A low-tech gadget called an A-frame level can help identify contours. When building terraces, find the contour line to keep the rainwater on the plate (terrace) so it can slowly sink in. However, if one edge dips to the side (changes elevation), the water runs off. When the edges of the plate are level (all on the same elevation contour), the water stays on the plate. Imagine a flat dinner plate with a tablespoon of water on it.

#1: Drive stakes along an elevation contour line.Ĭontour lines are those that you see on an elevation map. The following are the steps to build your own check log terrace. Want to grow fruits, vegetables, and herbs in your front yard landscape without sacrificing curb appeal? Check out my mini guide, The Permaculture Inspired Edible Landscape. Perennials are planted above and/or below the dam, whose roots will soak up and slow the rain and nutrients as they rush down the hill. In this method, logs and brush are laid across the hillside like a beaver dam and held in place with wooden stakes. I had no idea what check logs were, but I found more information in Edible Forest Gardens as well as in Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands and Beyond, where they are referred to as check dams. I sought council from local permaculture practitioners, who suggested that I look into the concept of check logs. Oh, and the solution needed to be cheap and low tech, because after all, we’re just a volunteer group operating on a small budget. We were looking for a garden terrace solution that not only helped stabilize the hillside, but also helped increase fertility (to make up for all that had washed away). Any topsoil and nutrients that may have been there at one time had since washed away. The hillside was prone to land-sliding and erosion. In 2011, I started Hillside Community Garden, and as the name implies, we had a steep challenge.

Oh, and don’t forget to grab your FREE DOWNLOAD: Building a Check Log Terrace Quick Start Guide at the end of the article. Are you challenged with sloping land? Here’s a solution to stop erosion on a hillside and create an easily-navigable terrace garden.

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