Terraced garden ideas for your home

Tackle a steep, hilly or sloped yard by transforming it into a cascading series of mini gardens—terraced garden ideas you’ll love

Terraced garden ideas for your home

Have you got a steep and unleveled garden? Maybe your home is on a plot with an incline? Create a unique outdoor living space by organising and levelling that steep slope into terraces. A terraced garden is simply a series of small gardens on different levels that not only make it look pretty but also help to prevent erosion.

By turning a slope into a terraced garden you basically multiply the available space. It allows you to play with levels in a dynamic and dimensional way. Designing a series of interconnected, multi-level garden beds adds a lot of character to the space. And the result can be a wonderfully dramatic garden with a stage-like, amphitheatre feeling.

This means you can create separate zones with individual purposes, such as decks or patios, bench seating, a firepit area, ponds and pools. So let’s jump in and look at tips for creating a gorgeous multi-level terraced garden full of visual drama.

terraced-garden-modern
Source: Photo by Meritt Thomas on Unsplash

1. Plant for the conditions

So many of our homes are concentrated along Australia’s coastline. It makes sense to fill your terraced garden with plants chosen specifically for their structural strength to withstand the elements. Even if you don’t have a coastal garden, it’s a good idea to plant the levels of your terraced garden with plants that offer good natural structural support. Consider: Westringia, Miscanthus and Lavender.

2. Go for pleasing organic, rounded forms

Adding timber decking to levels of your terraced garden? Stay true to the natural contours of land and space with curved decking. This will keep your terraced garden looking well-defined but still appearing to sit naturally in its context.

3. Maximise the space

Having several levels really maximises the available planting space. Aim for orderly layers of solid plantings in a harmonious colour scheme so that everything looks neat. Have a three-layer terraced garden? Try chalk stick succulents at the top, have a waterfall of Dichondra ‘Silver Falls’ in the middle, and a tall cardboard palm at the base for dimension.

4. Match inside and out

Build your terraced garden retaining walls in the same materials as your home itself keeps the indoors connected to the outdoors.

5. Terrace with grasses

Ornamental grasses look beautiful in a terraced garden as they stir and sway in the breeze, and the more layers, the better. Overlapping terraces full of low-maintenance grasses and shrubs soften up the hard lines of structures. And they provide pleasing hypnotic movement.

6. Play with water

Water features always create visual interest in a garden but they are especially well suited to terraced gardens. Little waterfalls or fountains complement the idea of a slope. Gravity making water trickle downhill just seems natural. You might even want to incorporate your water feature into your irrigation and drainage system.

7. Decide if you need steps

Authentic, formal terraced gardens traditionally include numerous sets of stairs at varying angles. This is intended to allow for journeying through different spaces. Consider your needs: do you wish to wander through your garden or just view it from afar? Do you need access for maintenance? This will help you decide if you need to add steps.

terraced-garden-stone-walls
Source: Photo by Frédéric Barriol on Unsplash

8. Go for parallel lines

If you love a neat, linear look, have parallel tiers. Tiers created by stone retaining walls or rows of trees and hedges in a terraced garden result in a series of horizontal parallel lines. These are very visually pleasing.

9. Have multiple zones

Gardens are not the only option for your terraced space—you can also include little social spaces on different levels. One of the advantages of working with terraces is that you can create all those individual zones that make the space dynamic and functional. For example, you might feature banquette seating along textured stone walls to complete a dining setting. Or, have a spot to warm up outside for cooler nights or winter entertaining. Here are my favourite fire pit ideas that you can use in your garden.

See more outdoor dining ideas with these patio ideas and alfresco ideas.

terraced-garden-social-spaces
Source: Photo by Randy Fath on Unsplash

10. Add turning points

Consider adding little steps that change direction as you traverse the levels. It makes for a dynamic and interesting composition in a small terraced garden. Rather than have a steep straight up and down set of steps, ones that make the odd turn are both pleasing to the eye and safer.

