How To Contour Your Soil For A Garden

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Erosion is the loss of soil. As soil erodes, it loses nutrients, clogs rivers with dirt, and eventually turns the area into a desert. Although erosion happens naturally, human activities can make it much worse.

1
Plant grass and shrubs. Bare soil is easily swept away by wind and water, the two main causes of erosion. Plant roots hold the soil together, while their leaves block rain and stop it breaking the soil apart.^[1] Turf, ornamental grass, and low, spreading shrubs work best since they cover the soil completely.
- If you have any bare ground, try to establish plant cover as soon as possible to limit erosion.
- If the ground is mostly flat (slope of 3:1 or less), this might be enough to solve the problem.^[2] Steep slopes erode faster, so they need more protection.
2
Add mulch or rocks. This will weigh down the soil and protect the seeds and young plants underneath from getting washed away. It also slows the absorption of water to reduce runoff. Grass clippings or bark chips work especially well.^[3]
- If you don't plant anything, keep the soil covered with mulch. You can also add mulch around plants to add another layer of protection or to keep the soil warm.
Note: If you plant something in the soil, the plant's roots can hold the soil together, and you may not need mulch or rocks.
3
Use mulch matting to hold vegetation on slopes. Simply lay the mat over your seeds or young plants. On steep slopes, dig a small trench at the top of the hill first. Lay the top of the mat in the trench, fill it up with soil, then fold the mat back over the top. This helps water run over the top of the mat, where the mat will slow it down, instead of traveling underneath it.^[4]
- Fiber mulch mats or erosion control mats are a layer of mulch held together in a fiber mesh. This structure holds the mulch together in areas where normal mulch would be washed or blown away.^[5]
4
Put down fiber logs. Another option for erosion control on steep slopes is a series of rolled up logs or "wattles" made from fibrous material (like straw). Water running down the slope will slow down when it hits the logs, soaking into the soil instead of carrying mud downhill. Put the logs down across the slope, 10 to 25 feet (3–8m) apart. Hold them in place with wooden stakes or sturdy, living plants.^[6]
- You can plant seeds directly in the logs to protect them while they grow.
- If you do plant seeds directly into the logs, you should still use stakes to hold the logs in place, at least until the seeds develop sturdy roots that go into the soil.
5
Build retaining walls . Badly eroded slopes will continue to collapse downhill until they are stabilized. A retaining wall at the base of the slope will block the soil and slow down the collapse. This gives grass or other plants time to grow and help the soil hold together.
- Give the wall a 2% slope on the side (perpendicular to the incline) so that water flows off to the side instead of pooling.^[7]
- You may build the wall from concrete blocks, rock, or wood. Only use wood treated with a preservative to prevent rot.^[8]
- Use retaining walls around flowerbeds and other raised soil areas as well.
- You may need local government approval to build these structures.
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7

Reduce watering if possible. Over-watering your garden can speed up erosion by washing away soil. Use less water if you can, or install a drip irrigation system. Since a drip system only delivers small amounts of water at a time, there is no water flooding across the surface to carry topsoil.

Tip: You can also install drip lines underground to deliver water directly to the roots.
8
Avoid soil compaction. When people, animals, or machines travel over soil, they press it down, compacting the soil into a dense layer. Since there is less space between dirt particles in compacted soil, water has a hard time draining through, and carries soil on the surface downhill instead. Walk on paving stones or cleared paths instead of trampling the soil, especially when it is wet. Adding compost or manure can also help by attracting earthworms, which break the soil into looser clumps.
- Compacted soil also makes it harder for plants to become established, since the roots have trouble breaking through.
- Compaction always lead to net erosion. The water may run off of compacted soil, but as it runs off it generates more force, which can increase the erosion in other areas.

1
Plant trees to prevent landslides. Tree roots are powerful tools when soil is too eroded or steep to plant. Plant native trees on steep slopes and riverbanks to reduce soil loss.^[9]
- Bare ground around the tress still needs to be covered in mulch or grass for best results.
- Keep in mind that older trees will be more effective at preventing landslides than new saplings. It may take some time before your tree develops roots that are strong enough.
2
Reduce tillage. Deep, frequent tillage creates a layer of compact soil vulnerable to water erosion, topped by loose soil easily removed by wind.^[10] Consider a zero-tillage approach using a coulter or other deep planting device.^[11]
- These conservation tillage techniques also reduce the amount of vehicle traffic, and therefore soil compaction.
Tip: If this is not feasible, try a ridge-till or mulch-till system that leaves the lower soil levels untouched.^[12]
3
Protect weak crops with strip cropping. Crops with weak roots or that need to be sparsely planted are more vulnerable to erosion. Plant these in strips, alternating with strips of an erosion-resistant crop such as dense grass or legumes.^[13]
- Plant the crops so they contour the slope.
- Plant these crops perpendicular to the prevailing wind if possible.
4
Practice wet season spelling. Grazing land cannot remain healthy and erosion-resistant if cattle are allowed to graze year-round. For best results, close off a paddock for the entire wet season to allow grasses to reestablish themselves.
- This may not be effective if the other paddocks cannot support the spelled cattle.
- If possible, keep cattle away from riverbanks and heavily eroded soil at all times.^[14]
5
Keep soil covered year-round. Bare soil is far more vulnerable to erosion than soil with ground cover. Aim for at least 30% ground cover on all grazing land, ideally 40% or more.^[15]
- After you harvest your crops, leave the residue on the soil as mulch. Alternatively, plant hardy winter crops.
6
Control downhill runoff with flumes. Runoff is concentrated into a narrower area as it travels across lands. The points where the concentrated runoff reaches a slope are particularly vulnerable to erosion. You can build a paved flume, or lined channel, to lead the water to a safe drainage system. Build these at gully heads as well.
- Another option is to build a swale to re-direct the runoff into a pond. Building several swales along a hillside can greatly reduce runoff volume and eliminate the need for a paved channel.^[16]
- Do not build flumes on slopes steeper than 1.5:1.^[17]
7

