SFG on a slope

thehudsonfam 3/14/2011, 11:52 pm

How do we do this on a hill? Our backyard is one big slope. How do we make our boxes level? Thanks.

BackyardBirdGardner 3/15/2011, 12:33 am

You would need to level the patch you intend to work. Take some soil from the uphill side and add it to the downhill side. You are basically building terraces. Here is an extreme version, but I think you can picture the result from this...

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://s2.hubimg.com/u/7449_f520.jpg&imgrefurl=http://hubpages.com/hub/Pictorial_-_Hillside_Landscaping_Vol_1_-_Terracing_with_Wood_&usg=__b9iqQd4VqoJrw7qsYNZ7Uf5PslU=&h=371&w=520&sz=62&hl=en&start=0&zoom=1&tbnid=nmL3GJMZwZo6-M:&tbnh=150&tbnw=210&ei=4ut-TbTANtK2tgeNlYHxCA&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dhillside%2Bgardens%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26rls%3Dcom.microsoft:en-us:IE-SearchBox%26biw%3D1274%26bih%3D646%26tbs%3Disch:1&um=1&itbs=1&iact=rc&dur=78&oei=vOt-TcrLGeTB0QHAsdX0CA&page=1&ndsp=15&ved=1t:429,r:3,s:0&tx=60&ty=75

Icemaiden 4/21/2011, 12:47 pm

I took this photo to show a sloping raised bed.
A local restaurant decided last summer to grow some veg to use. They installed raised beds, though not SFG. Most of the beds are horizontal but a few were set on quite a slope, perhaps to catch the sun better?
Despite a winter of rain and wind the soil is still in there and still on quite a slope. So perhaps it is OK to have a sloping garden?
SFG on a slope Nordic10

Weatherkid 4/21/2011, 3:00 pm

Since our whole back yard is on a fairly steep slope we had to make our own sort of terrace.

Here's a picture

SFG on a slope Mar_2011

It's not perfect, but it works for us Smile

Old Hippie 4/21/2011, 8:50 pm

I think it is awesome. Sometimes I wish I had at least a little bit of sloping ground somewhere in our yard. It makes for interesting landscaping.

Gwynn

pattipan 4/21/2011, 8:56 pm

Wow, Weatherkid! That terraced SFG is awesome looking! That took some work too, which makes it even more admirable! I was also thinking how much easier it would be on my back to reach that lower part of your SFG -- nice!

pattipan

**camprn** 5/17/2011, 8:27 pm

Here is a pretty good 'How to' http://eartheasy.com/blog/2010/04/how-to-build-a-raised-garden-bed-on-sloping-uneven-ground/ Very Happy

The Cynergist 5/17/2011, 9:56 pm

camprn wrote:Here is a pretty good 'How to' http://eartheasy.com/blog/2010/04/how-to-build-a-raised-garden-bed-on-sloping-uneven-ground/

Thanks for this camprn. There's a lot of good stuff on this website. I love the 5 Secrets to a no Work Garden article

The Cynergist 5/17/2011, 9:57 pm

Weatherkid wrote:Since our whole back yard is on a fairly steep slope we had to make our own sort of terrace.

Here's a picture

It's not perfect, but it works for us

Are the jugs for keeping frost out?

Weatherkid 5/18/2011, 7:55 am

Yes, that and any other severe weather.

There was a string of very cold nights in late March that were in the mid to upper 20s, I used a big tarp to cover everything, and much to my surprise... everything made it!

All the plants in that picture were frost resistant to a degree, but the jugs kept them at a more stable temperature.

The only downside to using jugs is that you can only protect small plants...

hope this helps,

Weatherkid

The Cynergist 5/18/2011, 1:18 pm

I watch a show called vitality gardening, and I saw someone use Home Depot type paint pails to keep his tomato plants' roots warm. He cut the bottom out of them, dug out a hole and put them down in before planting his tomatoes in them.

HieronRemade 5/18/2011, 7:28 pm

@Weatherkid - awesome terraced beds! I'm just starting on something similar, wow is it a lot of work!

SFG on a slope IMG_1908

altagarden 5/18/2011, 11:43 pm

There was someone on this forum 2 years ago who had a very interesting square foot garden on a hill. I wish I could find the picture. They were 6 X 6 beds, about three of them, built like you would stairs. (OK - that makes no sense.) Anyone else remember that? We have a slope in our yard too so I took notice of the pic. Anyway, good luck with the project.

pattipan 5/19/2011, 12:50 pm

I've always admired this one by dis201 too...although I would need taller trellises for my tomatoes. The pics are in Showcase of Gardens gallery.

pattipan

Weatherkid 5/19/2011, 1:06 pm

@HieronRemade: Thanks, yes they were a lot of work.... it was also pretty expensive pale

. I think it was worth it though, since we never could grow much with the steep slope.

Here are some updated pictures of the garden
SFG on a slope Spring10

Some lettuce from last year went to seed, and some of that seed fell in the path between the beds. I've been harvesting these "weeds" ever so often. Sure beats picking any other weeds Smile

In the backround are raspberries (that are already flowering!!!).

pale

jercarol 5/19/2011, 3:21 pm

I am soooo lazy. I just put the box on the slope and dug out the uphill side a little and put a wood "lip" on the downhill side in case of heavy rains. The rain has come and so far no problems. My budget was/is very small so I had to do with what I could afford. I put in 5 -4x4s and 1- 3x3 this year and am having a ball! The lettuce is awesome, the onions are growning like crazy, the beans are up and I have 6 green tomatos here in Maryland!

You all make me feel sooooo lazy looking at your pics. Good job to all!

HieronRemade 5/19/2011, 3:28 pm

Lol no worries, SFG is great for lazy people. Wink

If you're happy, we're happy.

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