terracing the slope

[Hilary B]

Anyone got an bright ideas on how I do this on CHALK?
We have an inch or 2 of topsoil (apart from a few patches with none) over chalk, and a slope steep enough to be a nuisance (hence if I add compost it slides down the slope). I reckon terracing a small area would help, but no idea what tools would be needed to dig into the chalk for the purpose.....

[tootles]

I have used my rotovator to do all my terracing.
I'm not sure whether it would be any good on your chalk though?! I only have clay to contend with...................... (and huge stones). Assuming it isn't rock hard chalk it could be worth a go.

[Jardiniere]

i have a railway embankment (disused) at the bottom of my garden and to the side of my plot - it separates the two and i want to terrace it but its made of stones and basic c*** - i have managed to put in some steps - the kind you make from logs just by digging and bashing down (technical term, that) literally by hand.On the river side when you dig in it just slides away but am going to try the log steps that side too....dont suppose this helps with your chalk.................

[Snadger]

Surely if you are terracing you don't need to dig into anything?

Just put the front edge of the beds at the required height (railway sleepers are good) and fill in with topsoil to make it level!

Or am I mssing something?...................... like you don't want to import any topsoil?

[Hilary B]

Surely if you are terracing you don't need to dig into anything?

Just put the front edge of the beds at the required height (railway sleepers are good) and fill in with topsoil to make it level!

Or am I mssing something?...................... like you don't want to import any topsoil?

It is really a bit too steep for doing it that way Snadger. It would take a LOT of topsoil to level up, and even then there would be little 'growing depth' at the back of each terrace. I'd rather cut away some of the chalk at the back, fill in the front with that, and THEN add topsoil to a similar depth all the way..... Actually, now I think of it, on the slope we've got, if I place railway sleepers without digging out to level them, they simply wouldn't stay put.....

[snakeshack]

how steep is it then ,that sounds pretty drastic.
I remember a tv program showing wall building from chalk.
they put up two boards to form a sort of mould ,the thickness of the wall,arond a foot apart then shoveled chalk in watered and trod it down firmly,after a short while it "sets" almost like primitive cement,will have a poke around on the net and see what i can find.
searching for rammed chalk walls on google will show you pines calyx in kent.this a new rammed chalk building,apparently people have been using this technique for over 3000 years.
no wonder it slipped our mind then

[Hilary B]

The garden is perhaps 25ft long, and the far end is level with the upstairs windowsills.....