Perth isn’t a jungle — it’s a sun-scorched oven with a sea breeze and dry sand for soil. Growing fruit trees here can feel like a losing battle… unless you know the tricks.
This book is your shortcut.
If you focus on just three things — shade, soil life, and smart planting layers — you’ll turn struggle into abundance. You'll boost biodiversity, reduce work, and start growing delicious fruit in spots where people say it’s impossible.
We’ll look at:
Why shade helps more than it hurts
How to fix dead sand without spending a fortune
How weeds, fungi, and microbes become your best workers
What to plant, where to plant it, and how to let nature handle the hard stuff
This isn’t about perfect gardens. It’s about productive chaos. The kind that works with Perth’s harsh sun, salty winds, and wild weather. Messy, layered, alive — just like nature intended.
Let’s grow.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
This book was written for you
A Losing Battle
About Primal Fruits & Cyrus Roussilhes
WHY SHADE MATTERS
Why Shade
Perth Isn’t a Jungle, It’s an Oven
Summer Shade: Your Tree’s Sunscreen
Winter Shade: Not Useless!
Microclimates: Your Garden’s Secret Cheat Code
Structures Matter
Tiny Tweaks, Big Wins
Frost-Proofing for Fussy Plants
Sunburn Prevention — For You and the Plants
Water Savings Without a Hose
Want a Greenhouse Without Building One?
Microclimate Takeaway Tip
West Facing Defensive Position
What Trees Give the Best Shade?
Perth’s Favourite Shade Trees
The Label Says Full Sun?
How to Add Shade Without Wrecking Light
Real-Life Example
What Happens Without Shade?
Shade Under Wraps
HOW TO IMPROVE THE SOIL
Building Healthy Soil from the Ground Up
Soil Is Alive (Or It Should Be)
Testing for Good Soil
SEVEN WAYS TO TEST FOR GOOD SOIL
The Sniff Test
Look Test
Worm Test
Water Test (Drainage Check)
Squeeze Test (Texture)
Plant Test and Root Test
What Does “Root Room” Mean?
Bug Life Test
Use Your Senses and Trust Your Gut
BACTERIA
Bacteria — The Soil’s Little Builders
Bad Bacteria — The Troublemakers in the Dirt
Good Guys Turning Bad
Turning Bad Bacteria into Good Bacteria
Bottom line
FUNGI
Fungi — The Internet Under Your Feet
When Fungi Turn Feral
The Bad Fungi - Rot & Roll
Fungi Fixes
Bottom line - Fungi Fundamentals
NEMATODES
What Good Nematodes Do for Plants and Soil
Their first job? Pest Control
Next up: Nutrient Cycling
When Nematodes Go Bad
The Worst of the Bunch? Root-Knot Nematodes.
Some of the Most Susceptible to Root-Knot Nematodes
Bad Nematodes Thrive in Lifeless Dirt.
WORMS
Worms — The Garden’s Quiet Champions
Worms in Compost Bins — Nature’s Clean-Up Crew
Worms in Pots
Worm Wee — Liquid Gold From Below
Worm Recap — What They Hate, What They Love
ROOTS
The Secret Life of Roots
“Oi, caterpillar attack on leaf three! Everyone, prepare!”
Damage is detected
Signal sent
Defence kicks in
Underground alliances
WEEDS
Weeds — Garden Enemy or Secret Ally?
Top 10 Weeds in Perth
MINERALS AND MICRONUTRIENTS
Micronutrients Matter — But Only If Your Soil’s Alive
No Point Adding Minerals Without Microbes
The Main Micro Minerals That Fix Most of Perth’s Problems
Silica
Sulphur
Iron
Magnesium
Boron
Rock Dust — The Slow Burn Superfood for Soil
Mineral Magic — What Perth Soil’s Screaming For
DIY Diluting Sea Minerals
BIOSTIMULANTS
Seaweed vs Sea Minerals
Amino Acid and Protein Hydrolysate Biostimulants
Fish Hydrolysate vs Emulsion
The Brave Singles Guide to DIY Home Brew
Humic and Fulvic Acids
Chitin and Chitosan
Plant Extracts
Allelopathy
Some Allelopathic Plants
pH IN THE SOIL
The pH Problem
Why Some Plants Love Acidic Soil
Groupings Suitable Plants Together
What if Your Garden Soil is too Acidic Anyways?
Why Some Plants Love Acidic Soil
So What Does Acidity in the Soil Do?
