Two Hour Site Consult


Site Visits and Garden Advice

Tailored advice in your own garden

"We wanted some advice reworking the existing garden to incorporate more fruit trees and vegies. Duncan's advice was invaluable. He was prompt, friendly, knowledgeable and professional. The site visit was great value for money. "
Donna & Peter McDowell
Croydon
"Duncan's thorough inspection and diagnosis, clearly identified our problems with the declining yield of our once-productive large vegetable garden. "​
Sue & Angus Martin
Camberwell

Here's some of the topics that I can cover, OR suggest your own topics

Garden site analysis

Observe and assess the characteristics of your site. Look at how sun, wind, rain and the slope affect your gardening success. Discuss your needs and wants from the site to help determine the best garden layout and solutions for you.

Edible garden design

Want to get a professional to design your edible garden? Your site consult is the perfect opportunity to discuss design options and costs for your design. If you already have your own design ideas, I can review them during the consult and provide you with plenty of feedback.

Compost systems and worm farm advice

After discussing your household needs I can make recommendations on the best composting solutions for your situation. Save time, effort and money by establishing the right solution for you.

Raised garden beds and wicking bed advice

Learn about the features of different gardening systems. Wicking beds are great, but often their performance doesn’t justify their expense. Find out what is going to be useful in your particular situation and potentially save hundreds of dollars. Understand the best place to put your garden beds and determine what size you need.

Backyard orchards and edible forest garden advice

Got an existing backyard orchard or planning a new one? Find out which trees you need and where to buy them. Understand that fruit trees have different requirements and how to lay out your orchard to maximise productivity. Learn about edible forest gardens and how they can produce masses of food with minimal effort.

backyard chicken coops

Plant pests and disease consultation

Get advice on living with or managing garden pests such as possums, birds, bats and rats. Understand your garden ecology and how it can help reduce the impact of aphids and other plant pests. Get that plant disease identified and learn about recommendations for control.

"You can grow tasty, nutritious food with very little effort. Let me help you to save time and money by avoiding common gardening mistakes "
Duncan Cocking Leaf Root Fruit Edible Garden Specilaist Hawthorn Melbourne Urban Farmer
Duncan Cocking
Director

Frequently Asked Questions

Will you provide me with a written report?

To keep the costs of this service as low as possible, I do not provide written reports or follow up notes. Instead, I encourage you to take your own notes during the visit.

What happens if it rains?

I conduct my site visits regardless of the weather. Heavy rain or windy days provide great opportunities for us together to analyse how the site performs under these conditions.

Can I book you in for a two hour consult to help me prune my fruit trees?

Certainly. However, please make sure that you let me know at the time of booking. This ensures that I bring the correct equipment and provide you with a comprehensive booklet on fruit tree pruning.

Which areas do I visit?

I conduct garden consults all over Victoria, with a particular focus on Melbourne and central Victoria.

How much does it cost?

All consultations are  subject to a base fee of $400, which allows for me to spend up to two hours on site with you.

My travel fee is added to this cost and varies depending on the location. Some examples of my current travel fees are as estimated as follows:

  • Kyneton: $0
  • Sunbury: $200
  • Bendigo: $285
  • Ballarat: $410
  • Geelong: $585
  • Essendon: $350
  • Camberwell: $460
  • Croydon: $532
  • Mornington: $720

Depending upon rising costs and other factors, exact travel fees may vary. Where I can schedule two consultations that are nearby to each other and on the same day, then the travel costs can be shared between these consultations and therefore heavily reduced.

All fees include GST.

Book your Gardening advice Session below

Please fill in the form below with your details and I will get back to you with some potential dates and final costing for my visit.

Please allow up to three business days for a response.