wheel wrote:
In article .com,
says...

wheel wrote:
I have to deal with a hillside that has a 2:3 slope (if I'm saying that
right, slope goes down a two feet for every three out). The main goal
here is to forestall erosion, secondary to help plantings take root.
Hillside is about 70' wide, and it drops 10'. It has a mild contour to
it, so straight terracing wouldn't be ideal. Anyone have ideas re a good
material for the 'retaining walls'. I'm not really aiming at a full
strength retaining wall system which would probably cost a fortune to
install. More hoping that some easy going terracing will do enough.
Like, steel pegs knocked in two feet deep, with 1 foot up, and some
barrier material as the wall...what that would be I don't know, but have
wondered if there is some recycled plastic 3/4" x 1' king sized
benderboard material out there. Or are there 'systems' for this type of
situation? I'm not eager to use the cement blocks that are common, too
much weight to haul, it'd be a lot of block. There is no snow or
freezing where I live.

I would definitely opt for wood here. Where I live (Belgium), it is
common practice to use flexible azobe strips (1/4" or 1/2" x 4") and
matching poles (1x1" up to 2x3" depending on length) for retaining
walls. You can also get panels from woven strips.
Azobe is strong, has a natural look and it lasts a life time (unlike
your steel bars).

Koen


That sounds like good wood, but here in California I don't think it's
available. 4" tall strips and that thin would be hard to make work in a
1' tall wall though?

You would be surprised of this. I've seen 1/4" thick strips been used
for retaining walls or even river banks up to 3' high. Supporting poles
are typically placed 20" apart.

We have redwood of course but quite expensive these
days, and the 2" thickness that I'd probably need to use might not curve
along the hillside contours very well.

It's also known as Ekki or Bongossi so you may want to check with a
local supplier specialized in hardwood or wood for garden use.
Here's a link (with extra info on the wood's qualities) for a Canadian
supplier: http://www3.sympatico.ca/tmt/index.htm (I guess you should be
able to get it in the US too.)

I find it reasonably cheap at US$ 10 for a 1' x 10' panel at my local
supplier.

Greetings,

Koen