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 ...

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 ...

A yard with a slope can be a minus or a plus. On the minus side, a grassy slope can be hard to mow and prone to erosion. On the plus side, terraces can be built into slopes to create planting areas of ...

Perhaps the most challenging landscaping problem is that of what to plant on a steep slope. Slopes require plants that can establish quickly, tolerant of fluctuating soil moisture and potentially poor ...

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 ...

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 ...

A lot of yards have sloped areas that are too steep to comfortably or safely mow. If you're stuck with one of them, you have a few alternatives. And the next few cooling weeks are a good time to get ...