If there’s a slope or incline on your property, you can turn it into a lovely garden oasis. Where weeds once grew, a lovely flower garden could preside. Or you might put in an organic vegetable garden. It can turn a liability into an asset by turning a rugged slope into a lovely planted area.

Make Terraces Out Of The Hillside

Terraces can really beautify your landscape. At the same time, putting in terraces gives you a wider option for planting, since the area is level. Because the area is level, it makes it a lot easier to walk and work there. There’s no doubt, however, that making terraces is a lot of work, and can also be rather expensive depending on the materials used for the walls.

In the past, railroad ties were considered a good source of material for making retaining walls for terraces. They’ve fallen out of favor these days, and especially aren’t recommended for organic gardens. The catch is the creosote used to preserve the wood. Since creosote is a toxic substance, contact with it can irritate the skin. Creosote fumes can irritate the respiratory tract.

There’s just no getting around it, creosote is nasty stuff. Aside from the problem of direct contact, there’s also the fact it can leach into the water and soil. If creosote is in the soil, it’s available for the plants to absorb, and if you’re growing vegetable plants, you’re going to eat whatever chemicals are in the plants. Altogether, creosote treated lumber for your terracing isn’t a good idea.

Placement of Safe Wall Materials

The new landscaping boards such as those found at Gardens Alive! that are made out of recycled plastics are an option when leveling out a small slope. Use bricks, concrete blocks, modular retaining wall blocks or stone for steeper slopes. The different masonry options require varying levels of expertise, so be sure you know how to build walls with the materials you opt to use.

Since terracing makes level beds, the height of the walls will be dictated by the steepness of the slope. Naturally, the higher the walls, the sturdier they need to be, and well anchored. Be sure large terraces have proper drainage and are well anchored into the sides of the hill at each end.

The walls will have to bear a lot of weight from the soil pushing against them, and that will increase even more after a rain. If walls are not built properly, they will bow outwards or even collapse.

Building terraces is a big task. If it seems like to much to do yourself, there are landscaping contractors that can do the work for you. It goes without saying that hiring a contractor is more expensive than doing it yourself, since you’ll have to not only pay for materials, but the labor costs as well.

Prepare The Soil For Plants.

It’s a good idea to enrich the soil before planting because slopes often have poor soil due to erosion. Some compost, rich loam, well-rotted cow manure, peat or other soil amendments can be worked into the soil to enrich it so plants will grow better. Keep in mind what sort of plants you intend to place there. Some actually like poor soil, and if you’re planting those, you don’t want to enrich the soil too much.

When the soil is ready, choose your plants, whether vegetables or flowers (DirectGardening.com – Offers quality plants at great prices). Vining plants work well along the top edge of the walls, since the vines can trail down over the sides.

Make Your Landscape Beautiful With Terraces.

Building terraces can be a lot of work, and depending on the materials, rather expensive. However, they’re a great way to beautify a slope, turning it into a beautiful garden and improving your landscape.

Having more space for plants is always a good thing.