Rows going up/down hill or across the hill?

[IthacaJeff 151]

All you experts, need some serious advice. . .

We are changing the location of our garden, and the new location has a slight

slope to it. Not great, but when it rains hard you can see the water flow down

and rivulets form. The question is, should the rows go up and down the hills,

or across the fall line perpendicular to the slope?

The garden will be about 40" x 60' with the long dimension following the slope.

If I make rows along the long edge it may be easier, same if I till in this

direction. This will be especially useful because the garden will have a deer

fence around it. However, if I till in this one direction and plant in rows going

up and down the slope, I worry about rapid rain runoff and erosion.

If I plant the short dimension, across the fall line, it seems I'll have less of the

rain erosion problem. This seems like the logical choice, but there is one more

consideration. I hope to use rain barrels to help water the garden, and using rows

going up and down the slope would seem to make it easier to a gravity feed

system.

What is your advice?

One final question. . .

Will my 310-8 do an adequate job with the tiller? I've got a 416-8, but that's rigged

up with the mower deck and I foresee a period of time in which I'd need to switch

back and forth regularly. (I'm also needing to mow the far reaches of the property

and then use the tiller to help dig for for 30-40 trees we are planting).

Thanks,

Jeff in Enfield, NY

[mavfreak 11]

You don't want the rows going up and down the hills, this will allow water to run down hill without grass there to slow it down witch in turn would wash out your garden and guilles will form.

I hope this makes sense cause I have a hard time saying what I mean :thumbs:

[jtmoyer 1]

i would say across. and if there is a pretty good slope i would till 2 passes and then leave a small strip of grass then till 2 more passes.... and invest in a push mower. this will keep everything from washing away. ever see a field that was terraced they use them to hold water and to keep everything from washing away.

[GlenPettit 1,717]

Do everything you can to reduce that water run-off (usually full of good stuff for the plants also), so plant across the slope.

A Garden on a slight slope is good, lets the cold air & frost run down, away.

If the slope is on the South, it allows more Sun to get in too.

Organic materials in the soil absorb moisture & water in and hold it.

FYI: One of the main reasons Lug Tires have that staggered shape is so the ruts left in the dirt reduce water run-off (plus the traction).

Michigan Glen

[bmuone 15]

Not to sure which way is best. Mine run down a slight slope. I knew that there would be some run off but I wanted raised rows anyway. Raised without any forms. Just piled up dirt. So I dig from the walking paths and pile dirt on the rows about once a season. I've seen the rows run every which way around here...N,S,E,W, up hill down hill....just no certain way. Depends on what you have to work with and the ideas you come up with. Good luck....it's about time to plant!!!

[6wheeler 661]

I like this, IMO, it all depends on how steep the slope is. On the one hand if you plant across water will not run off. But, here is a trick I use on one of my gardens that is rather steep. I make a trench between the rows that is followed up by the row before by a trench on the end of the rows. I water at the top of the hill slowly and it runs down soaking in and works like a gravity flow irrigator. So all the rows get wet. Its alot of work but fun to watch and no wasted water. The one big plus I find is, because I plant it across, I can plant more rows. Therefore, I can change maturity times so all the beans or corn are not ready at the same time. And, I plant different maturity dates with my corn so there is about 2 weeks between each 2 rows.

[wheelhorse656 20]

our garden is on about a 10 degree slope. and our rows run up and down the hill no problem. our nabors however have a a garden on the same hill but at about a 20 degree slope and tryed the same thing we did and they have alot of run off and there garden did not survive very well like that. so they put their rows running perpandicular with the the slope and it worked out alot better for them last year.

hope this helps

Bye Jordan :thumbs:

[IthacaJeff 151]

Thanks gents. . .

I think we'll start off with the rows across the slope, just to be on the safe side.

Maybe next year will do it differently!

Jeff in Enfield NY