Visit Howrah Mandy 2026

 Visit Howrah Mandy 2026

A warm summer's day and a delightful garden greeted us for the the Southern Food Garden Group's February visit to Mandy's in Howrah. Mandy moved here about three years ago, and we were all astonished to see how she has managed to change the garden from a 'blank canvas' with mainly grass to this thriving plot with flowers everywhere and the vegie components well underway too!

Here is an illustration of the transformation Mandy managed to achieve.

The front of the house before she moved in:

And this is the same area now:

Mandy has planted a native garden on the verge (which faces west) for biodiversity as well as a wind break. She also planted some deciduous trees (including fruit trees) for shade and cooling. The lawn was replaced by garden beds; this uses less water and requires less maintenance.

Also in the front yard, among many other things, there are three apples and two pears espaliered along the fence. After a great first year, their second season was less productive due to dry, cold and windy spring weather. A watering system is being planned. There is always hope for a big harvest next time!

Then there is the berry arbour, where Mandy grows her blueberries, raspberries and thornless blackberries in tree bags . Netting can be attached to the arbours to protect crops as they ripen. The arbours are from Temple and Webster. As is this lovely glide seat, where Mandy intends to sit in the shade of the kiwifuit and clematis to enjoy the flowers and produce around her.

For the moment, Mandy grows her vegies in a basic raised bed set-up from Bunnings. They are not wicking beds, so they need watering every day.

She also had vegetables growing in Vegepods in her backyard, but these recently had to go to make room for her lath house. The Vegepods did very well initially, but had some issues with draining and contaminated potting mix. Also, they have to be placed to allow room for the hinged lids to open. They will find a new home in the front yard, with some extra drainage holes.

 

Her ultimate plan for the rest of the veggies are these clever things. They are called Food Cubes. Compared to Vegepods they have a deeper growing space and can hold more water, they can be joined together and they have a water level indicator that can be rotated to reduce water level or even drain the tank. They are less mobile than the Vegepods though, so they are better for a permanent set-up. 

The lath house is the newest addition to the backyard. It is attached to the existing potting shed and currently houses a nice bonsai collection and will be used in the future for plant propagation as well. It has been clad with Ekodeck cladding so it does not need to be painted.

View of the lath house from the back verandah.

The potting shed /workshop / craft / flower arranging studio (and girl-cave) was there when Mandy bought the house. It has been given a thorough make-over. Is was a very nice space for the morning tea!

We all had a marvelous time exploring this inspiring garden transformation and chatting with gardening friends.

The produce table was laden with good stuff and many people went home with a treasure or two. Thanks everyone for contributing and sharing!

A big thank you also to Mandy for opening her garden to us. We can't wait to come back in a few years' time to see what further marvels have eventuated!