the backyard vegetable

the backyard vegetable is based in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne.

                      Learn by doing.  We work with you to:

The Backyard Vegetable runs a range of garden-related classes:*

Success with Seeds and Seedlings

Raising plants from seed is cheaper than buying seedlings. However it is not always easy to grow your

own plants from seed, nor when you buy a punnet of seedlings. Forgetting to water them can be tragic,

and snails can happily munch through all your newly planted seedlings in one night.

In this session we will look at some strategies for successful propagation while also giving a second life

to 'waste' materials.

The Basics of Home Vegetable Growing

Home grown vegies are fresh, delicious, and the food miles are food metres!

But growing food successfully is a skill to be learnt.

This session will cover basic information that will help.Tip: it all starts with the soil.

Backyard Zoo

A healthy garden is alive with small creatures that together make up a healthy ecosystem.

Insect populations are declining, and that makes our gardens important places of refuge for them.

In this session we will identify and wonder at some of the commonly seen insects and other small

creatures that can be found in a suburban garden.

Most insects are welcome, but some are not, so we will consider ways of of dealing with garden pests

without destroying the creatures we need.

Habitat gardening

As our suburbs lose trees and backyards become smaller habitat for native wildlife is lost, and their

populations diminish, with some species at risk of being lost altogether.

Any garden, even a small one can become a safe and welcoming stopping off point or shelter for our

local birds and insects. Learn how you can start making your patch a little wildlife oasis.

Garden Vandals

How disappointing and frustrating it is when carefully tended fruit and vegies are damaged or destroyed

by the wildlife.

This session will look at strategies for dealing with with some common garden thieves: possums, rats,

birds, insects.There are few simple solutions: bring your tips to share!

Greywater: re-using household water in the garden

Much of the water we use in our homes can be given a second go in the garden.

This session looks at how to use greywater safely: which water can be re-used, which plants it can be

used on, suitable cleaning products, and how to set up a simple, low cost greywater collection system.

Backyard Chooks

Chooks are a great addition to the backyard: they lay eggs, eat food scraps and garden pests, produce

manure, and are charming to boot!

In this session we will look at how to keep these backyard companions happy and healthy. We'll cover

housing, food, chook ailments and more.

*These classes are available for community centres, libraries,

gardening groups etc in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne.

Classes require access to projector and screen and generally run for about an hour.

('Backyard Chooks' is a longer session - about 90 minutes.)

                Above:  A no-dig vegetable bed 11 weeks after set up (January - April)

                Above:  This is what it looked like immediately after construction.*

* Not the same garden bed - the original photo has been lost...