Slope or no slope

[boboff]

I have a steep garden.

Some of which is south facing.

I want to put in some new beds.

The ones I have already are all stoned walled terraces.

I want to try the No Dig system.

My thoughts are that I have a south facing slope, and by trying to "terrace" I end up moving the slope so it doesn't get as much sun. I can get the beds to run east west.

Building any kind of terrace, or single sided "rasised Bed" involves time money and effort.

So question, should I terrace or should I keep the slope?

Does that make any sence at all?

[Rosendula]

I'm have no experience of this so I can't really answer your question, but my first thoughts were

~ walking/working around the beds - how will this work if you stick with the slope, and would kneeling at the top of the bed and bending over it to plant things mean you are leaning forwards down a slope which sounds a bit dangerous?

~ watering - wouldn't the beds at the top of a slope struggle to take up the water before it runs down, and the beds at the bottom possibly become waterlogged?

[gregorach]

Depends on just how steep it is, I guess... You could always compromise and terrace enough to take the worst of the slope out without making it completely flat.

You don't really need raised beds for no-dig.

[Green Aura]

I had a steeply sloping, south facing allotment, back in the day and it was a pain in the bum.

I'm sure a lot of it depends on the angle of slope and the soil conditions etc.

But mine was horrid, dead soil which had been neglected and under grass for years and so was extremely dry at the top and only marginally less so at the bottom. I got round it to some extent by having an old bath at the top which I used for watering. And I cut small beds (only 1 meter front to back) into the slope so I had flat beds but they weren't deep enough to need retaining walls or anything behind. It helped conserve the water in the actual growing areasmeant I needed far less compost, manure etc.

I wasn't very successful because I didn't have the allotment for long - a combination of no access to water (they kept it locked up!) despite asking regularly for a key and a really hot summer meant my bath rarely had more than a puddle in the bottom so I couldn't get my planned irrigation system up and running. So nothing grew very successfully. But if I'd stuck at it I think it would have worked fine.

[grahamhobbs]

I wouldn't worry about the 'loss' of sun by levelling the ground, to a certain extent this will be offset by the sheltering effect of the walls and the radiation from them. In practical terms, veg growing on a steep slope would be extremely bothersome (fruit bushes less of a problem).
Depending on the degree of slope, you may not need to construct stone walls merely earth steps every metre say. Construct the step with rammed sub-soil (You can erect some temporary shuttering where you are ramming the soil. The soil should not be to clayey, add sand if it is, or add lime if it is very sandy). You then have a narrow path on top of this rammed earth step and about 70cm of no-dig bed before the next step.

[boboff]

Its not extremely steep.

I tried the soil terraces before, dug a flat terrace out with a rotavator, the trouble was the soil at the step was 12" deep and solid clay at the back. Also the Step would get loads of weeds in it and it was impossible to hoe without all the soil falling onto the terrace below.

I was only going to do narrow and short beds, mainly for corgettes etc.

I think I will give the slope a go, with No Dig, this has got to be the laziest option!

Thank you all for your feedback. Appreciated.

[gregorach]

I think I will give the slope a go, with No Dig, this has got to be the laziest option!

The laziest option is generally always my preferred choice. I learnt my gardening from a man who, whenever faced with any kind of problem, would always list the options starting with "Option 1: do nothing".

Life's hard enough already.

[grahamhobbs]

If the slope is not so steep as to make working seriously uncomfortable, then of course do nothing.

As to making the earth step, the important thing was to use rammed sub-soil, removing the topsoil, digging out the sub-soil to make the bed level, using this sub-soil to form the step and most importantly ramming it (to make it like concrete), then putting the topsoil back to make an even depth bed.

Paths are a problem in any garden, especially in a no-dig garden because you end up with a lot of them, if you can't pave them, then I find easily mown grass is the least problematic (unless you have copious supplies of compost, sufficient to cover beds and paths), in which case they need to be level and as wide as your lawn mower. What will you do on steeply sloping ground?

[boboff]

I mow along the slope rather than up and down, and that is allot easier, unless really wet and you get side slip! It is correctable by pointing the mover 45 degrees up the slope which with the skid compensation you end up going across.

I love that quote Dunc.

I think Option 1 is a wise choice in 80% of circumstances!

[oldjerry]

I may not be reading this right,but if you continualy grow across the slope (even not digging),you will,after a couple of years begin to form terraces anyhow.(walking between beds etc) .That may be the time to reinforce the walls and make proper terraces.........I hope that made sense.........

[boboff]

Good thinking bat man.

That would be good, gradual terracing! Makes perfect sense. Thank you.

[Big Al]

Gregorachs option one is really option 2, Opyion one is make a cup of tea and then contemplate on option 2 ........ for at least 30 minutes but which time option 3 is upon you...... another cup of tea.....