FROM SAND TO SOIL
A PERTH GARDENER’S GUIDE TO BUILDING RICH, FERTILE SOIL - NATURALLY
A$29 - 30-page guide + 12-minute video walkthrough
If you've ever watched Gardening Australia and wondered what on earth you're doing wrong - why your plants grow spindly and pale, why water runs straight off your beds - the answer is almost always the same.
Soil. They just have good soil. And you just have bad soil.
Perth soil is sandy, hydrophobic and nutritionally poor. The products the garden industry sells you to fix it (liquid fertilisers, power feeds, soil wetters) are a bandaid. They don't fix anything.
This 30-page guide shows you what actually does work: clay, compost, animal manure and mulch, added in the right order. Written specifically for Perth's conditions, not the east coast or the UK.
Over 350 Perth gardeners have already used it to build healthier soil, stronger plants and more productive gardens.
What's included:
30-page PDF guide - instant download
12-minute video walkthrough of a real Perth garden bed being improved from scratch
You'll learn:
Why Perth soil behaves the way it does
What to add and in what order to build soil structure properly
How to maintain healthy soil through summer without constant intervention
Why wetting agents and liquid fertilisers don't move the needle (and what does)
After purchase you'll receive an automatic download link to your inbox. If it doesn't arrive, check your junk folder. Make sure to download your file within 24 hours.
If you've ever watched Gardening Australia and wondered what on earth you're doing wrong - how these people on the East Coast manage to grow thriving gardens filled with incredible plants when basically everything wilts and dies in your backyard, the answer is almost always the same.
Soil. They just have good soil.
And you live in Perth.
And you have bad soil. (I’m sorry!)
Perth soil is sandy, hydrophobic and nutritionally almost empty. It repels water, starves plants of nutrients, and will silently undermine even the most enthusiastic gardener. And the products the garden industry sells you to fix it (liquid fertilisers, power feeds, soil wetters) often make things worse, not better.
The good news is that Perth soil can be transformed. Quickly and permanently, if you know what to actually add. That’s what this soil guide is for.
From Sand to Soil: A Perth Gardener’s guide
Join over 400 Perth gardeners who have already used this guide to build healthier soil, stronger plants and more productive gardens.
What you get:
🌱 The 30-page guide Everything you need to understand Perth soil and fix it properly (written specifically for our sandy, coastal conditions, not for the east coast or the UK).
🌱 What's actually wrong with Perth soil Why it behaves the way it does, why it repels water, and why most of the products marketed as solutions make very little difference (or make it worse).
🌱 What to add, and in what order Clay, compost, animal manure and mulch. I'll walk you through exactly what each one does, how much to use, and the order that matters.
🌱 Why structure beats fertiliser Why building soil structure is more important than just feeding your plants, and why fixing the structure makes everything else easier.
🌱 How to maintain healthy soil through summer The simple seasonal routine that keeps your soil healthy through Perth's brutal summers without constant intervention.
🌱 The 12-minute video walkthrough Watch me improve one of my own garden beds from start to finish. I’ll show you exactly what I add, how I apply it, and what it looks like at each stage. This is the guide in action, in a real Perth garden.
By the time you finish this guide, you'll understand exactly what's happening in your soil and precisely what to do about it.
No more bags of ‘soil improver’ that do squat for your garden, no more wasted money on products that don't work, no more watching plants struggle in ground that was never set up to support them.
take it from me: Fix your soil, and gardening becomes a fundamentally different (& much more enjoyable) experience.
If you've ever watched Gardening Australia and wondered what on earth you're doing wrong - why your plants grow spindly and pale, why water runs straight off your beds - the answer is almost always the same.
Soil. They just have good soil. And you just have bad soil.
Perth soil is sandy, hydrophobic and nutritionally poor. The products the garden industry sells you to fix it (liquid fertilisers, power feeds, soil wetters) are a bandaid. They don't fix anything.
