Can I raise my soil level against my fenceline on a slope downhill?

[NaomiK]

My garden is on a slope downward and ai believe soil was washed away in a flood. I would like to create a cottage garden along my fenceline, raising the soil level. The fence is color bond with a 30cm wooden raise - the height difference from ours to the property next door. Their soil level is at 15cm onto the raise and I would like mine to the top of the raise - base of the fence. I have ordered the soil and am clearing the mess and it has been suggested ai may need a retaining wall? I'm new to this do u think its necessary- its a 30mtr fenceline - sorry the photos are still in clearing stage. Any advise would be great - the soil arrives tomorrow! 

 

 Thankyou!

 

 

[EricL]

Hello @NaomiK 

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. It's sensational to have you join us, and thanks for sharing your question about your garden.

I propose building a single level garden bed made from 200 x 50mm Sleeper H4 Sienna MicroPro 2.4m. This will allow you to have the soil higher for your garden bed. It will not touch the Colorbond fence and will therefore be protected from heavy moisture from the soil. The big plus of course is that should any rain come through the area the soil will be protected from being washed away. Plus, it also serves as a primary defence as it raises the height of the garden.

If you have any other questions we can help with, please let us know.  

Eric

[NaomiK]

Thankyou. I have a stack of pallets on the property. If I took the slays off and lined the fence line with them would that work in the same way? I'm assuming the go lengthwise on the fenceline with a stack to hold them in place? Or an they lean on the fence?

[JacobZ]

Hi @NaomiK,

Pallet wood is not treated for in-ground use, so it wouldn't really be ideal. If constructed correctly, it would certainly retain the soil, but over time, it would rot, and you would need to replace it.

You would be much better off using timber sleepers, which are treated for in-ground use and can reasonably be expected to last for 20-25 years, as opposed to maybe 1-2 years from untreated timber.

The small retaining wall would need to be entirely separate from the fence, as you don't want any weight pushing sideways on the fence. If you set the sleepers around 100 - 150mm from the fence and use these Jack 450mm Heavy Duty Steel Sleeper Peg Flat Stakes to hold them in place, this would be a simple yet strong solution.

Let me know what you think and if you have further questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

Jacob