Green Building Adventure | Phase I

The hill next to the Green Building
Adventure is the sunniest spot
on the property. It was covered
with privet and other nuisance,
non-edible plants.

The hillside was cleared
to get ready for terracing.
We chose to terrace the
hill for easier access
and increased gardening
space.

We began with a large
pile of dirt. This would
be used to fill the terraces.

This is the general
lay-out of the first
set of terraces. We're
using used cedar
decking....the same
cedar used to frame
the wall on the first floor.

Here is our pile of
materials before
we began.

Here is the start of
the first terrace.
We began at the bottom
of the hill so we could
drag the dirt down
from the pile on the road.

The seams in the boards
are lapped to make the
wall more sturdy.

The first terrace is filled and we
continue down the slope. To
begin, we're using wooden
stakes to secure the boards,
but these will later be
replaced with steel.

The bottom terraces
are filled and the
stairs are started.
The stairs are the marble
blocks that supported
Mr. Heffner's barn.
Pickens County is
home to one of
the largest marble
industries in the USA.

This section of
terraces is almost complete!

We're almost up to the road!
Cinder blocks are supporting
the middle terrace.
They're filled with soil and will
hold plants in the Spring.
This brilliant idea was
borrowed from one of our
Excursions family's garden.
Thanks for the great idea Leslie!

The first section is done!
The top terrace is level
with the road. We now
have so much growing space!

Here is the pile of
materials for the second
section. We used all the
cedar in the first section,
so this section will be
an adventure!

Mom helped with
the second section....
Thanks mom!
I dumped dirt
down the hill while
she hoed it down
to the terrace wall.

We're almost up to the road!
These wooden stakes will
also be replaced by
steel posts. It's a steep
hill and we need to be
sure things won't slide.

The main part of
the second section is
done! We'll add two
more small terraces to
fill in the last
open space in the middle.

Before terracing this
hill, it would be very
difficult to maintain a garden
here. This hill gets the
most sun, so it's
the ideal place for
a garden. Also, we removed
lots of invasive, non-native
plants and will replace
them with edible,
sustainable landscaping.

And we're done!
Next, we'll add mulch to
the walkways and
we'll replace the wooden stakes
with steel posts.
Then comes the plants....

We're getting ready for Spring!
Cold weather plants have
been seeded, so the terraces
should start to grow
in a few weeks! Spinach,
collards, carrots, onions,
early beets, brussel sprouts,
mustard greens, arugula...

We begin laying out
the stairs by placing the stones.
Then we dig flat spots
to set the stones.

Once flat spots are dug,
we put a layer of sand to healp
seat the stones.

Stair installation is nearly
complete.....only a few more to go!

Aren't they nice?
Much better than scrambling
up and down the hill....

Mulch serves several purposes in our garden....
it helps reduce unwanted weeds, reduces erosion,
and it looks nice!

Our terraced garden is coming along!
Stairs, mulch, yard art....
Now we're just waiting for the plants
to grow! So far we've added
salad greens, collards, mustard greens, spinach,
beets, carrots, onions, brussel sprouts,
jerusalem artichokes, wood violets, bee balm, wormwood, apple mint,
asparagus, walking onions, garlic chives, oregano,
lemon balm, spiderwort, and more!