lucky pair of lorikeets who come to visit us and love grapes.
We started with four railway-sleeper beds, but now we have six. We planted a mulberry tree and a mango tree and placed a passionfruit vine on the right side to hide the ugly fence.
I wanted a feature tree so I saved this unwanted Frangipani from death. All we had to do was dig it out, which wasn’t too hard. The hardest part was getting it home in one piece. With some good soil and garden food the flowers were amazing in spring.
Since Frangipanis lose their leaves in winter, I decided to place some white flowers near the trunk to dress it up until her flowers came back.
My husband's shed is now a great work shed with electricity and windows. Gotta love the hardwood barn doors. My husband and I redid the shed ourselves and only had help with the Bessa brick wall on the side.
We also planted Lilly Pillies for privacy and to hide the fence.
My tree children are getting bigger. How beautiful do they look? No more ugly fence. New grass, step pavers and water tanks. The water comes from the roof of the main house. My husband did all the installation and digging for water pipes.
We were also surprised how beautiful a sad peach tree in the back corner became, giving us lots of pink blooms and even more fruit. All we did was prune and feed it.
Unfortunately we didn’t know about fruit flies, which attacked every peach last year. We let the fruit bats eat them all.
More inspiration for your vegetable garden
Bunnings Workshop member mich1972 has been enjoying a bumper harvest from this organic no-dig edible garden bed.
Workshop member Glenc made this ingenious mobile vegetable garden with a worm farm built in.
For more great ideas, check out our 7 ways to build a raised garden bed and horticulturist and Workshop member Adam's' step-by-step guide How to build a raised garden bed.
Let us know if you need a hand with your own project – we're here to help.
