The Brew Cabin

Posted: **Fri May 14, 2010 12:08 pm**

As the title suggests... I have a Sloping Field of Doom that I'd like to turn into an Attractive Garden of Joy ???

The site is at the bottom of a huge hill, at about 1000ft above sea level, in the North Yorkshire Dales National Park. There's some bedrock close to the bottom of the slope (limestone quarry accross the road), overlayed with heavy boulder clay, topped of with a stoney sandy silt. (OMG I sound like a geologist!)

I've spoken to various groundworkers ranging from "man with jcb" types, to "groundwork consultants" (possibly a man with a jcb and a web site?)

Here lies the problem.. I know that it's possible to grade out my slopey areas into terraces but I'm concerned about a few issues....

1) Some folks have said that I'd be best off employing some heavy plant to get the work done quicker... Obviously the guys with mini diggers disagree ???

2) How sure can I be that the new levels will not just slip away and return to the slope I had before, over the next few winters?

3) How much time/money should I waste/spend on seperating topsoil and subsoils ?

4) How horrenous will the weed problem be ? Would I have to spray all growth off and seed or should i wait until the grasses are about to seed ?

Loads more questions but I'l leave it at that for now :O

Hope you can help

Maf

Posted: **Fri May 14, 2010 12:35 pm**

hi maf look at your project as they do in maderia lots of terrace steep hills even the goats get a taxi it can be done but you need to look at the water run of in winter and heavey rain to map its naturial routes have you acsess to the big boulders they will help am over in york can come over and take alook for you foc more of a intrest and a nice drive out cheers cookie :;): :;):

Posted: **Fri May 14, 2010 1:27 pm**

as you seem to have access to stone and rocks, maybe you could use gabions for terracing?

Posted: **Fri May 14, 2010 7:19 pm**

Terracing is fairly straightforward as long as the drainage on each step is done well then there shouldn't be any slump. At 1000ft you've got a very limited choice of plants and possibly grass too. I might be prudent to enquire about planning consent etc my parents live in a National Park and they can't fart with consent from several different bodies so a large scale terracing scheme might land you in trouble depending on it's visual and environmental impact. These bodies tend to operate zero tolerance policies on offenders so it could be a costly waste for the sake of a few phone calls. The people you should be calling are those that do both groundworking and landscaping so they'll have a notion about preserving soil structure and preventing contamination etc. Ask to see similar work they've done and speak to their clients. As for cost how longs a length of string but it' won't be cheap to do it right.

Edited By Pablo on 1273861212

Posted: **Sat May 15, 2010 8:19 am**

we have a saying and maybe we're megalomaniacs but what will do a lot, will also do a little. but what will do a little wont do a lot

always gets the biggest machine in you can thats practical.

i did a 60mX20m terrace for a lady to do dressage on in the peak district national park up above 1200ft over looking a reservoir nice works week, that was on very rocky ground.

i stripped the top soil off saved it, then used dig and fill to strip 2m off one end and fill 2m up at the other end shifted about 4000 tons in a week with an 8 ton machine and 6 ton dumper, would have taken our bigger machine but couldn't get it in with their yard layout.

the guys with a mini digger will say that, but not worth having the amount of earth that needs to be shifted will take for ever with a 1.5 ton and a mini dumper let them stick to playing in back gardens. i'd say depending on the size of your field and access you want an 8 ton upwards.

i relayed the top soil graded it off then seeded with a rye mix, then weeds just can be mown back or grazed off or sprayed if its really bad.

gabions are good, we often hand stack the front for astheitcs but your adding expense. if your groundworkers any good he should know his strata and be able to terrace or batter them for you. once the grass takes they wont go any where.

http://www.gbgroundworks.com/recent/strines_moor/index.html

Edited By GB_Groundworks on 1273908802

Posted: **Sat May 15, 2010 1:10 pm**

Nice pics GB.. But not much of a slope :p

The subsoil looks very dry and rocky.. Mine is boulder clay

I don't have a pic of the field to hand but the pic below should show how slope-tastic it is... trace a horizontal line from the oil tank on the left to the right side of the house !!

The field extends about twice the width of the photo up the hill at a similar gradient ???

The Brew Cabin

Sloping field of doom