Hey permie Family !!
Sending you greetings from worlds highest coastal mountains in Colombia, Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta
We have here two hectares of tropical jungle.
I wanna start building my first garden beds and food forest.
When I studied my PCD I wasn't on side so lot of the theory it doesn't work now. First of all our soil: we have about 15-20cm loamy topsoil full of organic matter but under this just sand and small rocks.
In my design I wanted to build swales all along the contour. Now I noticed that digging out the upper 15 cm would leave the sand open and I saw lots of steep road sides crushing down in rain season cause the water washes out the sand and big part of the hill including big deep rooted trees slide and fall down.
So I cancel the idea of slopes to avoid waterlogging and it's consequences.... right?
The hill we live on is very steep, between 55, mostly 45 degree.
I thought I could just make little pathways to walk the hill but not even make them on contour but let it dirígate the water downhill so the water doesn't collect and flushes out the soil and plants. That's so much against the elements and thoughts of what I learned but in the same time every land is individual and has its own needs, right? We learn to observe, adapt and find new ways ...
Any comments or advices on this point so far?
The masses of water coming down here are crazy. I thought I'll wait till next dry season to start digging the pathways and planting immediately so the plants can establish until next rain ... and planting densely. Unfortunately I couldnt receive the amount of vertiver that is needed to plant erosion protection everywhere but even their roots need time to grow.. I'll plant other plants meanwhile
Has anyone experience with building terraces without excavator on steep slope?
Thanks a lot
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