Fuchsia’s Food Forest in Pascoe Vale
Fuchsia’s lawn took used to take two and a half hours to mow, which she always felt was a waste of time. So, she decided to do something about it and plant a productive food garden. Starting small, she had initial successes that gave her the confidence to learn more, experiment and have fun.
Her garden is based on permaculture principles – it is zoned from zero to five (with zero being closest to the house and five being the furthest away). In keeping with these principles, she has the plants needing the most attention and giving the highest yield, like vegetables, near the house.
She thinks of her chickens as one of the composting systems in the garden because they eat food scraps and produce manure and eggs that she can use. They were originally free range but now they have their own chook house at night and a large run during the day.
Her advice for those starting out is to start small and work in stages. It takes a lot of work and time to establish a garden but it should take less maintenance over time. She also recommends buying the best tools you can afford and not to be afraid of being playful and experimenting with nature’s infinite variability!
You can see the original blitz report for Fuchsia’s garden here – and a recap of our revisit in 2017 here!
