GardenerCath1's Edible Backyard

Joined:26/11/08 Updated:06/08/09 Frost:
Location: Surrey Hills

About My Edible Backyard

I have a not very large garden 'blessed' with sandy hydrophobic rubbish for soil and a 10 year drought that has meant brutal summer temperatures and next to no rain for months over summer. We haven't owned the house for very long and it been rental property for some time, so the garden was neglected and nearly bare except for a few hardy survivors and some nasty but fashionable plants tossed in to make it look 'nice' for sale. The latter were all pulled out to make way for a food garden to replace the wonderful previous productive garden I had left behind.

First job was soil improvement and that has proceeded well, with lots of organic material added.

The house has a north-south aspect and two narrow gardens down the west and east sides that are pretty well protected by the house and the neighbour's properties and established trees. I have used these to plant 'rainforests' with a lot of native plants for shelter and screening and to feed the birds, and also some productive species. I have put in (in no particular order) lilipillies (narrow leaf), coolamon, native ginger, lemon myrtle, pepinos, native frangipani,  finger lime, babaco, Davidson's plum, native gardenia, red cedar, leatherwood and variety of understorey plants, like wood strawberries, dianellas and lomandra.

In the front yard (south facing) I have planted three varieties of European plum, a strawberry guava, a persimmon, a productive crab appple and two blue berries.

In the rear yard I have planted a quince, apricot, loquat, lime, lemon, orange, tamarillo, feijoa, nashi, two dwarf apples and two 'ballerina' apples, a dwarf peach (trixie), fig, pomegranate, a viariety of berries (including jostaberry and red currant) and even chanced a banana tree (doing surprisingly well).

I am also growing productive water plants in various basins etc, including water cress, and I am going to try water chestnuts.

As well there's plenty of herbs and also vegies tucked into odd corners.

So far so good!

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