How to Create a Practical Garden Where the Terrain May Say Otherwise

If you love to maintain an outdoor garden but have recently moved into a property that's built on sloping land, you may face a problem. How can you create a new outdoor masterpiece to grow flowers and vegetables when the soil is likely to be washed away when the rainy season comes around? In a situation like this, you may need to be creative and "chop" your garden space up into sections instead, but how can you go about this so that your gardening will be a pleasure and not a pain?

The Terraced Effect

For best effect, you will need to create individual gardening terraces. To do this, you will need to break that slope up into sections by adding retaining walls. In this situation, you will work with a series of steps rather than one sloping gradient, so stormwater will not be able to gather your expensive topsoil as it rushes down to the bottom. Instead, you will have a series of flat areas held back by a retaining wall, and this will also allow you to attend to your flowers or vegetables as needed.

Starting with a Plan

You will need to come up with a plan before you can move ahead. You'll also need to figure out how to create retaining walls and what type of materials are best. For example, you could choose large pieces of timber, natural stone or brick. Some people use manufactured blocks, and they are available in a range of different colours and textures to fit in with your design or style.

Earthmoving, Foundations and Drainage

Remember, you will have to remove quite a lot of soil to make room for those retaining walls and will likely need some earthmoving equipment and expertise. You also need to ensure that the retaining walls have a solid foundation, and this is particularly important for walls that are towards the bottom of your tiered approach. Further, you will likely have to install some drainage facility so you can remove excess water from individual tiers. This will prevent the water from sinking down into the earth and putting excess pressure on the back of the retaining wall.

Getting Permission

Finally, make sure that you get approval from the local authority if needed. Sometimes, your work could impact neighbours below you, and you need to make sure that everyone is on the same page.

Getting the Work Done

Many people in your situation will outsource this work as it is certainly involved and calls for some expertise. Get in touch with your local landscaper, and they will also arrange to bring in the earthmoving equipment to make way for your new masterpiece.