Topic: Digging terraces?!?

[Dan]

Hello people,

I am a primary school teacher and I want to create an allotment at my school for the children.

The proposed site is a steep slope and I think I will need terraces for drainage purposes.

Can anybody give me some advice about how to go about creating terraces?
Is it easy to do?
How many people would I need to help?
Would I need any special equipment?
How long would it take?

All suggestions gratefully received as I am keen to start digging.    Thank you.

[jethro]

Hi Dan, first how big are the terraces? how long are they ?

[Doris_Pinks]

Hi Dan, I have got a new sloping hill on my lottie. Was going to leave a slight slope (covering it with weed supressant, then a flat bit, slope again with weed suppressant etc etc, till as the Grand old Duke of york did, I march to the top! (this is the theory!!) I am going to plant pumpkins and squashes through the supressant so the ground is not wasted, and will hopefully not wash away! Another way to do it is to hold the soil back with wood or whatever you can scrounge through the PTA!
Might be an idea if you have a digicam to post a piccie of your area on the Gallery, then people can see what you have! Good luck  Dottie P.

[rdak]

Dan,
Just wanted to commend you on such a project- it's important to teach kids where food really comes from (no, not the supermarket)

[campanula]

Hello Dan,
Great idea. Can you be more specific about the size of plot and the pitch - how high do you think the difference might be from highest point to lowest. Ideally, terracing involves some sort of retaining wall but there are a number of choices depending on size and gardening needs - I should think access and manageable beds would be major issues. You could used a raised bed system  very neatly in a sloping garden making good use of different levels. Do let me know the dimensions and I will try to come up with some specific constructive suggestions (I am a landscaper and garden designer with my sweetheart - although this is just the start of our second year of working together). We will put our heads together.