When my friend Jonathan Long bought a house, part of its side yard was too steep to plant easily or efficiently. Being a practical man, he decided to terrace the slope. It's a solution that makes ...

Planting on any sloped land is more difficult than flat-ground planting because: 1.) it’s harder to walk and work on a slope; and 2.) the soil is usually poor and thin from erosion. Toughest of all is ...

Terracing creates useable level space in an otherwise sloping yard. Does your yard slope, and do you have a sense of hopelessness concerning its functional use? It would cost a small fortune to have a ...

its own set of unique and challenging circumstances to be overcome. Here are a few tips for success. First, realize that if you want your water or fertilizer to stay where it’s needed, you’ll have to ...

This is the first of an occasional column devoted to seemingly impossible (certainly difficult) problems we encounter in our gardens. Today's problem is what to do about a steep slope that's not very ...

Is it possible to create and successfully maintain an herb and vegetable garden on a slope? I have a slope area (50 feet by 7 feet) in my backyard, and I’d like to plant vegetables on a quarter of the ...

This is the last of three stories on terracing hillsides. To read the first two stories, "Slippery slopes" and "Know your hillside," go to sfgate.com and type in Deborah K. Rich. "Almost all ...

When planning a new garden, getting the layout right pays dividends immediately and over the long term. A good garden layout makes the space more attractive and functional and can help reduce time ...