11. Light it up

Highlight your gorgeous terraced garden with clever landscape lighting. It might be solar or wall lights, garden lanterns or a string of festoon lights. Either way, adding illumination will give depth to your levels and put the focus on your feature plants.

Lighting such as recessed LED strips can also help make obvious where changes in levels occur, improving the safety of steps. Speak to an expert landscape lighting designer to work out a plan for your garden needs.

12. Have a terraced veggie garden

Classic terraced gardens often take the form of a semi-circular, amphitheatre shape, with terraces on either side of a set of steps. Why not plant up a terraced garden veggie patch with mint, chives, chard and tomatoes? Locate it right outside the back door for easy access for the cook.

Terraced gardens are ideal for growing herbs and veggies as they enable you to section off different kinds of plants very easily. But the beds stay close enough so that you can take advantage of things like gravity irrigation systems or companion planting. If you’ve always wanted an edible garden, a tiered set-up might be just right for you. Check out our tips on how to grow herbs on your balcony.

13. Add planter boxes

Plants in containers or boxes will soften up the hard lines of a structured terraced garden.

If you need some help from an expert in planter boxes, you can always find a local to give you hand.

Women gardener watering plants. Container vegetables gardening. Vegetable garden on a terrace
Source: Shutterstock

14. Use visual tricks

Not only do the levels of a terraced garden themselves create more space. But you can also take advantage of optical illusions that make the total space appear even larger. Clever landscaping of a terraced garden means it can seem to have a lot more space and depth than it actually has. Dimension can be achieved through a mix of textured plantings and a wandering pathway.

Modern backyard with oriental inspired background
Source: Shutterstock

15.Have steps as a design feature

Smaller or less steep terraces have less of a need for retaining walls and structural support. They might be able to get away with just a few steps with gentle, low rises. Extra-wide steps emphasise the horizontal surfaces, contributing to a luxurious sense of spaciousness.

terraced-garden-stairs
Source: Photo by Risto Kokkonen on Unsplash

16. Plant low maintenance succulents

Accessibility to all your levels is a factor with terraced garden design. Steps and platforms can help you reach those tricky spots. However, you can make your life even easier by planting up a variety of drought-tolerant succulents and grasses. It’s a great idea as this will reduce your maintenance and therefore access needs. And succulents can look absolutely stunning when arranged in mass plantings and mixed with rocks.

17. Make it classic

Having symmetrical garden beds either side of a set of steps is a classic terraced garden look and provides easy access to all levels of the garden. If you’d like some inspo on other kinds of raised garden beds, see also our article full of amazing raised garden bed ideas.

terraced-garden-levels
Source: Photo by Elvira Visser on Unsplash

18. Define the steps

It’s a good idea to draw attention to the edges of your steps or pathway for safety purposes. And what better way to do it than to let little flowering groundcovers take hold between them?

19. Consider your watering needs

It may be that some upper levels of your terraced garden are just for aesthetic purposes. In that case, it can sometimes be tricky to reach the highest parts for hand-watering purposes and installing an irrigation system will be the go. Luckily drip irrigation systems can be made easier in terraced gardens thanks to natural gravity.

20. Go for continuity

In planning a terraced garden, think about continuity so that you are keeping a similar visual style both indoors and outdoors. This helps extend the living space out beyond the house itself for a cohesive aesthetic. You can unify the two spaces through colours, materials and even the kind of furniture you add.

Elegant garden furniture on terrace of suburban home
Source: Shutterstock

21. Embrace a natural look

You can create terraces with many different kinds of materials, including rocks and boulders. Mini retaining walls made from limestone rocks can be used like dams. They’ll trap rain preventing soil erosion, which is one of the main advantages of terracing.

