Growing Vegetables on a Back Yard Hill

Site Selection

• Before you break ground on the hill, you need to assess the options to find the best place to plant. If you have the option, use the south side of the hill so that the veggies soak up plenty of sunshine without obstruction. Watching the hill throughout the day helps you choose the area that gets the most sunlight. A gradual slope is usually a better option than a steep hill.

Planting Structures

• You can plant directly on a backyard hill with a gentle slope, but a garden on a steeper hill benefits from a structure to support the plants. Raised beds built on the side of the hill offer an option for creating flat planting areas. The raised beds create smaller planting areas that allow you to reach the vegetables easier. Terraces built into the hill also work for providing flat planting areas on the hills. In addition to a flat spot to grow the veggies, these structures slow water from rushing down the hill.

Plant Direction

• The direction of your veggie garden rows affects how well the hillside garden grows. Rows that go up and down the hill allow water to run right down the slope. The water carries with it topsoil and nutrients that your garden needs to grow. Instead, plant your rows horizontally around the slope. The rows of veggies help slow down the water even if you don't actually build terraces in the garden.

Planting Arrangement

• The height of plants is always a consideration when laying out your garden. Tall plants can block the sunlight to shorter varieties. Plant your taller vegetables, such as corn and tomatoes, so that they aren't between the sun and the smaller plants, such as carrots and lettuce. On a south-facing hill, you want the taller plants higher on the hill. For a garden on a north-facing hill, the opposite is true. Shorter plants at the top of the hill get sunlight without the interference of the tall veggies.