Woronora, NSW

A lovely couple in Woronora wanted to make the most of a little sunny spot beside the house, growing vegetables close to the kitchen in a tall bed that asks for no bending, no digging and no weeding. On the steep, leafy valley blocks that make Woronora so pretty, flat and easy-to-work ground is often in short supply — which is exactly where a raised bed earns its place.

We built this one tall and set it right by the house, bringing the soil up to a comfortable height a few steps from the kitchen door. It's a wicking bed with a built-in composter, so it holds its own water in a reservoir underneath and feeds the plants from below while the composter turns household scraps back into soil — two quiet systems keeping it productive with barely any input.

The sheltered, sunny pocket suits a good range of crops, and through the drier months the reservoir keeps everything evenly watered without a daily hose. Down in the Woronora valley, where the surrounding bush shades much of the block, lifting the veggies into the light like this is the difference between a struggling patch and a productive one.

We use durable, food-safe timber built to last years on a tricky riverside site without rotting or needing sealing. If you've a sloping or shaded block in Woronora, Bonnet Bay or elsewhere in the Sutherland Shire, we'd love to help you find the right spot for a self-watering bed.