22. Keep it simple

A simple two-layer retaining wall set up is an easy way to help stop erosion in a sloped front yard. By turning the slope into several gentler steps, the rain gets trapped instead of running off. Choose an attractive textured stone that complements your home exterior. Plant hardy, low maintenance plants that will dominate over weeds so you don’t need to spend as much time out the front weeding. Or, hire someone else to handle your garden maintenance!

terraced-garden-gentle-slope
Source: Photo by Jakob Rubner on Unsplash

23. Go for structure and order

Terracing helps turn a ramshackle hillside into a sleek contemporary design, with retaining walls providing structure and order. Retaining walls can come in such a wide variety of looks and materials. And your site conditions and needs, as well as personal taste, will guide your choice. Common materials include timber, stone, brick or concrete.

24. Make it functional and aesthetic

Natural stone retaining walls in steeply terraced gardens have the added benefit of acting as a neutral background to feature plants. The contrasting colour really breaks up a planting to highlight focal plants. For example, a limestone retaining wall looks striking paired with a coastal planting. And this will also helps protect a seaside home from powerful winds.

25. Play with colour

You might like to go for a sea of blues and greens with a succulent planting. Or, perhaps a harmonious soft-hued palette of pink and lavender flowers. If you have a particular colour scheme in mind, why not speak with an expert in garden planting who can help you bring your vision to life.

Fresh flowers in clay pots on wooden summer terrace
Source: Shutterstock

26. Reshape a site

Rather than have retaining walls installed, you can create a gentle gradient by mounding soil to reshape a site’s contours. Adding other elements like chunky granite steps or bluestone stepping stones can also rework an existing site’s form.

27. Terrace around a tree

When planning your terraced garden and assessing existing features, consider whether ripping out mature trees is a good idea. It may have an effect on your site’s integrity by causing ground movement. A garden terraced around a tree can also look very charming.

28. Terrace around a pool

Repetition of materials ensures all the elements and levels of a modern terraced backyard stay tied together. For example, have a pool as part of your terraced garden? Make the decking the same shade of timber as your stairs, timber bench seating or even Adirondack chairs.

For more decking inspo, you might also like to see our article on decking ideas.

29. Mix blooms and boulders

Finally–forget order and neatness, how about a chaotic cascade of colour bursting out around your steps or rocks? It’s a gorgeous and romantic aesthetic.

Challenges and considerations

Of course, there are some constraints when it comes to creating a garden on a slope. You won’t just be able to start slicing into the hillside or removing existing trees and shrubs with abandon. Careful planning is needed to avoid damaging the integrity and stability of the site—who wants mudslides? You’ll need to think about the placement of retaining walls and a planting scheme that’s sympathetic to the hilly location.

Towards the bottom of a slope, you’ll add plants that can tolerate damper soil where the moisture tends to pool after rain. At the top, you’ll plant more dry-tolerant plants. Always look for deep-rooting plants to help with stability. Adding rocks and groundcovers helps anchor soil. And planting trees that create a network of roots helps bind and strengthen the levels. For help with your garden design, you might like to speak to a local expert.

terraced-garden-retaining-walls
Source: Photo by Juan Burgos on Unsplash

Retaining walls are common for terraced gardens as they turn an incline into smaller increments with less soil pressure. This means less erosion when it rains. A structural engineer is essential to design a retaining wall that has the right stability and strength. If you have a very steep site, it will usually benefit from site grading as well. Drainage is also crucial to get right to avoid damaging retaining walls. You might also wish to include an irrigation system that will help water slowly flow to the lower levels. This will let you avoid a labour-intensive watering regime.

Accessibility is important to address as well. If you plant up a slope you’ll need to be able to access all areas for maintenance or for the enjoyment of social spaces. This may mean adding steps, paths or ramps.

But as you can see from all the wonderful terraced garden ideas above, there are so many ways you could design a gorgeous terraced garden. Do you prefer the symmetry and order of a sequenced arrangement of parallel terraces? Or perhaps you like a more asymmetrical, organic look? Let me know in the comments below!

