Welcome to NaraMora. If you’ve found this tropical backyard garden guide, chances are you share a dream that has taken root deep in our family’s heart: the dream of stepping out your back door and into a space that is truly, beautifully, and deliciously alive. It’s the dream of a small patch of earth that feeds not just your body, but your soul.
For our family, here in the beautiful and bustling town of Jepara, Indonesia, that dream is the very foundation of this entire project. This tropical backyard garden guide is the first, and perhaps most important, chapter in our story. It isn’t a retrospective written by a lifelong expert. It is a living, breathing blueprint written in real-time by a passionate learner—me. It’s the result of countless hours of late-night research, sketching on notepads, making tough budget decisions, and planning every single detail before a single brick is laid.
This is not just a guide on how to build a garden; this is the story of how we are learning to build our garden. I want to share every step, every discovery, and every decision we’ve made in the hopes that it will inspire and empower you on your own journey. You can learn more about the philosophy behind our project on our About Page.
So, let’s get our hands dirty and start from the very beginning.
Chapter 1: The First Big Decision – Raised Beds vs. In-Ground Gardening
Before we could even think about what to plant, we had to decide where to plant. The first fundamental choice for any gardener is whether to plant directly in the ground or to build raised garden beds.
The Unique Challenge of My Backyard Soil
Now, I want to be very clear about something. In general, the tropical soil here in Indonesia is incredibly rich and fertile. We are blessed with volcanic earth that can grow almost anything. However, my specific backyard has a different story. For years, this space was the small, functional workshop for my furniture business. The ground is severely compacted from years of work and storage, making it almost like concrete.
While I could have spent a year or more digging and amending this compacted soil, that felt like a slow and uncertain start to our family’s project. Then there’s the water. While water isn’t a major problem in our area, any smart gardener knows that conserving water is always a huge benefit, especially during the long dry season.
Why We Chose Raised Beds: A Personal Choice for Our Family
Honestly, for many people living with rich tropical soil, building raised beds might not make much sense. But for our specific situation, the decision became clear. The single biggest reason comes down to one word: control.
- Perfect Soil from Day One: This is the most important reason for us. Raised beds are like giant containers. They allow us to completely bypass our compacted ground and create the absolute perfect growing environment from the very start by filling them with a rich, well-draining soil mix.
- Superior Drainage & Water Control: By elevating the garden, we ensure that excess water can drain away freely during the monsoon season, protecting our plants’ roots from rot. Conversely, the contained environment helps us use water more efficiently during the dry season.
- Ergonomics and Family: This was a huge personal factor. Having the beds raised to about 45cm high means less strain on my mother’s back. More importantly, it brings the garden up to a perfect height for our daughter, Nara, to participate. I have this wonderful vision of her being able to stand and help us plant seeds. It makes the garden truly accessible for the whole family.
- A Clean, Organized Look: A well-built raised bed provides a clear, defined structure to the garden. It keeps everything neat and contained, and turns our DIY garden project into a beautiful feature of the landscape.
The initial investment in time and materials is higher, but the long-term benefits of control, durability, and family involvement made this the right and only choice for NaraMora.
Looking Ahead: The Integrated Watering Plan
Our long-term plan for watering is a key part of the NaraMora ecosystem. Once our aquaponics system is up and running, our goal is to use the nutrient-rich ‘waste’ water from the fish to irrigate these raised beds.
This creates a ‘closed-loop’ system, providing free, organic liquid fertilizer to our garden while conserving water. We’ll dive deep into that process in a future post, but it’s a core part of our vision for a truly sustainable backyard.
Chapter 2: The Great Material Debate – A Pivot from Wood to Bricks
With the decision made to build raised beds, my mind immediately went to wood. As a furniture business owner in Jepara, the world capital of teak, it felt like the natural choice. I dreamed of beautiful teak beds that would be a testament to our local craft.
Then, reality set in.
The Dream vs. The Budget: An Honest Pivot
I priced out the cost of the high-quality teak boards required for the build. The number was… significant. It was a price that would have consumed a massive portion of our entire backyard budget. This was the first major test of the NaraMora philosophy. Is this project about creating an expensive showpiece, or is it about making smart, sustainable choices? The answer was clear.
This led to a pivot. We decided to build our beds from aerated bricks, or bata ringan as they are known here. The more I researched this humble building material, the more I realized it wasn’t a compromise—it was an upgrade.
The Advantages:
- Incredible Durability: Aerated bricks will never rot, warp, or be eaten by termites. In our tropical climate, this is a massive advantage.
- Budget-Friendly: The cost was a fraction of what teak would have been, freeing up our budget for other parts of the project.
- Root Insulation: The air pockets protect delicate root systems from being baked by the sun heating the walls of the bed.
- A New Skill to Learn: This pivot turned the project into a new adventure in masonry, perfectly fitting our “passionate learner” journey.
The Challenges & Our Solutions:
- The pH Problem: As a concrete product, aerated bricks are alkaline.
- Our Solution: We will line the entire inside of the brick walls with a thick, waterproof sheet of builder’s plastic. This creates a permanent barrier between the bricks and the soil.
- The Water-Wicking Problem: The porous nature of the bricks can pull moisture out of the soil.
