Topic: Sloping Site

[tjones]

Hope you don't mind questions from complete novices.

I am about to take over an allotment that has a pronounced slope. It needs to be terraced (as it once was). Most sites I have seen have used corrugated iron strips for this but this is not available any more.

Can anyone suggest a (cheap) alternative and what should I use for holding pegs?

[triffid]

We all end up being complete novices here at times!
Can I start by asking a few questions of you, to help us answer yours?

Roughly how steep is the drop on your plot?
What kind of soil have you got there (eg: heavy and sticky; light and gritty)?

Both these things will make a big difference to what materials you might use. 

Oh, and you say the plot was terraced before. How much of those terraces remains?

[ACE]

Nice if it is facing the right way. Go and see your local scaffolder, they have to condemn planks now and again. Also bent poles to cut up to hold them.

[cambourne7]

ideal solution would be railway sleepers but these are expensive and heavy.

I have a slight slop on my plot and i 2 toyed with the idea of terraceing it, i had planned on making a concreate wall around the terraces and build in storage and water drills into the concete to help more water around my plot. Even toyed with the idea of putting a pump in to move the water around and trying to grow watercress.

Then i got the estimate  ;D

[manicscousers]

usually, the wettest part of the plot's at the bottom of the terrace, isn't it..there used to be a programme called the allotment, they were in plots near Brighton and lots were terraced..look out for it on discovery real time, I think it's called, it gave some really good ideas..one was hazel interlocked to form'withies'  a sort of fence, have fun with it  ;D