New project creating a vegie and herb garden

[Storm77]

Hi Fellow workshoppers,

Hi I have this area (well really....a little of an eye sore/wasted space) in my backyard and was thinking out turning it into a vegie/herb garden.  It is quite a large area, so may only use half of the space.

Please help with any advice or any suggestions regarding the layout, materials to use/recycle for edging as I have 2 dogs to keep off it or anything in general.  I am a complete novice in this area, so any help you can offer would be fantastic.

Thanks 😁

[JaneK]

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @Storm77 and thanks for sharing this exciting project.

@Adam_W has put together this handy guide on how to plan a garden makeover. I'm sure our community members will have lots of great suggestions and advice on how to use this space. Let me tag @Noelle who may have some thoughts. There's a wealth of D.I.Y. videos to help you get started with the gardening basics here. You might find this discussion on how to create puppy-friendly garden helpful too. Feel free to post whenever you have any questions. We're here to help.

Jane

[MitchellMc]

It's great to have you join us @Storm77.

For a garden bed of that size, I'd encourage you to think about how you'll access the plants. I'd suggest placing either hardwood or treated pine sleepers every meter across the area. That way, you can have rows of plants between them, and access will be a breeze walking on the sleepers.

The easiest option I can think of is using electrical conduit to create large arches that span the width to keep your dogs out. Bird netting can be stretched across them and pegged into the soil. I've put an image together down below to illustrate. Alternatively, you could place timber stakes around the perimeter and run chicken wire around those. Cable ties are an easy way to fix the mesh to the stakes. There's a similar and fantastic project to check out by @Grub80 on their home made shade hoop house.

You might also like to check out the soil's condition and add some organic material to improve it. I'd suggest cow manure or compost.

I look forward to following along with your project and providing assistance as you go. Please let me know if you have questions.

Mitchell

[Storm77]

Hi Mitchell,

Can I ask, did you use a program to create that picture?

[Jason]

Hi @Storm77,

Mitch will be back on the site on Friday to answer your question. Thanks for your patience in the meantime.

What are you planning to design?

Jason

[mich1972]

OMG I would go crazy with this beautiful plot for edibles 🤣 @Storm77 

 
Remove grass / soil. 
Add soil improvement like compost / manure. 
Make a basic fence with star pickets and trellis to keep the dogs out. 
If you don’t want it all edibles, section off a patch to become a compost area for your veggies and fruits scraps along with lawn clippings, prunings ect. 

This is just something I would do to turn an empty patch into your own home grown sustainable edible garden. 

I’m sure other Workshop Community friends will have fantastic ideas for you. Good luck and look forward to seeing your working edible garden 😊💚