Garden Terraces

For years we have struggled with the steep hillside at the back of our property. The previous owner had established a flower garden on the hill, but it had fallen into a neglected mass of invasive decorative grass and day lilies. It was much too wide to weed or cultivate. The steep hill made it difficult and sometimes dangerous to navigate. It was slippery and back-breaking. We called it the "jungle garden."

In the spring of 2009, we decided to begin terracing the hill as seen in the photo above. This section was built into two wide terraces which we planted with eight blueberry bushes.

Building terraces is labor-intensive and difficult, but once accomplished, the chores of gardening are far more manageable. In the photo above, you can see the middle section that was recently terraced in three steps. The lower two sections are planted with raspberries, while the upper section is for roses and flowers. There is a small walking path between the terraces.

This section of hill behind the greenhouse is still under construction. It will also be three narrow terraces. Unless you have very long arms, it's easier to reach to the center of each terrace if the width is about three feet.

The last section of the hill is not terraced, but the fall-bearing raspberries have taken hold nicely along with the rhubarb. We placed small pavers in a cruciform pattern to allow access for weeding and picking berries.  For now, I think we'll leave this section as it is.

We're happy that the project is nearly finished, and we look forward to many years of gardening on the hillside. Terracing is worth the effort.