Help - need some advice - regarding gardening wall near house...

[December99]

Does anyone have a gardening/retaining wall up next to their house that has siding on it and how have you dealt with the soil needing to be up near the house? Do you put some plastic behind so that it doesn't damage the siding? How do you keep pests out? I don't think that is as much of an issue as my husband is having about the soil being up and possibly touching the siding.

 

[Snowwark]

Chris, I hate to tell you this, but with this particular issue, your DH is right. It's not a good idea to have soil right up against siding or brick. The mositure in the soil can eventually lead to leaks and rotting. If it was against concrete blocks (foundation blocks), it would probably be okay.

You may want to consider leaving a gap of 4-5" as a barrier, and then use timbers or retaining wall blocks (on the house side) to build your garden.

Kim

 

[WebmasterAlex]

Kim is right, you definitely don't want the soil against the house! It's an open invitation to termites and wood rot. I wouldn't trust plastic for that.

 

[December99]

Thanks. It was something I hadn't even thought of so Friday night I went out and measured and came up with a plan that I think will work. Had to scale down the courses on the wall and I think after we till the ground up it will be fine. Thanks for your comments. This is the first time I've done anything "tall"