Apartment balcony inspiration

Taking in the city skyline from your apartment balcony is an enjoyable way to pass the time. Whether your balcony "Apartment balcony inspiration"

Apartment balcony inspiration

Taking in the city skyline from your apartment balcony is an enjoyable way to pass the time. Whether your balcony is open or closed, small or large, you can style it and make it functional for many different pass times. Here’s some apartment balcony inspiration.

wooden flooring apartment balcony
Source: Pinterest

Beautiful apartment balcony gardens

Having some greenery on your balcony is magic; it’s good for the soul and looks beautiful. You can get very creative with designing an apartment balcony garden that suits you.  Having vertical gardens, planters that hang on balcony railings, potted plants and mini urban vegetable gardens are some great ways to achieve a sense of nature. Succulents are big right now, and the cactus is making a comeback; you’ve got so many options!

Airtasker have fantastic garden experts available to help you design, establish and maintain your apartment balcony garden. Also, if you’re into growing your own vegetables and herbs, check out our advice on apartment vegetable gardening.

apartment balcony garden inspiration
Source: Pinterest

Create some privacy

If you can see straight into your neighbour’s apartment, they can probably see right into yours. The addition of a privacy screen will give you a little extra seclusion, especially in built up areas. You can purchase privacy screens, or create your own stylish aesthetic by planting bamboo, building up a vertical garden or training crawling jasmine around the edge of your balcony railings. Leave a little space so you don’t completely block out the sunshine, or have your screen mobile.

apartment balcony privacy
Source: City Farmhouse

Designated ‘chill zone’

We love the idea of positioning a comfortable little day bed on your balcony so you can relax and unwind in your own dreamy balcony enclave.  There are some beautifully made weatherproof day beds and outdoor sofa options around. Style your ‘chill zone’ with the addition of a little side table or drink holder, some scatter cushions and a soft throw. It’ll be the perfect place to get into a good book, or admire the horizon on sunset with a glass of wine.

apartment balcony day bed
Source: Sea of Shoes

Laze back in a hammock

Alright, this probably belonged in the ‘chill zone’ section, but who can beat a hammock? If it’s not possible to be strung between two coconut palms on a tropical island, then why not on your balcony? If you really wanted the whole resort style shebang, you could have a little wading pool on your balcony too.

apartment balcony hammock
Source: NORD no.27

Create an entertainer’s nook

All you need to create the ultimate entertainer’s nook is a drinks cart, along with a little mountable bench or table for nibbles, and some fun lighting. Invite your guests to take a seat on your carefully chosen outdoor chairs, or scatter some cushions around so they can lean back against the wall and look up at the night sky while taking in the intelligent conversation. If you’ve got the space, a small BBQ will fit right in too!

apartment balcony entertainer's nook
Source: BLOGLOVIN’

Bring the backyard to the balcony

Have you got a boring cement slab balcony on the second floor?  You don’t have to feel limited to working with what you’ve got; all you need is a little inspiration!  You could liven it up by creating a ‘patio’ with some temporary wooden flooring, or by laying down some faux grass (this is very trendy according to every rooftop bar there ever was in Melbourne!).

apartment balcony grass astro-turf
Image credit: nellygoing via Buzzfeed

We hope you’ve enjoyed these ideas, and would love to hear more suggestions from you on how to redesign and fall in love with your apartment balcony.

Summer gardening tips

It's hot and dry or humid and wet. So how do we look after our garden in summer?

Summer gardening tips

Summer is almost here! Your lawn is probably growing like crazy already, and staying on top of maintenance at this time of year can be time-consuming. Here are some tips to help make Summer gardening a breeze.

Water your garden efficiently

In most regions of Australia, our Summers are a little on the warm side. Heat and evaporation rates are at their peak during the middle of the day, which can cause your plants to stress and wilt. It’s best to water your plants and lawn either first thing in the morning, or later in the afternoon. This way, the water will have a better chance to soak into the ground, instead of evaporating straight away. Giving your thirsty garden a decent drink at cooler times of the day is also an efficient use of water.

summer gardening watering
Source: Homestructions

Bee-friendly summer gardening

A lot of fruit and vegetables in your garden probably require bee pollination. This Summer, attract bees to your garden to pollinate your fruit and vegetables by refraining from using harmful pesticides, and by planting bee-friendly flowering plants – this will help bulk their food supply up. Not only will your crops grow, but you’ll help save the bees!