This 30-page guide shows you what actually does work: clay, compost, animal manure and mulch, added in the right order. Written specifically for Perth's conditions, not the east coast or the UK.
Over 350 Perth gardeners have already used it to build healthier soil, stronger plants and more productive gardens.
What's included:
30-page PDF guide - instant download
12-minute video walkthrough of a real Perth garden bed being improved from scratch
You'll learn:
Why Perth soil behaves the way it does
What to add and in what order to build soil structure properly
How to maintain healthy soil through summer without constant intervention
Why wetting agents and liquid fertilisers don't move the needle (and what does)
After purchase you'll receive an automatic download link to your inbox. If it doesn't arrive, check your junk folder. Make sure to download your file within 24 hours.
“Over the last ten years I have transformed our block from sandy, dead couch grass into a strong, resilient and thriving garden. Fixing my soil is what made the biggest difference.”
About casey
I'm a Perth gardener, writer and cookbook author who has spent the last ten years turning a sandy, empty patch of dead grass into a flower-filled, bug-filled, slightly wild garden.
I've written a Sunday Times gardening column, published three cookbooks, and run sold-out garden workshops across Perth.
The soil guide is the result of my own trial and error - figuring out what products and processes actually turn our beach sand into proper soil. After years of battling grey, dry Perth sand, I finally have earthworms everywhere I dig. This guide is the quick and simple way to get you to where I am now.
From Sand to Soil: A Perth Gardener’s Guide
A$29 — instant PDF download + 12-minute video
No waiting, no postage. Download the guide, watch the video, and start improving your soil this weekend.
If you've ever watched Gardening Australia and wondered what on earth you're doing wrong - why your plants grow spindly and pale, why water runs straight off your beds - the answer is almost always the same.
Soil. They just have good soil. And you just have bad soil.
Perth soil is sandy, hydrophobic and nutritionally poor. The products the garden industry sells you to fix it (liquid fertilisers, power feeds, soil wetters) are a bandaid. They don't fix anything.
This 30-page guide shows you what actually does work: clay, compost, animal manure and mulch, added in the right order. Written specifically for Perth's conditions, not the east coast or the UK.
Over 350 Perth gardeners have already used it to build healthier soil, stronger plants and more productive gardens.
What's included:
30-page PDF guide - instant download
12-minute video walkthrough of a real Perth garden bed being improved from scratch
You'll learn:
Why Perth soil behaves the way it does
What to add and in what order to build soil structure properly
How to maintain healthy soil through summer without constant intervention
Why wetting agents and liquid fertilisers don't move the needle (and what does)
After purchase you'll receive an automatic download link to your inbox. If it doesn't arrive, check your junk folder. Make sure to download your file within 24 hours.
“Things like liquid fertilisers, power feeds and soil wetters are a waste of your money and time. My guide shows you what actually works.”
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
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Completely. This is written for Perth's sandy, coastal soil, it is not generic advice that applies to gardens in Sydney, Melbourne, Tasmania or the UK.
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A PDF guide you can read on your phone, tablet or computer, plus a video walkthrough hosted online. Both are accessible immediately after purchase.
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Yes, if you're still battling sandy soil. The methods in this guide work regardless of experience level. Many of my customers are experienced gardeners who just hadn't cracked the Perth soil problem.
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No. The ingredients I recommend are simple - clay, animal manure and mulch. All three are widely available at nurseries across Perth and can also be delivered to your door in bulk.
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You'll receive an automatic download link to your inbox immediately after purchase. If it doesn't arrive, check your junk folder.
If you've ever watched Gardening Australia and wondered what on earth you're doing wrong - why your plants grow spindly and pale, why water runs straight off your beds - the answer is almost always the same.
Soil. They just have good soil. And you just have bad soil.
Perth soil is sandy, hydrophobic and nutritionally poor. The products the garden industry sells you to fix it (liquid fertilisers, power feeds, soil wetters) are a bandaid. They don't fix anything.
