4 Ways to Prevent Soil Erosion in Your Garden from Torrential Rain

Summer is quickly approaching and although every gardener looks eagerly forward to the rain that keep their gardens green and growing, there is a downside to all that torrential rain, which is mudslides and soil erosion. You may not be worried about a tropical storm tearing down your lovely flowers and vegetables, but that rain can do enough damage with or without the heavy winds that accompany cyclones. If you are tired of heavy rain eroding the garden you’ve worked so hard to plant, you might want to take the time to learn at least four ways to prevent soil erosion in your garden.

prevent soil erosion

Contents

1. Proper Plant Placement Is a Must

This is one of the biggest mistakes many gardeners make. When planting anything at all on a steep incline, the tendency is to plant at right angles to the soil. That’s what you would do on flat ground right? However, when planting on an incline, a steep slope, you should plant vertically so that the plant not only grows healthier but will also provide a barrier when those heavy rains start falling.

2. Mulch and Heavy Grasses on Steep Slopes

Never leave steep slopes without some kind of covering. When the rains hit, and they will surely do so, if there is nothing there to stop the flow of water, all mud will come crashing down the hill into your lovely garden. No, you may not be planting your garden on a slope, but if you have one adjacent to your garden, keep the ground covered with thick, lush grass and/or mulch to prevent mud slides.

3. Residential Retaining Walls to Prevent Mudslides

Many homeowners love the fact that their property is located in a hilly vale. The beauty of nature surrounds them with those green rolling hills, but unfortunately, those very same hills can spell disaster for your garden during a heavy rainfall. Companies like Brisbane Precast specialise in precast retaining walls that will keep the mud where it belongs so that your garden won’t be covered as a result of the next tropical rain storm.

4. Keep Your Garden Moist at All Times

Another ‘trick’ that some gardeners learned the hard way is to keep your garden soil moist at all times. While there is a danger of the overwatering of plants causing root rot, there is an equal danger of watering too little so that the ground becomes packed and parched like clay. By keeping the soil moist, you aren’t as likely to experience runoff when the heavy rains do come – and for sure they will!

These are just four ways to help prevent soil erosion and mudslides come the tropical cyclone season. Now is the time to start getting everything in order because November 1, the start of the season, is just a couple months away. It will be here sooner than you believe and if you are caught unawares, your garden may suffer the consequences. Keep the soil where it belongs – under your plants, not suffocating them from above. These tips will help!

Erin Emanuel

One Comment

  1. It’s good to learn that you should plant vertically when gardening on a steep slope. My wife and I are wanting to move to a new house and she was wondering how she could make a garden on a steep slope in the new backyard. I’ll be sure to tell her that she should plant vertically on a steep slope.

Comments are closed.