Set up an irrigation system

Setting up an irrigation system is a great afternoon project, and can be very cost effective when you do it yourself.  You can tailor your design and materials to best suit your garden needs; options include sprayers, sprinklers, drippers and more. The very brief version of the instructions is that you would start by measuring out your garden and map out your irrigation system design. You’d then choose your materials, measure out your water flow and start assembling. To make your irrigation system easy and water efficient, you could add an automated timer attachment to your tap so you don’t miss (or forget) the optimal watering timeslot.

Bunnings have some great tutorials for planning your irrigation system, and installing your irrigation system. If you’d rather not spend your weekend installing polytube, there are plenty of Airtasker garden maintenance professionals available who would be happy to do this for you.

summer gardening irrigation
Source: Gardener’s Supply Company

Weeding the pavers around the patio and pool area

How frustrating is it when the pavers around your patio or pool area get overgrown with weeds in the warmer months? Most people put gap sand between pavers to prevent this (and set pavers in place), but after a while, weather can wash it away and weeds creep back up. Environbond suggests a step-by-step way to resolve this issue when it occurs:

  1. Start by removing any large weeds by hand.
  2. Use a rough broom or pressure washer to brush or blast the smaller weeds out.
  3. Follow up by applying a solution of white vinegar and boiling water to help kill any remaining roots.
  4. Allow the area to dry then fill the gaps in-between the pavers with sand to prevent weeds from re-sprouting.

summer gardening pavers
Source: manoswelt

Cut your lawn a little longer

Grass grows at a much faster rate in Summer and you may be tempted to mow it as short as possible to avoid having to do it so regularly, but your lawn will keep in much better condition if cut a bit longer. Having your lawn a little longer will actually suppress weeds and bindi growth (Coleby-Williams, J.).

We hope you enjoy these summer gardening tips. Once you’ve got your garden in its Summer prime, you’ll want to have guests over, so have a look at these summer outdoor entertaining ideas.

Indoor gardening ideas

Indoor gardening is a great way to achieve a stylish look, and mood enhancing sense of tranquility. Having plants indoors "Indoor gardening ideas"

Indoor gardening ideas

Indoor gardening is a great way to achieve a stylish look, and mood enhancing sense of tranquility. Having plants indoors not only brings a room to life; it helps with air quality. Here are some beautiful indoor gardening ideas to try at home, the office, or even in the little café you’ve been dreaming about opening.

vertical indoor gardening
Source: woo home

Terrariums

Terrariums are gorgeous placed on a table or hanging from the ceiling (and they make great gifts)!  The word ‘terrarium’ is used to describe a miniature garden in a container, often made of glass and usually sealed, but can also refer to open-air containers.  They can be soil based, soil-free, sand based or water based.

water terrarium indoor gardening
Source: Etsy

You can purchase pre-established terrariums from garden centers, gift shops and online, or you can enjoy making your own. Get creative and try using random glass objects, such as a light bulb, water jug, or fish bowl, and fill them with succulents, indoor ferns, air plants, moss and florals.

indoor gardening terrariums
Source: Uncovet Blog

Vertical gardening

Bring your indoor area to life by installing a vertical garden. Vertical gardens are perfect for those with little space. Often mounted or hanging, you can choose to utilise your vertical garden for purely aesthetic purposes, or make it into your own little indoor herb or vegetable garden.

herbs vertical indoor gardening
Source: The Domestic Heart

vertical indoor gardening
Source: Karma Stream

Living walls

Living walls, or green walls are the ‘next level’ in vertical gardening. You can create a fixed or moveable feature wall with tumbling greenery, or brightly coloured flowering plants. Make it extra special by installing some down lights or water-proof fairy lights that you can switch on in the evening.

