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soitgoes_gw

Mini plateaus/ terraces on hillside?

soitgoes
16 years ago

My husband and I have a new construction home with a long bank running along the side of our property. The darned thing is about 100 feet long, anywhere from 4 to 15 feet high, and the grade must be about 45 degrees.

Luckily we live in an area (Pennsylvania) with heavy clay soil and lots of rocks, which means structural integrity is not much of an issue. But erosion is. We are planting a mix of small trees (redbud, serviceberry), shrubs (mostly natives), clumping grasses (little bluestem), groundcover, and a few perennials. However, until things grow up we will have more bare ground than we would like.

We are half-burying some large rocks in the spots that get the worst run-off. While I would love to have the whole thing terraced, it is way outside our budget to do so. But I was wondering if it would be possible to build a few mini-plateaus (almost like giant steps) in some of the areas that are getting chewed up the worst? We could use retaining wall blocks to build small two-and-a-half foot square plateaus, similar to the plateaus we made to plant the trees and shrubs. This would (hopefully) slow some of the water and also give us level places to stand on, because as it is now getting to the plants to examine them and weed around them is an exercise in agility. With no good footholds, I am afraid one of us will take a tumble.

We are complete amateurs at this. Anyone know if this might work? Or would the terraces just wash away? Or would it be better to trench out a dry stream bed, line it with rocks, and divert most of the water to that?

Or perhaps a combination of the two ideas?

Comments (3)

  • lovelycherry
    16 years ago

    Hillsides take time to figure out.

    I think they are really specific to the regions we live in.
    Some people have rocky ones others have sandy or clay hillsides.


    I have learned that compost in the form of leaves/woodchips or from a compost pile decreases erosion. Healthy soil aborbs water more readily. I put down all my neighbor leaves on my hillside. The water hits the leaves and not my soil.

    Plants that have long root systems like grasses decrease erosion the most.

    Natives seem to be the best things to plant.

    When it rains go outside and watch the runoff. Maybe you can divert gutter run off away from this area.
    We installed underground drainage the drains go to the bottom of our hill. We installed it ourselves. We took a long time to plan it.

    You will learn how best to manage your hillside over time.
    It will not all get done in one season.

    I have found that the Winter Sowing forum ( here on the garden web) has been really helpful. I have limited funds and a large area that needs plants.

    Love to see pics if you have them..
    Yes I think you can make some small terraces.. go slow.
    (we call our hillside Billy Goat Slope because only a billy goat could keep stable on it.)
    Cherry

  • bob64
    16 years ago

    People have done versions of what you are thinking of for a long time - even terracing whole mountains for agriculture. But there's a lot of labor involved. Some gravel around your large rocks would probably help.

  • alleycallie
    16 years ago

    Could you describe in more detail how you made those mini-plateaus for your trees and shrubs? I too am an amatuer with a slope! Thanks, Alleycallie

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