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trees or trees for firewood. It may also contain large ponds or swales. Cash crops may be grown here, or forage for animals. Large animals such as pigs, sheep or cows can be located in zone 3. Zone 3 components need less care and attention than those in zones 1 and 2.

Zone 4

Zone 4 is an outer zone that requires little or no attention. Plants grown here could include trees for timber, perhaps along the edges of large swales or large ponds. Big animals such as cows might live in zone 4, or a preponderance of native vegetation could turn zone 4 into a wildlife zone.

Zone 5

Regardless of the size of the property, every garden should have at least a small section designated as zone 5, since this is the wildlife zone. Zone 5 contains native plants and once set up is unmanaged and simply used for observation to see what moves in. Zone 5 is a great zone for children to explore. Zone 5 can be far from the house on a large property, or it might be a quiet, untended corner of a suburban block.

Zones are a way of organising the garden so that the plants that need most attention are placed closest to the house, and the plants that are most often used are also closest to the house. The idea of having a vegetable patch far from the house makes much less sense than having the vegetables close to the house. To avoid ugly rows of vegetables, simply plant them scattered through flower beds, or arrange them in curved beds and curved rows or triangles.

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