[Ka_ka]

Hi,

My husband and I have a large space where we would love to grow some food!
It's on a slope and we can't be bothered to terrace it and really want want to get going. We only want to grow a few veggies to begin with (carrots/runner beans/potatoes/onions). We're just going to put some seedlings in and see what happens. We can decide between us whether to plant across the slope or up and down the slope.

Please help us - one day I'd love to be Felicity Kendal!
Karen

[DD.]

Hi Karen & welcome both.

I'd plant across the slope, something ridged like spuds would stop the water running down the slope & eroding the soil.

At least I think that's what they told us at school, but it was a long time ago!

[owein]

what direction does your slope face?

[gobs]

Planting across is as good as DD says to stop erosion. Welcome.

I don't think I should say what your name is in Hungarian, but it does not stop me giggling.

[woodburner]

I have a similar problem but I'm doing kind of lazy bed terracing, I can't be bothered with bits of wood either

[Ka_ka]

It's sunny from midday throught to evening - is that south facing?
Gosh I really am a novice!

What do you mean by lazy terracing? sounds interesting.

Do you mean screen name or real name? I worked in a nursery and one of the children couldn't say Karen so said Ka Ka. Has kind of stuck.

thanks for all the advice
Karen

[woodburner]

Lazy beds are a bit like raised beds except that you don't use wood and you dig out the paths to add to the beds.  
Sort of like this, but the sides cant be banked that steeply
.______. . . _____. . . ._____
/. . . . . .\__/. . . . . .\__/. . . . . \

So what I'm planning should look a bit like this:
_____
. . . . . .\_______
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .\______
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .\______

Whether this is appropriate for your site depends on just how much of a slope you have to deal with, although I recall seeing terraces for olives in France on some pretty steep slopes and they don't use wood either.  :o

Edit :ignore the dots  :?

[owein]

woodburner, That's exactly what I have done - it is working realy well.

The advice about planting across and not down is worth noting, It makes a massive difference. The beds catch the water as it runs downhill.

If you have sun from midday till evening I should imagine it is west facing, I was just hoping it wasn't north facing!

[jacnal]

Planting across is as good as DD says to stop erosion. Welcome.

I don't think I should say what your name is in Hungarian, but it does not stop me giggling.

In Swahili too, but I won't say...

Welcome Ka-Ka!

[gobs]

It's on a slope and we can't be bothered to terrace it and really want want to get going.

We can decide between us whether to plant across the slope or up and down the slope.

Karen

If you can't and won't terrace - and it's not necessary depending on angle, also can be really difficult and expensive depending on soil type and quality - planting across is much better than with the slope.

[Ka_ka]

Wood burner - I get the second picture but not the first. Is it a birds eye view?!? I may try the digging out if the weather is nice tomorrow - Bank holiday = not a chance!

I really wnat to know what my name means or I'll be sad forever!

[woodburner]

Maybe it's not come out right on your comp, I had several attempts, even after I realised more than one space was getting ignored. It should look like shallowish steps with sloping fronts.

I'm aiming for 5ft deep steps, 1ft path at the back and 4ft bed then a drop of however much to teh next path.

Edit: D'oh misread your post. :oops: First pic is just ordinary lazy beds on level ground.

[gobs]

5 ft steps? :shock:  :shock:

Reinforced concrete support surely.

[Ka_ka]

Thanks,
Will get digging, who needs the gym membership!!!!

[gardgydja]

My family always grew melons on a south-facing slope and they were very happy (both the melons and the family).

"Kaka" means "cake" in Icelandic