One homeowner recently showed Reddit how they revived a dying yard in Australia with nine months of hard work.
The unbelievable photos were posted in April on the r/Permaculture subreddit, where users share updates about yard designs that will support themselves once complete. The post attracted comments from admiring users, who called it a "permaculture dream coming to life."
The "before" photo shows a yard in serious need of attention. The trees and bushes around the border were healthy, but the ground was bare except for patchy, dead grass.
The original poster said that soil quality was their biggest concern. According to a comment they shared to explain their process, the ground was "extremely dry and hydrophobic" — meaning the soil condition was so bad that it couldn't even absorb water.
"Spent a lot of effort on improving our soil," they said. "Added compost, organic fertilizer, and soil wetting agent, and then planted some quick growing annuals to get roots in the soil." All of these steps loosen compacted soil, allowing air and water into it, as well as adding nutrients — creating perfect growing conditions for more permanent plants.
"I cut back the annuals at the end of summer and just finished laying down compost and good quality soil where the stone path is," they added.
The "after" photo shows thriving green plants and rich brown soil over most of the open ground — and the original poster wasn't even done yet. "I've planted a heap of winter veggie and flower seeds in the compost and raised beds (which were upcycled from an old water tank)," they said in a comment. "Hopefully everything will start germinating soon!"
Their future plans were even bigger. "This coming year I'm going to work on improving my watering system, increasing the number of natives and building a wildlife pond," they said. They didn't say whether they would have help, although homeowners who want to tackle such large projects often turn to companies like Yardzen for low-maintenance and low-water yard designs.
"That looks absolutely beautiful; congratulations," said one commenter.
Another user agreed, "This looks fantastic! Well done, you, and all your hard work."
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