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| I have taken some extra fencing we had laying around and made a fence with it. This is to prevent the weeds from growing where I then have to mow at dangerous angles.
I have been filling up the area with grass clippings, leaves, mulch. I want to plant put some mulch on top
It is a very hot sunny place in the summer. This is just a start.
I am sending 3 links:
This is where I put the fencing around the 3 trees.
Link 2: Hillside Gardening - Fence 2 (closeup)
This is a closeup of the fence - it is not vertical yet.
Link 3: Hillside Gardening - Before Fence
This is a photo of before I put the fence in.
CDO and Doug |
Follow-Up Postings:
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- Posted by cdo_and_doug (My Page) on Fri, Sep 29, 06 at 16:33
| I hope this is an easier way to my link |
Here is a link that might be useful: Link 1: Hillside Gardening - Fence 1
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| It looks like you are using the fence pieces to make mini retaining walls/terraces. This appears to be working for you as a temporary measure but I don't think this will work as a permanent measure. Some sort of deeply rooting plant might be able to hold your soil in place if established before the fence pieces give out or rot. Or you could try something a little heavier and less likely to decompose and less likely to fail under the pressure of the soil and moisture behind your wall (stone, treated landscape timbers, etc.). One of the trickier aspects to this is to have a system that retains soil but lets water escape so that you don't have too large a build up of water which can blow out a wall. Another poster mentioned he might try gabions for a project. I have not used gabions yet but they seem like they could be a viable option for your project and gabions can themselves be planted. |
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- Posted by cdo_and_doug (My Page) on Sun, Oct 1, 06 at 10:22
| Thanks Bob, I looked up gabions and I have seen them used around lakes. I didn't realize letting the water out makes a big difference, but it makes sense now that you say it. I thought about putting plastic on the fence - vertically - to slow down the fence rotting. After what you said this could hold too much water unless there were holes in the plastic. I also thought about putting tar on the wood fence or some kind of Thomas's Water Sealant but I don't know if the soil would like that. I also need to know what to plant on top of it when I get it filled to where I want it. |
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| A lot of builders put landscape fabric behind their retaining walls to hold in the soil but let the water through. The walls themselves also need to have "weep holes" or spaces to let the water through. If you look up retaining walls you will see that they are often built with a drainage system. Interlocking block walls that are not mortared allow water to escape through the seams between the blocks. |
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| My best guess for planting is to use native grasses, forbes and flowers (especially those that root deepest). You are a little bit north of me so I am not entirely sure about reccommendations. You can try the New England Wildflower Society, Prairie Moon Nursery, Ernst Conservation Seeds, Wildlife Nursery Inc., and anyone else you can find that might have the right plants and seeds. |
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