Question
Hello, I just read a question from a homeowner about a difficult incline with weeds and poison ivy. Well it just so happens that i am working on the same project. this is what I've done so far. I pulled all the weeds early spring, pulled again last night. I am about to spray weed killer, lay down the black plastic and staple it, but I want to have the area look nice. what can I do after I lay the plastic? I was hoping to add dirt or rocks to fill in what the rain has washed away. Then I wanted to put medium to large rocks randomly on the incline. Can I plant anything after I sprayed the area, or will that kill everything? What I want to do, is build wood into the hill and in each squared off section plant a different shrub, flower..etc.. I dont know how to put this wood into the incline. (Iwant that regardless of the plant situation) I dont know how else to explain it.. the wood will square off a section, then I will cascade (is that the right word?) different section of wood up and down the hill. Can you picture it? I can try to find a website with it, but I've been looking. How do I get the wood to be secure in the ground? It will be directly on the incline, which is pretty steep. Thanks for your help. Bobbi

Answer
Bobbi,
What you are describing is called "terracing". This is usually the only way to garden on a steep slanted incline.You won't be able to keep the plastic down though. That will have to come off after you spray all the vegetation with weed killer and leave the plastic over the area for several weeks. When you remove the plastic,make sure you don't see anymore weeds or roots.
Then you can start terracing by using large railroad ties or landscaping timbers. This will need to be a two person job though unless you're a weightlifter.lol!
It would be easiest to work your way up the hill so that you can get each area flattened out by digging into the bank and removing some soil,then inserting the wood piece or pieces,depending on how steep it is.
Terracing is not an easy thing to do,but can be done if you have determination and a plan.Go to the link below and get some very helpful info and instructions before you begin.Just cut and paste the link into your browser and click go.Hope this is helpful to you and it turns out beautifully!

http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/Feature/backyard/Terrac.html