What Acidifies Soil (and What Doesn’t)
pH Myths That Deserve the Compost Heap
Final Thoughts on Acid
SALT IN SOILS
Halophytes - Salt Tolerant Crops
Edible Plants That Like Sea Minerals / Salt-Tolerant Plants
Gypsum – Medicine for Clay and Salty Soils
THREE TYPES OF SOILS IN PERTH
SANDY SOILS
What Works in Perth Sand (That We Call Soil)
Composted Mulch
Mushroom Compost
Soil Improver
Landscaper Mix.
Fixing Sandy Soil – Turning a Sandpit into Garden Gold
Step 1: Add Organic Matter
Step 2: Layer Mulch
Step 3: Use Clay if needed
Step 4: Feed the Soil Life
Step 5: Add Rock Dust and Minerals
Step 6: Water Deep, Not Often
How Long Will This Take?
But My Place isn't Sandy at All?
CLAY SOILS
Clay pockets
What Might Grow OK in Clay-based Gardens?
Improving Clay-heavy Areas
Warnings!
Gypsum Improves Clay Soils
Cover Crops in Clay Soils
There is Worse than Rich Clay - Try Rocks!
Drill for deep tree holes
Plant between cracks
Terrace the slope
Use rocks for thermal mass
Create swales or micro-catchments
Build soil on top
Grow natives and tough pioneers
Rocky Takeaway
UNDERSTANDING THE CHAOS
Culture Shift
UTOPIA
Terra Preta — Building Black Earth in Perth
INTRODUCING SYNTROPIC PRINCIPLES
Syntropic gardening is nature’s cheat code
Start by Leaving the Leaves
CUT AND DROP
Lazy Genius Gardening
Examples of the Best Cut and Drop Candidates
Don’t Spread Disease, Peasts and Bad Seeds
DENSE PLANTING
Pack It In – Dense Planting Works
Stack It Like a Lasagna
Plants Are Social Beings
Fear Not the Roots of Doom
Top 7 Edible Trees to Keep Away From Pipes and Pools
One Hole, Many Trees? Why Not.
Fruit Trees You Can Plant Bark to Bark (And They’ll Still Be Friends)
Benefits of Super Tight Compatible Groupings
Trees Talk. Let Them
THE 7 LAYERS
Syntropic Farming at Home (Perth-Style - Chaos Edition)
Start at the top
Drop down to the canopy layer — this is your main event:
Then there’s the sub-canopy, the middle kids of the fruit world.
The shrub layer is where the fun begins.
Then you’ve got the herb layer.
Groundcovers, on the Floor
The Final Frontier is the Vine Layer
Layering projects? Absolutely.
HOW TO GROW NITROGEN
Nitrogen Fixing Plants
There are three classes of nitrogen fixing plant hosts:
How to “Seed” in the Bacteria
Details of the Process
Legume-type plants host these nitrogen-fixing bacteria:
Edible Legume-type Trees & Shrubs
Edible Legume-type Vines & Herbaceous
Now Enter Elaeagnaceae
Most Popular Casuarina and Alder
What About Free Living Nitrogen Fixers?
HOW TO MINE MINERALS
What Are Dynamic Accumulators?
Medicinal As Well
Popular Dynamic Accumulators
COMPANION PLANTING
Team Players That Boost Each Other
Grow Herbs and Veg Between Trees
Examples of Winning Combos That Work Like a Dream:
Plant these under or near your fruit trees – here’s why:
ROOTED WISDOM
Techniques to the Method of Madness: Building a Syntropic Patch
From Control to Connection: A Healthier Way to See Your Garden
Got pests? Good. Leave them. Really.
Succession: Let the Garden Change
Diversity: The Messier is the most Complete
No Digging Required
Are Bare Hands Enough? …Definitely. Probably.
Stop Controlling. Start Observing.
When It All Goes Wild
Beyond the Backyard
WATER, WIND AND SUN
Work With the Elements
Water Wisdom - Wicking Beds
Ollas – Ancient Tech, Modern Magic
Moisture Condensation
DIY Home System Idea: Water from Thin Air
How Much Water Can It Collect?
Photosynthesis Is the Engine
Have You Heard of Tip Pruning?
Tip early. Tip often. And let the branching begin.
FAVOURITE FRUIT & FOOD TREES
Acerola (Barbados Cherry)
Moringa (Drumstick Tree)
Peanut Butter Berry (Bunchosia argentea)
Jaboticaba
Other Must Haves Fruit Trees That Work Well in Perth
Top 10 Easy Eugenias for Perth