Merrylands, NSW

A forward-thinking strata in Merrylands wanted to give their diverse residents an in-house community garden, so we installed these beds on a second-floor communal terrace and pre-planted half the growing area with a seasonal planting package to get things off to a flying start. It's a genuine shared kitchen garden, right where people live.

Western Sydney runs hotter and drier than the coast, with long stretches of summer heat that punish conventional beds and pots, so a self-watering bed that keeps water in reserve is well matched to the Merrylands climate. Each is a wicking bed, holding its water in a sealed reservoir and feeding the roots from below, so the garden shrugs off heatwaves and the odd missed watering — important when the upkeep is shared among busy residents. Being fully lined, they also give a rooftop terrace the drainage control it needs.

Built at an accessible height with a composter included, the beds are easy for residents of all ages to use and keep fed from their own scraps. Together they turn an underused terrace into a productive, sociable space that needs very little tending.

We use kiln-dried, vegetable-grade timber with a food-safe finish, made to last years of shared use in an exposed rooftop position. If your strata, workplace or community group in Merrylands or Western Sydney would like a low-maintenance shared vegetable garden, we'd love to help you plan it.