On a third of an acre in a village, living alongside his wife and trusty hounds, Tim works towards living life within nature instead of at odds with it. Chickens, gardening, mushrooms and much more occupies Tim's mind as new projects appear and old projects complete. Tim is currently working towards renovating his 1850's home while turning lawn into edible space.
This is a before and after over a period of around four years. The log is still pretty stout and hasn't slid down the hillside at all even with all of the organic material I have uphill of it. You can see the Russian comfrey I planted to assist in soil stabalization.
An example image of a log erosion barrier from the USDA Forest Service. This figure shows a log, pinned with stakes, with a shallow swale behind it with packed dirt against the log itself. This would be placed on contour and allowed to capture/intercept organic matter. The swale is intended to primarily capture sediment. Studies have shown that while these log barriers retention abilities may be overcome by large storms, they do well with 'regular' rain events over seasons.
Personally, I don't think I would be too concerned with pathogens from what you are describing.
Just a note, seeds can survive a horse's digestion track so keep that in mind when you start growing in that area. You may see a mixture of seeds coming from both the manure and the soil's natural seed bank.
I've spent the last few years tending an eroding slope and have made good progress in 'restoring' the dirt into soil. The most significant technique I have employed is utilizing logs as tools to slow erosion. By laying timbers across a slope, on contour, the logs slow water and capture eroded fines while allowing plants a chance to stabilize the slope.
Log Erosion Barrier
I was first introduced to the idea through learning more about Log Erosion Barriers (LEBs) which are utilized on land damaged by wildfire. Shallow trenches are dug and fallen logs are placed in the trenches to become a barrier to runoff. These are arranged in a particular way to not hold back large amounts of water/soil but rather intercept the flow to reduce erosion.
Where I differ is that I'm combining a mixture of trunk-section logs and smaller branches to create a semi-permeable 'net' to catch materials as they are going down the slope. The logs are not meant to function as a retaining wall but rather a biodegradable framework where organic material can collect behind it and eventually all be returned to soil material with, hopefully, a more gentle slope behind it. To expedite the process, anything organic can be thrown behind the logs to further hold things together. Twigs, leaves, old animal bedding, chipped wood, cold compost, brush and more can be placed.
My intention is for this process to be a temporary step towards a permanent solution. By building up the soil organic material on the hillside, it is my plan to start planting perennials/shrubs to root those areas in place. When the logs have rotted away and are no longer collecting soil organic matter, hopefully there will be beautiful productive shrubs holding the line.
Have you done something similar? How much slope is too much slope?
How often do you find yourself cleaning in your house? I'm talking about intentionally spending time going through rooms cleaning top-to-bottom, not just spot cleaning messes.
Timothy Li wrote:I’m new to gardening, so I’m curious about the soil moisture part. How would you tell whether the ground is dry enough to use a broadfork? Is there a simple way to check, or is it mostly something you learn through experience?
My worry comes from working water-logged soils. It created compaction layers. Water acts kind of like a lubricant so instead of lifting and fluffing soil, working the ground instead collapses air pockets creating dense sections to form. If my soil doesn't feel sticky and sopping wet, I may consider working it. I think Judith makes a great point that soil can also be too dry and make working it difficult. It may be better described as a balance of moisture?
Where I live we have snowy, freezing winters where nothing grows. Usually, the garden just sits until spring to be worked as soon as it thaws. I recently purchased a broadfork to improve soil tilth and break new ground to grow things in. I am now wondering if it would make sense to broadfork BEFORE winter or if it is better to wait for the spring thaw. In my mind, the fall is rather dry and from what I read you want to broadfork when the ground is dry. The spring thaw means weeks of wet ground and waiting. I think I just want an excuse to try out my broadfork, but maybe it might make sense?
What are your thoughts? Is patience actually a virtue?
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