Turn a hillside into terraces. The steepest slopes are almost impossible to farm on. Turn the hill into terraces instead by building retaining walls running across the slope. In between the walls, grade the soil level to create a flat area resistant to erosion.

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Question

How do I prevent soil erosion on crop land?

Andrew Carberry has been working in food systems since 2008. He has a Masters in Public Health Nutrition and Public Health Planning and Administration from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville.

Food Systems Expert

Expert Answer

Try to maintain constant ground cover. When one crop is harvested or cleared, plant another crop or cover crop immediately. Build crop rows across the contour of sloped land to slow water. Maintain a wild area (riparian buffer) around streams and rivers to protect banks. Use drip irrigation rather than sprinklers.
Question

How do I deal with soil erosion on hilly slopes?

Andrew Carberry has been working in food systems since 2008. He has a Masters in Public Health Nutrition and Public Health Planning and Administration from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville.

Food Systems Expert

Expert Answer

You could either build terraces to create flat growing spaces or build swales into the land to slow water as it runs downhill. Swales will collect the water and recharge ground water systems. Consider planting perennial species so there is no need to till the land.
Question

What is the effect of erosion on food production?

Andrew Carberry has been working in food systems since 2008. He has a Masters in Public Health Nutrition and Public Health Planning and Administration from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville.

Food Systems Expert

Expert Answer

Erosion leads to the loss of topsoil and critical nutrients. Over time this will reduce the food production capacity of the land.
Question

Why does soil degrade due to farming?

Plants use nutrients from the soil to grow. The more plants there are, the more nutrients get used up. After a while, the soil loses its nutrients and becomes unusable. Since plants are the most effective way to hold soil together, over-farming can make erosion much worse. To prevent this, farmers can move plots each year so the land has time to recover, or switch to different crops each year that use different nutrients and add others back to the soil.
Question

How can I prevent soil erosion in an easy and simple way?

Plant trees, protect forests, ensure that the soil holds suitable minerals or organic matter in the proper amounts, maintain the porous structure of the soil, control and reclaim ravines and shift cultivation around. As you can see, each of these topics is enormous in and of themselves, so this answer is merely a summary of what isn't necessarily an easy task. However, the more you take care of the soil and apply appropriate care habits to it, the more it will reward you by staying in place and improving in texture. You have to begin somewhere, so learn all that you can and start applying this knowledge today.
Question

How can I prevent soil erosion that is caused by wind?

Use appropriate planting and top dressing. Depending on the kind of soil you have, perhaps get some more to mix in. Put wind breaks around the area, such as hedges, tree lines, fences, etc.
Question

How does building a retaining wall and terrace prevent soil erosion?

They help in reducing the speed of running water, thus helping prevent soil from being carried away by the water.
Question

How do you grow plants in soil?

The same way you always would depending on where you live and what the weather condition is. The back of the box or pouch the plants come in should tell you all the information you need.
Question

How can erosion change the texture of the soil?

In addition to eroding the soil (moving it to another location), wind and water "weather" the soil, breaking it down into small particles of silt and sand. Since these blow away faster than large particles, erosion continues faster than before. Since heavier particles travel shorter distances, the soil is eventually "sorted" by particle size, leaving a coarse soil with few nutrients.
Question

What is the main cause for soil erosion?

Water erosion and surface water runoff are problematic. One of the main causes of soil erosion is water erosion, which is the loss of topsoil due to water. Removal of vegetation is another cause or soil erosion and so is the removal of keystone species such as elephants from an area, when they are unable to fulfill their niche in the local ecology.

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If you are involved in a construction project, ask local government about laws and regulations related to soil erosion.
In areas with heavy wind or sandstorms, build a fence or plant a living windbreaker around your property. Trees will collect and stop sand better than a fence.
Spread awareness in your community to help others fight soil erosion. Plant on bare pieces of public land.
Till vegetable rows across the slope, not up and down.^[18]

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Article SummaryX

For a quick erosion fix, add mulch or rocks to weigh your soil down. If you have a steep slope, try mulch matt for a secure option. Prevent long-term soil erosion by covering the bare ground with turf, ornamental grass, or spreading shrubs. Avoid walking over your soil, which can lead to further erosion. For advice from our Gardener about how to prevent farmland erosion, read on!

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