Depending on your design, to set up a living green wall, you might need a:

  • Free-standing or mountable structure
  • Layer of water-proofing (plastic) to protect the wall behind
  • Layer of fabric for your plants to grow on, and
  • A drip irrigation system with appropriate drainage.

Once you’ve got the structure sorted out, you can then select and install your plants.

Airtasker have some very talented gardening professionals available to set your green wall up for you.

living green wall indoor gardening
Source: studio m interior design

Suspended indoor gardening ideas

Suspended indoor gardens and upside down gardens are stunning indoor gardening ideas that will make your space feel extravagant.  Imagine the serenity of having a rainforest canopy above your floating kitchen bench, or in the middle of your family room.

suspended indoor gardening
Source: Happy Interior Blog

suspended indoor gardening
Source: woo home

Upcycled planters

Mason jars, glass jugs, light bulbs, old lanterns and vintage trunks are all perfect items to recycle and revitalise by using as a planter for your indoor garden. Hunt down inspiration on Pinterest and head to your local second hand store to find a bargain item in need of some upcycling love.

indoor gardening tulips planter
Source: Pinterest

lightbulb indoor gardening
Source: 1001 gardens

Succulents

Succulents do exceptionally well in most indoor gardening situations. They come in a wonderful variety of shapes, sizes and colours and are generally readily available at gardening centers and nurseries.

succulents indoor gardening
Source: Stagetecture

Air plants

Tillandsia (a.k.a air plants) are the brown-thumb’s best friend; they literally need hardly any attention because they thrive on oxygen (hint: over-watering will kill them). However, due to recent changes in import restrictions, they are not so easy to get in store anymore. When sourcing air plants, it’s best to purchase them online from a specialist retailer like Air Plant Décor, who will package your plant up delicately and have it delivered with full care instructions. Place them in terrariums or on unique air plant holders.

air plants indoor gardeningSource: Craft Organic

air plant indoor gardening
Source: Idle Hands Awake

Love our indoor gardening ideas, or have a few ideas of your own you’d love to share with us?  Let us know in the comments below!

How to grow vegetables in your apartment

Apartment living has it’s perks; no lawn to mow, no garden beds to weed. It is nice to have the "How to grow vegetables in your apartment"

How to grow vegetables in your apartment

Apartment living has it’s perks; no lawn to mow, no garden beds to weed. It is nice to have the satisfaction of growing your own vegetables though. Whether you’ve just got an indoor area, a small balcony, or if you’re lucky enough to have a rooftop, you’ll find there are a number of vegetable gardening ideas that will suit your apartment.

potato apartment vegetables
Source: Pinterest

Here’s how to grow vegetables in your apartment

1. Container planting

Container planting is a great option for growing vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, bush tomatoes, climbing beans, root vegetables, lettuce and salad leaves. Containers come in all different shapes, sizes and materials. Do some homework on the required growing conditions of whatever it is you’d like to plant to and check the size required. The best thing about container planting is if you do move out, you can take your crop with you.

Wooden planters – construct your own using old pallets (often free from industrial sites if you ask politely) or find some gorgeous planter ideas online

vegetables gardening wooden planter
Source: Pinterest

Need some help putting your wooden planter together? Get some help from an Airtasker handyman in your neighbourhood.