- Our Solution: The plastic liner will solve most of this. Additionally, a thick layer of mulch on top of the soil will help conserve moisture.
This pivot felt like a real-world lesson in design and budgeting.
Chapter 3: A Beginner’s Guide to Building Our Masonry Raised Beds
With the material chosen, it was time to create a detailed, step-by-step plan for the build. As a complete beginner in masonry, my goal was to break down the process into manageable steps. This is the exact blueprint I will be following.
3.1: The Tools and Materials List
Preparation is everything. Here is the complete shopping list for our project:
- Materials:
- Aerated Bricks (
Bata Ringan) - Sand & Cement (for the foundation mortar)
- Thin-bed Mortar Adhesive
- Thick Builder’s Plastic Sheeting (for the inner liner)
- Rebar or thick metal stakes (for reinforcing the corners)
- Aerated Bricks (
- Tools:
- A sturdy Wheelbarrow
- A Shovel and a Hoe
- A large Bucket
- A Mason’s Trowel
- A Rubber Mallet
- A long Spirit Level (at least 1 meter)
- A Tape Measure
- String and Stakes
- Safety Glasses and Gloves
3.2: The Process – From Bare Ground to Garden Walls
Step 1: The Foundation. The ground must be perfectly level. I will dig a shallow, level trench where the first layer of bricks will sit, filled with sand to create a flat base.
Step 2: The First Course. I will mix a traditional sand and cement mortar for the first layer to create a strong bond with the ground, checking each brick with a level.
Step 3: Stacking the Walls. For the subsequent layers, I will use the easier thin-bed adhesive in a “running bond” pattern, where the joints are staggered.
Step 4: Installing the Liner. After the walls have cured, we will install the plastic liner, creating a complete barrier.
This methodical, patient approach is the key for any successful DIY garden project.
Chapter 4: Our Tropical Backyard Garden Guide to “Super Soil”
A beautiful raised bed is just an empty box. The true magic is the soil you fill it with. Since we have three separate beds, we’ve decided to turn this into a fascinating experiment in creating the perfect organic soil mix, using materials that are abundant and free for our family.
Our First Experiment for this Tropical Backyard Garden Guide
Each bed will have the same upper layers, but a different base layer. This is our first real experiment in this tropical backyard garden guide, and we are excited to see which method works best for our specific needs.
The Constant Layers: “Greens” and “Browns”
The main filling for all three beds will be alternating layers of “Green” materials (rich in nitrogen) and “Brown” materials (rich in carbon).
- The “Brown” Layers (Carbon): Dried leaves, straw, and shredded newspaper.
- The “Green” Layers (Nitrogen): Kitchen scraps, fresh grass clippings.
- The Boosters: Finished Compost, Coco Coir, and Rice Husk Charcoal (
Sekam Bakar). - The Top Layer: The final 15-20cm will be a rich mixture of high-quality topsoil and compost.
The Experimental Base Layers
Here’s where the fun begins. Each bed’s very bottom layer will be different:
- Bed #1: The Wood Chip Base. As a furniture business owner, I have a massive supply of wood chips. This layer will slowly decompose, providing long-term carbon and creating a great environment for fungus and microbial life.
- Bed #2: The Rice Husk Base. My wife’s parents are rice farmers and have tons of rice husks (
sekam padi) after harvest. Rice husks are fantastic for improving drainage and aeration, which is critical in our climate. - Bed #3: The Small Wood Cuts Base. Inspired by the Hugelkultur method, this bed will have a base of small scrap wood pieces and twigs from my workshop. This will act like a sponge, retaining water during the dry season and slowly breaking down to release nutrients over many years.
We will be documenting which base layer performs the best over time.
Chapter 5: Our First Planting Plan – Growing What We Love
With the beds built and the soil ready, the final piece of the puzzle is deciding what to plant. Our philosophy is simple: we will only grow what our family truly loves to eat. I personally don’t enjoy a lot of vegetables, but my wife and Nara absolutely love them.
Our “First Team” will include:
- Green Mustard (
Sawi Hijau): A family favorite that’s a staple in so many of our meals. - Chilies (
Cabai): A must-have in every Indonesian kitchen. - Tomatoes: We will choose heat-tolerant varieties. And my personal passion…heirloom tomatoes.
- Eggplant (
Terong): These thrive in the sun and heat. - Kangkung (Water Spinach): An incredibly fast-growing and delicious Asian green.
- Aromatic Herbs: A collection of basil, mint, and lemongrass, perfect for our future outdoor kitchen.
We will also be exploring the concept of companion planting—placing certain plants next to each other to naturally deter pests. For example, planting marigolds around our tomatoes is a classic technique.
Conclusion: The Foundation is Laid
And there you have it. This is the complete blueprint for the first stage of the NaraMora project. It’s a plan built on passionate research, thoughtful decision-making, and a deep desire to learn.
We haven’t laid a single brick yet, but in many ways, the hardest work is already done. This pillar page is our public promise to see this through, and as we complete each step of the build, we will update this very page with our photos, videos, and the invaluable lessons we learn, making it a truly living tropical backyard garden guide.
This is the beginning of our journey. Thank you for being a part of it.