Establishing a new garden takes a bit of work, regardless of the garden-bed style you choose. To keep things fun and manageable, we highly recommend biting off only what you can comfortably chew. If all you think you can manage at the moment to establish and take care of is a 2 square metre bed, go for it! It doesn’t have to be a perfect garden that lasts forever. If you feel like you need a bit of support, or you want to share this learning experience with friends, a great way to kickstart your new garden is to organise some snacks and invite a few friends over for a weekend gardening working bee.
Building and maintaining a healthy soil structure
Once you have chosen your site, think about your soil. The way you prepare and maintain your growing beds will help to enhance the health of your soil.
For the soil’s biology to function properly, and for plant roots to be able to colonise the bed quickly, it is crucial to have sufficient air in the soil. The deeper that air can be brought into the soil, the deeper the biological community can thrive. A healthy soil structure has about 50 per cent of its volume in pores, or open space, which are usually half filled with gases and half with water. Once the soil has been loosened, you can try to avoid compacting the soil by keeping it
