When my friend Jonathan Long bought a house, part of its side yard was too steep to plant easily or efficiently. Being a practical man, he decided to terrace the slope. It's a solution that makes ...

Planting on any sloped land is more difficult than flat-ground planting because: 1.) it’s harder to walk and work on a slope; and 2.) the soil is usually poor and thin from erosion. Toughest of all is ...

Nobody enjoys wrestling with a steep lawn. Transform this hillside with terraced planting beds along rough stone stairs rather than turf grass. For year-round texture and color, fill the tiers with ...

Does your yard slope, and do you have a sense of hopelessness concerning its functional use? It would cost a small fortune to have a professional landscaper make it a useable space. I empathize with ...

This is the first of an occasional column devoted to seemingly impossible (certainly difficult) problems we encounter in our gardens. Today's problem is what to do about a steep slope that's not very ...

Knowing the Central Coast underground as he does, Rich Casale recommends that homeowners planning to terrace their properties proceed with extreme caution. His advice is pertinent throughout the hilly ...

This is the last of three stories on terracing hillsides. To read the first two stories, "Slippery slopes" and "Know your hillside," go to sfgate.com and type in Deborah K. Rich. "Almost all ...

Is it possible to create and successfully maintain an herb and vegetable garden on a slope? I have a slope area (50 feet by 7 feet) in my backyard, and I’d like to plant vegetables on a quarter of the ...

When planning a new garden, getting the layout right pays dividends immediately and over the long term. A good garden layout makes the space more attractive and functional and can help reduce time ...