Good Morning Y'all!
I just joined the forum but am excited to be here as I'm a total permaculture beginner and have a million questions (but tons of enthusiasm!). I live in a city, and my yard will be my project/work/garden space. My back yard is fairly large, but unfortunately floods a few times a year (sometimes 4-5 feet), so I don't think it's the best place to invest my energy...
So, the front yard it is! I should note that my house is on a downward hill- so the backyard flooding doesn't flood the house (occasionally the basement a little.)
After years of total neglect the front yard had turned into a pretty chaotic overgrown viney mess. Some serious hard work later and we've cleared out a nice spot! Here are the issues that concern me (and where I'm hoping some seasoned permies can help with advice or ideas)...
-The ground is hard. Like ridiculously hard.
-There are still tons of vine roots all under the surface, and some pretty big stumpy ones too.
I've read about the no-till/no-dig... but in this case wouldn't it be best to till the land, remove the system of vine roots and add compost (other soil friendly things too?) and let the soil ecosystem start over?
I'm not in a huge rush (so much learning to do) so waiting for the soil to recover from being tilled wouldn't be a huge deal. I just don't know if that's a good idea or would even solve the problems.
Also, since the front yard is sloped I was thinking of building a small retaining wall to help level things out. Any advice there?
I've attempted to add a couple of pictures- I hope they work!
- Megan