Plastics planters – plastic pots are cheap and readily available from gardening and hardware stores, or you can recycle old plastic bottles to make your own apartment planters

vegetables gardening plastic planters softdrink bottles
Source: Just Imagine

Terracotta and ceramic pots – they look great, especially for things like citrus and olives – but beware they can get a bit heavy

cauliflower vegetables terracotta pot
Source: Balcony Garden Web

Smart pots – made from porous, lightweight material, they encourage drainage and root growth, and can be washed and folded up when not needed

Tip: A small hessian bag will work just as well for planting potatoes.

smart pot vegetables gardening
Source: Nutriculture

3. Herbs and micro-herbs in tins

Use old tin cans and biscuits tins to house herbs and micro herbs. Although they’re not technically vegetables, they are perfect for growing indoors and outdoors in apartments.

vegetables herbs tin gardening
Source: Pinterest

4. ‘No dig’ wheelbarrow veggie patch

A wheelbarrow is a fantastic way to create a mini, movable vegetable patch that you can chase the sun with. The ‘no dig’ or ‘lasagna’ (layered) method of preparing a garden bed will work great for this style of gardening as it provides maximum nutrients with little effort to maintain. Follow the steps below to get started:

Step 1
Scout out a pre-loved wheelbarrow at a second hand store or pick up a cheap one from a gardening and hardware retailer. Make sure you bring your wheelbarrow to your balcony or rooftop before filling, otherwise it will be too heavy to move.

Step 2
Create some drainage by either drilling holes in the base (you’ll need to keep a container underneath the wheelbarrow to catch any excess water that leaks through), or by filling the bottom few inches with light stones.

wheelbarrow vegetables
Source: Lushome

Step 3
Prepare the ‘no dig’ garden bed:

  1. Start with a layer of newspaper – wet it
  2. Add a layer of mulch – lucerne hay or sugar cane mulch works well
  3. Add a layer of manure – chicken, cow or horse manure work well for vegetable growing
  4. Add a layer of straw
  5. Add another layer of manure (clearly this type of gardening is best kept to outdoor areas)
  6. Add a layer of good compost
  7. Depending on how deep your wheelbarrow is, repeat

Check out the ABC’s step by step guide to No Dig gardening. If you’d rather leave the garden bed construction (read: manure layering) to someone else, get an Airtasker gardening professional to help you out.

Step 4
Plant your vegetables. It’s up to you to decide if you want to start with seeds or seedlings (for beginner gardeners, seedlings are a great head start). You can even use vegetable scraps from your crisper; they’ll do remarkably well! Try celery, shallots, carrots, lettuce and chili.

5. Root vegetables in glass

Make a masterpiece out of your indoor vegetable garden by planting brightly coloured root vegetables or herbs in a glass jar or container. Start collecting mason jars, vases or vintage jugs and try planting a spring mix of carrots, spring onions and raddish. Most root systems prefer to be kept in the dark while the leaves enjoy a little light, so tinted glass containers are ideal for planting vegetables and herbs that require a decent amount of sunlight.

herbs vegetables mason jars
Source: Wonderful DIY

Strawberries 

Not technically a vegetable, but so great to grow in an apartment that we couldn’t leave them out!  Strawberries do well in containers or hanging baskets. There are even varieties that require no sun and can be completely grown indoors, such as the Alpine variety.

Mushrooms

Don’t have much sunlight available? No worries! Mushrooms love cool, dark places. Get a complete starter kit online for as little as $20 (Enfield Produce Pet and Garden Supplies).

mushroom kit vegetables
Source: Mushroom Kit

Have you got any more fantastic vegetable gardening ideas suitable for apartment living? Leave us a comment below.

Beginner’s guide to: Gardening

If you’re embarking on your first gardening project and you’re not sure where to start, our beginner gardening tips will "Beginner’s guide to: Gardening"

Beginner’s guide to: Gardening

If you’re embarking on your first gardening project and you’re not sure where to start, our beginner gardening tips will help you succeed.  Knowing where to start, planning and understanding your garden design will be the key to your success. Before you get down to the local landscaping store, there are a few considerations you need to make.

gardening roses and bench seats
Source: Pinterest

What type of gardening do you want to enjoy?

