Enjoy Your Garden

It is estimated that 25 per cent of household water is used in the garden, which makes the garden a great place to start gradually introducing more water conservation practices.

Step 1 - Prepare Your Soil

Know Your Soil Type

Soil is the key to a thriving garden, so start by scooping up some in your hand and taking a good look at it to determine the type of soil you’re working with.  

There are two types of soil typically found in Melbourne.

Heavy clay or younger basalts:

• occur in the inner and western areas of Melbourne, from Richmond to Altona and as far west as Werribee
• are dark and reddish brown
• are rich in nutrients but drain poorly and often crack when dry.

Local sands:

• dark loams, clays and local sands are more commonly found closer to the CBD
• sands have excellent structure yet poor water holding capacity.

Add Compost

No matter what type of soil you have, it can be dramatically improved with organic matter such as compost.

To create your own compost, use kitchen and garden waste layers, and aerate well. Add worms which are readily available from your local nursery to speed up the process, and remember to turn over regularly. Or pick up a bag from your local nursery.

By regularly adding compost to your soil you will boost the soil structure, aid water retention and transform a poorer soil into a rich organic loam.

For clay soils – add compost to the top layer of the soil.

For local sands – lightly dig it in.

Then Add Mulch

A layer of mulch can reduce evaporation by up to 70 per cent and gives valuable protection to your plants' roots by controlling weed growth.

There are many types of mulch available and the best ones come from recycled organics such as leaf mulch, plantation timber chips and recycled green waste.

The best time to add mulch is after spring rains but before summer. To apply, dampen the soil first and then spread a layer around 7cm (or 3 inches) thick.

With your soil taken care of, it’s time to choose the most suitable plants, which brings us to Step 2 - Select Your Plants. 

• How do you make compost?

  1. Place your compost bin or heap on soil, not concrete, so it drains well and the worms and bacteria can enter the bin to decompose the waste.

  2. All compost bins or heaps need a balance of materials that:

  • are high in nitrogen, such as blood and bone or chicken manure
  • contain carbon, such as dried leaves or shredded newspapers
  • contain both carbon and nitrogen, such as kitchen scraps, pea straw and green garden prunings.

  3. To maintain your compost:

  • add water, but only enough so that the contents are moist but not wet
  • regularly turn the compost to add oxygen
  • put it in a sunny place to keep it warm.