uses for steeply slanted land

Finding land, working a small plot or anything else countryside related
donguri
Posts: 221
Joined: Thu Oct 08, 2015 11:57 am
Location: Aichi
Has thanked: 718 times
Been thanked: 370 times

uses for steeply slanted land

Post by donguri »

For those of you living in mountainous areas.... what do you do with sections of land that are steeply slanted?

I'm just in from doing kusa kari on a small but very steep patch of land, it's absolutely brutal. I keep thinking there must be something I could plant there that would merit my energy spent maintaining it, but I can't imagine what would be strong enough to battle the weeds. It's also a bit far from the house, so it's not realistic to think I could go up there every day to check on things. Furthermore, there are monkeys as well as other critters roaming and pillaging, so vegetables are almost all out of the question. Any great, strong wildflowers? I'm thinking about some exceptionally genki spearmint that I have, but I doubt it could take over the natives in any significant way. A lot of folks have tea trees on slopes here, but those are hardly low maintenance.

I know there are pieces of land like this all over the place, so what does everyone else do? Just suck it up and keep with the weed whacking?

User avatar
gonbechan
Founder
Founder
Posts: 2531
Joined: Wed Sep 23, 2015 9:10 am
Has thanked: 2687 times
Been thanked: 1436 times

uses for steeply slanted land

Post by gonbechan »

Bamboo. Not only does it strengthen the ground with the root system but it pretty much nixed weeds and you get takenoko once a year.

donguri
Posts: 221
Joined: Thu Oct 08, 2015 11:57 am
Location: Aichi
Has thanked: 718 times
Been thanked: 370 times

uses for steeply slanted land

Post by donguri »

Hey, that's a pretty viable solution! Thanks, gonbechan!

Tora
Posts: 489
Joined: Tue Apr 24, 2018 8:53 am
Has thanked: 279 times
Been thanked: 847 times

uses for steeply slanted land

Post by Tora »

Deep in the Shikoku mountains people have been growing potatoes and buckwheat on steep slopes for a pretty long time. Google 祖谷 急斜面 畑 
Here’s one I found but a little searching should reveal more
http://vege.way-nifty.com/vegetable/201 ... -c080.html

Chuck2
Posts: 130
Joined: Mon Mar 01, 2021 7:36 am
Has thanked: 583 times
Been thanked: 267 times

uses for steeply slanted land

Post by Chuck2 »

Ah we have the same problem. What about seeding centipede grass? This grass spreads out well, doesn't grow very tall (less weed whacking) and there might even be a subcide to buy it.

I planted this grass in my vineyard and can say it needs way less cutting. In the beginning though, the experts suggest frequent cutting to help it spread out.
"We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children."

donguri
Posts: 221
Joined: Thu Oct 08, 2015 11:57 am
Location: Aichi
Has thanked: 718 times
Been thanked: 370 times

uses for steeply slanted land

Post by donguri »

Tora wrote:
Mon Aug 02, 2021 8:01 pm
Deep in the Shikoku mountains people have been growing potatoes and buckwheat on steep slopes for a pretty long time.
I do love potatoes! I'm actually growing sato imo on another slanted spot, a bit closer to the house, as a kind of experiment, but it's rough trying to do anything up there. Maybe I need to get a pair of those work boots with spikes to prevent the inevitable tumble down the slope into the water ditch :lol:
Chuck2 wrote:
Tue Aug 03, 2021 5:30 am
Ah we have the same problem. What about seeding centipede grass? This grass spreads out well, doesn't grow very tall (less weed whacking) and there might even be a subcide to buy it.
Not familiar with it, but I like the sound of it!

Thanks guys!

User avatar
Zasso Nouka
Tech Support
Tech Support
Posts: 5705
Joined: Wed Sep 23, 2015 9:37 am
Location: Chiba Prefecture
Has thanked: 4120 times
Been thanked: 3394 times

uses for steeply slanted land

Post by Zasso Nouka »

gonbechan wrote:
Mon Aug 02, 2021 5:47 pm
Bamboo. Not only does it strengthen the ground with the root system but it pretty much nixed weeds and you get takenoko once a year.
I second this, it's what we do on our steep slopes. We have Mosodake on one slope and madake on another.

donguri
Posts: 221
Joined: Thu Oct 08, 2015 11:57 am
Location: Aichi
Has thanked: 718 times
Been thanked: 370 times

uses for steeply slanted land

Post by donguri »

Zasso Nouka wrote:
Tue Aug 03, 2021 6:49 am
We have Mosodake on one slope and madake on another.
.... and the accompanying bamboo burglars ?!

User avatar
Zasso Nouka
Tech Support
Tech Support
Posts: 5705
Joined: Wed Sep 23, 2015 9:37 am
Location: Chiba Prefecture
Has thanked: 4120 times
Been thanked: 3394 times

uses for steeply slanted land

Post by Zasso Nouka »

donguri wrote:
Tue Aug 03, 2021 6:51 am
.... and the accompanying bamboo burglars ?!
Hidden Content
This board requires you to be registered and logged-in to view hidden content.

donguri
Posts: 221
Joined: Thu Oct 08, 2015 11:57 am
Location: Aichi
Has thanked: 718 times
Been thanked: 370 times

uses for steeply slanted land

Post by donguri »

:lol: :clap:

Post Reply