Uploaded June 2020 | Updated September 2026, 6 hours ago
Planting on a hillside can often be chore. If you build a retaining wall, you risk flooding the plants; if you don’t build a wall, you risk having the plants dry out. A good solution to this dilemma is to build a hillside bed. Unlike a retaining wall, the bed will collect water from the slope, but also drain properly. This situation creates the perfect balance for growing trees, shrubs and flowers.
Materials Needed:
- Pre-fabricated concrete blocks, all of the same thickness (number will be determined by the desired size of the bed.
- A “load” of good soil and a “load” of mulch. (again the amount will be determined by the size of the bed.
- Desired tree, shrubs or flowers
Tools Needed:
- spade or shovel
- wheel barrow
- garden hose (connected to water)
- carpenter’s level (bubble level)
STEPS TO CREATE A HILLSIDE BED
Step1
Lay out the bed. It is always a good idea to outline the bed- before you dig. Place a row of blocks on the ground in a pattern you like. Using your spade, cut the sod around the blocks. Next, skim the sod out. You will have an “outline pattern” of the bed.
Step2
Dig the trench and install the first row of blocks. Using the pattern, dig the trench for first row of blocks. Always install the lowest block in the wall first. The key to a great bed is to get the first row of blocks perfectly level- front to back and left to right. Once your first row of blocks is installed, all that is left is to stack the rest of the blocks.
Step3
As you stack, recess and alternate the block pattern. The advantages of using pre-fabricated cement blocks are one; all the blocks are the same thickness, and two; the blocks feature a rear lip which allows an automatic half-inch setback. Be sure to stack the blocks in an alternating “brick-like” pattern.
Step4
Finish stacking the blocks and fill the bed with good top soil. After you finish building the “block wall,” back fill the hillside bed with good topsoil.
Step5
Plant, mulch and water. All that’s left now is to plant your new hillside bed. Regardless of what you plant, it is always a good idea to mulch. Mulch will help prevent weeds and assist plants in retaining moisture. And last but definitely not least, water your new bed thoroughly to get the plants off to a good start.
Planting on a hillside can often be chore. If you build a retaining wall, you risk flooding the plants; if you don’t build a wall, you risk having the plants dry out. A good solution to this dilemma is to build a hillside bed. Unlike a retaining wall, the bed will collect water from the slope, but also drain properly. This situation creates the perfect balance for growing trees, shrubs and flowers.
Materials Needed:
- Pre-fabricated concrete blocks, all of the same thickness (number will be determined by the desired size of the bed.
- A “load” of good soil and a “load” of mulch. (again the amount will be determined by the size of the bed.
- Desired tree, shrubs or flowers
Tools Needed:
- spade or shovel
- wheel barrow
- garden hose (connected to water)
- carpenter’s level (bubble level)
STEPS TO CREATE A HILLSIDE BED
Step1
Lay out the bed. It is always a good idea to outline the bed- before you dig. Place a row of blocks on the ground in a pattern you like. Using your spade, cut the sod around the blocks. Next, skim the sod out. You will have an “outline pattern” of the bed.
Step2
Dig the trench and install the first row of blocks. Using the pattern, dig the trench for first row of blocks. Always install the lowest block in the wall first. The key to a great bed is to get the first row of blocks perfectly level- front to back and left to right. Once your first row of blocks is installed, all that is left is to stack the rest of the blocks.
Step3
As you stack, recess and alternate the block pattern. The advantages of using pre-fabricated cement blocks are one; all the blocks are the same thickness, and two; the blocks feature a rear lip which allows an automatic half-inch setback. Be sure to stack the blocks in an alternating “brick-like” pattern.
Step4
Finish stacking the blocks and fill the bed with good top soil. After you finish building the “block wall,” back fill the hillside bed with good topsoil.
Step5
Plant, mulch and water. All that’s left now is to plant your new hillside bed. Regardless of what you plant, it is always a good idea to mulch. Mulch will help prevent weeds and assist plants in retaining moisture. And last but definitely not least, water your new bed thoroughly to get the plants off to a good start.
