Chapter 1 Introduction

I moved to Margaret River in the South West of Western Australia in 2012. One of my goals was to create an edible garden that would make us self sufficient in fresh herbs, vegetables and fruit, and have chickens supplying our eggs.

In the lead up from moving from a city apartment to the country, I read like crazy and viewed many websites and videos, not only to expand my gardening knowledge but to work out what type of garden I wanted - what it would look like, how it would function, what I would grow. It was exciting to imagine my days spent picking juicy tomatoes, crisp asparagus and crunchy carrots. No more standing at the supermarket, wondering what chemicals had been sprayed on the food we were about to eat.

Permaculture was one of the subjects I was drawn to years prior so I revisited the philosophy and practical advice. I looked at many different garden designs. In the end, I chose to follow the example set by a builder on the East Coast called Chris Francis. In essence he built a large enclosure and planted his garden within a gazebo-style frame. I liked that idea so here is my story.

Chapter 2 is The Requirements. These were the essential features I wanted in my garden, which were determined well before a shovel even hit the dirt.