Selfsufficientish.com

I finally took a compass, string and weight outside to measure the slope of my yard. It averages 45* - as I guessed. Only 30* for most of where I want to plant.

Then my neighbour, upon hearing about my gardening plans, thought she should let me know that 2 summers ago the yard was totally overgrown with weeds. In anticipation of selling the house, the then-owner doused the yard in roundup! She said within a day all was dead and brown! He then proceeded to (presumably rake off the dead stuff) and sod over the slope.
From what I can learn, the half-life of the chemical used ranges from a few to 130 days (depending on conditions), so combined with the slope which should have helped it drain away (darn, down to where we want the pumpkins) it should be mostly gone. It's still frsutrating.

We've also devised a way of partially terracing the gardening area. It won't create perfectly horizontal beds, but will significantly reduce the slope. They will also be partially raised beds (except that nearer the top of the slope of each terrace this will be less true.)

Now, if only I could hurry up and write that May exam so I can get out in the garden!

My neighbour also told me what several of my plants were (because she knew the original owner/planter well). My big bush is a Japanese Quince. And I seem to have a lot of columbine. I had also learned myself what several of the plants in my yard/garden are that she didn't - like coltsfoot and lepard's bane. It was fun to trade information :)

Sounds like a useful neighbour to have (interested and knowledgable), as long as that doesn't become bossy and domineering.

Look forward to hearing how you get on with the terracing.

Wulf

Yeah! A lot of work, but once it's done it's done! Good luck.......

Nev

I began the aching work of digging on a slope today.
Fortunately I eventually got smart and waited for shade to cover the area later in the day.
I only managed to dig up 2/3 of what we plan to dig... and I'm leaving the rest for OH!
Because I'd covered the ground with the fallen tree's branches, (which I of course had to bundle up and clear away before digging) the ground had a nice thick cover of needles. The 1/3 I didn't do is where I didn't have enough branches, so there is more dense sod there, making it more difficult to break up.

I Can't Wait to start PLANTING!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Finally, my exams are done and I can get on with gardening.

Well done!

Nev

You don't say how you're doing the terracing and you've already started, but you may be interested in how I've helped do it.

My grandfather's garden was on a very steep slope so he had to terrace, and the same applied to an ex-girlfriend's mother.

Start by working out how much reach you need to comfortably work the beds from both above and below, allowing for slope. About a yard seemed to work well for both my grandfather and ex's mum.

Then allow for a path at the back of each bed (it will also serve as one for the front of the one above it).

Start at the bottom of the slope, as you want to move the soil down, not up!

Build a wall of stones, boulders, sleepers, slabs etc along the bottom of the first bed so that the height is about four inches above the height of the proposed path at the back.

Then, dig out the path at the back so that is horizontal and dump the soil downhill against the wall so that it levels the slope. Place some sort of edging between the path and the back of the bed. If you you don't have enough soil and compost to fill the bed, take some from the very top of the slope or bring it in.

Then, dig a trench on the uphill side of the path for the foundation of the next wall and repeat the whole exercise.

When you reach the top of the slope, the removal of soil should have left you a level base on which to build a shed or greenhouse, put in water butts for a trickle feed irrigation system, have a chook house, or plant trees.

A big advantage of this system is that you don't have to do the whole lot at one. As you get each bed and path done, you can plant them up and use them.

And if, like my ex's mum, you have a spring up the slope, build an elevated pond with a good head, then put in a small hydro-electric system and a drip-feed irrigation system controlled by a simple sluice.

My grandfather used railway sleepers held in place by lengths of railway line hammered in vertically. He first put it in in the 1950s and the sleepers were only just starting to fall apart when I helped rebuild it in the early 80s.

The one we built for my ex's mum used stone grubbed out from the slope, plus scrounged ones from friends and neighbours, plus salvaged slabs.

Also, make sure you put in some sort of steps. Simple ones can be made with treated logs (ie salvaged fence posts). Cut one in half to give you two three foot lengths, point them and drive them in vertically. Then dig in another two laid horizontally on top of each other behind them and back fill with gravel (to help drainage).

Slightly more clever steps can be built by putting in steps with a slot in the middle of the treads and risers. The slot should be wide enough for a large wheelbarrow wheel. Then you can go up and down the slot with a barrow.

If the slope is particularly steep or you're infirm, then lay a concrete slab track from the top of the hill to the bottom. Concrete a strainer post in at the top of the slope and securely anchor a pulley block to it. Built or buy a wheel trolley with 12in sides and lower the axle at one end to match the slope (so the floor of the trolley sits level when on the slope. Put a strong eye bolt on the uphill side.

Then put a trailer winch at the bottom of the track, run the cable up the slope, through the pulley block and down to the eyebolt on the trolley. Then winch the trolley up and down the slope with all your heavy items on board. (Note there are a variety of ways of routing the cable so it doesn't impede the trolley, so I won't go into those.)

Also, I'd strongly suggest putting a hand brake system on the trolley and/or chocks of some sort. Make sure everything is very secure as you don't want a trolley load of dirt running away on you.

And if you want to get very clever, have two trolleys and use gravity to haul them up and down but that starts getting complicated!

Hope this helps.

Stonehead