How do you want to use your garden? Are you doing some landscaping to finish off a newly constructed home, or giving your existing garden a facelift? Will this space be used as an entertaining area, children’s play area, veggie patch or chook pen? Do you want to build a feature garden? Understanding the purpose of your garden will help you plan the design.

tuscan gardening
Source: Pinterest

Landscaping and layout

Think about the space you have and how you might make the most out of it by carefully planning the layout. Garden goers with large, country back yards are blessed in their options. But if you’re in a terrace house in suburban Sydney and don’t have more than a 4 meter squared courtyard, you’ll need to be a little bit smarter with what you have. Draw up your design and experiment. Yates have a really handy Virtual Garden tool that you can use; it takes in to account your climate, garden size, what type of garden you’re interested in, and your level of gardening expertise.

Design ideas

A little bit of design inspiration never goes astray. Again, thinking about the space and how you want to use it, seek out plants, grass, garden accessories and possibly even outdoor furniture to complete your design. Are you into water features? Would a flower arch complete your garden’s English tea party look? Would a grape vine work nicely with a Tuscan theme? Landscaping centers often have mini display gardens that you can walk through, and there is plenty of design inspiration online.

beehive gardening
Image credit: Harold Lloyd
Source: Homestead Revival
Get your own homegrown honey by having a quaint little back yard beehive.

wheelbarrow flower gardening
Source: Italia Post
Find an old wheelbarrow in a second hand store and bring it to life with some brightly coloured flowers.

We also have some great small backyard design ideas and quirky garden design ideas for you to look at.

Drainage and ground preparation

When planning your garden, don’t forget to consider things like drainage and ground preparation. You don’t want half of your backyard flooded and turning in to a mud puddle every time you get a sprinkling of rain. You may need to level the ground, dig it out, and even prepare the soil if it’s lacking nutrients. If you have a bit of labouring work ahead of you, think about when the right time to do it will be; there’s no point in scheduling a landscaping job in the ‘wet season’ (okay, ‘wet weeks’ in Australia); mud and rain won’t allow for much productivity.

lawn and turf gardening
Source: DIY Network

Read up on what you are planting

Research is key for beginner green thumbs. Know whether the plants, grass, flowers, vegetables, etc. you are interested in will do well in your climate, how to care for them, and what their maintenance requirements are. For example, how much water does Sir Walter grass need? Will it do well in a hot climate? How much sun does it need? What are the best conditions for laying turf and how long will it take to settle?

Tip: ‘Sun-mapping’ is a thing – how much sun does your garden actually get and where? Spend a day outside to find out.

sunshine gardening
Source: Thiên nhiên

Spacing plants appropriately

When designing a dream garden, something many enthusiastic beginners neglect to think about is spacing of plants. If you’re constructing a tropical paradise of different varieties of palm trees to surround your pool, anticipate for them to get big. They’ll drop fronds, seeds and maybe even coconuts; they can grow over roofs, pools and block gutters. Do some research on the species you want to use and space plants appropriately; they grow.

Maintenance

Once you’ve established your garden, to keep it looking amazing you’ll need to have a good maintenance routine in place. Think about this in the planning stage. Consider:

  • Lawn care – aerating, watering and mowing
  • Weeding
  • Hedging
  • Pruning
  • Fertilising
  • Cleaning (e.g. bird baths)
  • Pest control
  • Irrigation, sprinklers
  • Gardening tools and equipment, e.g. hoses, shovels, etc.

gardening hose
Source: hey there, home

Budget check

Budget check = Reality check.  Now that you’ve got your design planned out, measure out your requirements (i.e. 10 meters squared of that beautiful Sir Walter turf) and cost it out before you get started. Don’t forget to consider ongoing maintenance costs as well; think in terms of money, time and effort.

Get ready to get started!

By having a good, well planned garden design, you’ll be on the right path to green thumb success. If you’ve identified certain tasks that you’d like to do yourself, think about your skills and experience and consider watching some online videos, or getting advice from a professional before you start. If for example, you don’t want to level the backyard or lay turf yourself, Airtasker have plenty of landscaping professionals available to assist. Get a free quote today.