This 30-page guide shows you what actually does work: clay, compost, animal manure and mulch, added in the right order. Written specifically for Perth's conditions, not the east coast or the UK.
Over 350 Perth gardeners have already used it to build healthier soil, stronger plants and more productive gardens.
What's included:
30-page PDF guide - instant download
12-minute video walkthrough of a real Perth garden bed being improved from scratch
You'll learn:
Why Perth soil behaves the way it does
What to add and in what order to build soil structure properly
How to maintain healthy soil through summer without constant intervention
Why wetting agents and liquid fertilisers don't move the needle (and what does)
After purchase you'll receive an automatic download link to your inbox. If it doesn't arrive, check your junk folder. Make sure to download your file within 24 hours.
RELATED PRODUCTS
A practical guide to starting a Perth garden from nothing.
Starting a Perth garden from nothing is both exciting and completely paralysing. Where do the beds go? How do you get rid of the lawn? What goes in first?
This practical guide walks you through how to sketch your layout, decide where to place garden beds, trees and paths, deal with whatever lawn you're starting with, and get your irrigation right from the beginning.
If you have zero time to think, let alone garden, it also gives realistic guidance and options for a ‘bare minimum’ approach, so you can get your garden underway even with young kids/a hectic job/general life chaos.
There’s no complicated design theory, this is just a clear, step-by-step process for turning an empty block into a garden that grows with you.
Instant PDF download. Perth-specific.
Important note:
After your purchase, you will receive a secure link to download the ebook. The link is valid for 24 hours, so be sure to download it directly following your purchase. If you do not receive the download link, check your junk mail.
1 - Before you improve your soil, you need a plan for your garden. The Blank Slate Garden will show you how to create one.
2 - Once your soil is sorted, the next step is knowing what to plant. The Perth Plant Palette gives you 36 Perth-proof plants with design notes, pairing suggestions and six ready-made garden recipes.
Perth garden centres (lovely as they are) will sell you hydrangeas, camellias and hostas with a smile. They're beautiful plants - I love them. I also hate them, because they always (always!!) die on me. These plants dislike almost everything about Perth, and keeping them alive is a frustrating uphill battle.
That’s not what gardening is supposed to be!
After more than a decade gardening in hot, sandy and dry Perth, I've found the plants that actually want to be here. The ones that are tough, genuinely beautiful, and combine endlessly in ways that make a garden feel like it was designed rather than cobbled together.
This is that list.
The Perth Plant Palette is a 120-page guide to 36 of my favourite Perth-proof plants, organised into a capsule wardrobe you can mix, layer and repeat throughout your garden.
What's inside:
36 detailed plant profiles across six categories: trees, larger perennials, annuals, climbers, edibles and bulbs. Each plant has a full entry covering why I love it, how to use it in your design, growing notes for Perth's conditions, and pairing suggestions so you know exactly what to plant beside it.
Six garden recipes: Shady Grotto, Edible Garden, Jungle/Tropical, Cottage Garden, Mediterranean/Dry Garden and Potted/Courtyard, each with a full plant list and step-by-step layering guide so you can apply a ready-made planting template to your own space.
Original photography throughout, a Perth-specific Pinterest board, and a design approach that treats your garden like a capsule wardrobe: a considered, curated collection of plants that work together beautifully, rather than a random assortment of things that looked good at the nursery but suddenly made no sense once you got them home.
This guide is for you if:
You're tired of plants dying on you and want a reliable starting point
You want your garden to look thoughtfully planted, rather than chaotic or accidental
You're starting from scratch and have no idea what to plant where
You've been gardening in Perth for years but you’re bored and want some new plant inspiration
What you won't find here: generic advice written for England, the US, or east-coast Australian gardens, plants that need coddling, or a list so long it's paralysing. This is deliberately edited - that's the whole point :)
A$49 — instant PDF download. Perth-specific. 120 pages.
After purchase you'll receive an automatic download link to your inbox. Check your junk folder if it doesn't arrive, and download the pdf within 24 hours.