Photo courtesy of sexypiratepants at Flickr.com.
If your garden’s located on even the slightest slope, erosion can kill it as dead as a lack of water or the over-use of chemicals. Wind and running water can remove fertile topsoil surprisingly quickly. This does not, however, mean that you should give up the joy of gardening just because you live in a hilly area.
All you have to do is plant your rows parallel to the slope; the root systems of the plants, and the plants themselves, will retard erosion. To retain the topsoil that manages to get by them anyway, line the lower edges of the garden with landscaping timbers. You can collect and redistribute the topsoil at the end of the growing season, or more often if necessary. Heavy mulching of your garden rows can also reduce erosion (not to mention weeds).
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