Cheapest way to create retaining wall

Elmroad82

Excellent. Thanks. I did have another idea.. if I reduced the size of the retaining wall to say 20cms, I could use thick branches / trunks from recehtky cut trees. Just curious how long it would take before they’d rot. I’m thinking branches of at learn 8-10cms in diameter.

Elmroad82

FreeBear said:

Elmroad82 said:   So you’d lay the sandbags flat. Would you then cut them open and fill with soil, seeds etc?
Would you be able to see the sandbags? Presumably there’s no issue with drainage as it’s only holding back a foot in height of soil?

Sandbags filled with soil would work - Fill the bags and tie them up with a bit of string. Lay flat on the ground and jump up & down a few times to flatten & compact each one. You'd need to lay several rows a bit like building a brick wall. Small plants could be put between the gaps of each bag. If you are very careful in making small holes in each bag (no more than 3-4mm diameter), seeds could be poked in to the holes. Watered well, once the seeds & plants have established, it should look quite good. Eventually, moss & other small plants will cover the exposed sacking, so You'd never know they were there.

I have a few tonnes of wood chippings from recently cut shrubs/ trees. Let’s say I used 3 layers of sandbags. Could I fill the bottom and middle layer of sandbags with chippings and the top as you suggest with soil? 

FreeBear

Elmroad82 said:

FreeBear said:

Elmroad82 said:   So you’d lay the sandbags flat. Would you then cut them open and fill with soil, seeds etc?
Would you be able to see the sandbags? Presumably there’s no issue with drainage as it’s only holding back a foot in height of soil?

Sandbags filled with soil would work - Fill the bags and tie them up with a bit of string. Lay flat on the ground and jump up & down a few times to flatten & compact each one. You'd need to lay several rows a bit like building a brick wall. Small plants could be put between the gaps of each bag. If you are very careful in making small holes in each bag (no more than 3-4mm diameter), seeds could be poked in to the holes. Watered well, once the seeds & plants have established, it should look quite good. Eventually, moss & other small plants will cover the exposed sacking, so You'd never know they were there.

I have a few tonnes of wood chippings from recently cut shrubs/ trees. Let’s say I used 3 layers of sandbags. Could I fill the bottom and middle layer of sandbags with chippings and the top as you suggest with soil? 

You could fill the bags with chippings, but.... As the chipping rot down, the volume will reduce, so your top layer of soil filled bags will sink down.

Martin_the_Unjust

Elmroad82 said:

FreeBear said:

Elmroad82 said:   So you’d lay the sandbags flat. Would you then cut them open and fill with soil, seeds etc?
Would you be able to see the sandbags? Presumably there’s no issue with drainage as it’s only holding back a foot in height of soil?

Sandbags filled with soil would work - Fill the bags and tie them up with a bit of string. Lay flat on the ground and jump up & down a few times to flatten & compact each one. You'd need to lay several rows a bit like building a brick wall. Small plants could be put between the gaps of each bag. If you are very careful in making small holes in each bag (no more than 3-4mm diameter), seeds could be poked in to the holes. Watered well, once the seeds & plants have established, it should look quite good. Eventually, moss & other small plants will cover the exposed sacking, so You'd never know they were there.

I have a few tonnes of wood chippings from recently cut shrubs/ trees. Let’s say I used 3 layers of sandbags. Could I fill the bottom and middle layer of sandbags with chippings and the top as you suggest with soil? 

The more weight you have in the sandbags the less likely they are to move, I doubt wood chippings would be heavy enough.