I live on top of a hill and my drive way washes out terriably. I now have ruts every where. It could be because we built the house in a field... But I think that there is some way to correct the problem. Any suggestions?? I was thinking that maybe some sort of weeping tree that needs the water would help if planted down the drive. However, my husband thinks trees along the drive is asking for trouble in snow of winter..

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I actually have experience with this kinda.
! I watch HGTV on weekends.have proff.just show up on weekendWill hear me being yelled at for watching it or told to change to something else& I will totally ignore and keep watching
I

live on a hill is mud when rains

1st off haveing a tractor helps.we grade our hill for asseccabuility& we have what I call 2 trails a rain side a dry side.hill is clay.you slide on clay like is snow& ice.the rain side has tree roots used for traction.exceept for the very top part which is where we have fun at.
I imagine that some trees roots could not take damage of being driven over this is woods so imagine some of the roots are from trees that wer e cut 30 yrs ago for trail to property.you can plant plants in mass plantings like shrubs and have grouped together and will help hold soil so you have maybe less soil leaveing hill.are various ground covers and some would cover ground holding yet more soil in.you can terrance the hill along driveway and would help hold in.I actually just had my mom do front of her house this way around porch as soil is washing away from house.
ya might wanna park in front of TV on weekends and watch landscape solutions.thats the main one to see cause they have adressed your issue many times.other shows show that issue also.
gardengate is a magazine I recieve and they have adressed the issue of errosion.I searched the topic for mom and found under their search engine.you could search for errossion plantings probably as I have searched shade loveing herbs.you can search on here in our libarey archives for errosion and see what Bill has stashed in there.I've found stuff here also

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I will age ungracefully until I become an old woman in a small garden..doing whatever the Hell I want!

http://community.webshots.com/user/njoynit03
http://community.webshots.com/user/njoynit
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Thanks! I will do some more checking. Our soil is SAND.. it looks like we brought truck loads in here. We are on a hill with underground springs every where. the house is built on a rock ledge if one would try to say dig a basement.. you couldn't. Lots of underground caves and streams are in this area. The erosion is the drive way itself. I hate it. It is so rough you can hardly drive up it. I was thinking that maybe trees around out lining the drive on both sides would work. My husband however disagrees..

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Weezie,
His ideal is NOTHING!
I don't know if it is because he doesn't want to do any thing or if it is because he is military he is only here 3 days a week. I am sure what ever I do it will be Me doing it! His only concern is winter snow and ice.. Other wise he really don't care what I do..

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Thanks Weezie! I am not very smart when it comes to gardening. Just the want to be attitude!
I am open for any suggestions and ideals any one has. You are so correct... I even have moles. I like the ideal of native grasses and the wild life. Don't want any thing to disturb the wild life. In fact I like the quail and chukkers around. I just have to do something about this drive! Other than buying loads of rock which is expensive and gradually sinks down any way.

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thanks papito.... At least you gave me a reason to think about.. He didn't... I will check it out. I am open for any thing that would help..
But I am told not many choices in things that grow well in sandy soil.

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Hi Hon!
(I'm near enough to Baltimore to be able to say that)

Another idea might be to check your local soil and water conservation department. Run a search including your county and state.

I just happened to be checking out my local soil conservation district site, and I noticed a very helpful offer... they give out free seeds of plants that control erosion (and feed wildlife) to county residents! They sound like wiry grasses and shrubs and clover, maybe not the prettiest selection, but for free! The deadline for pickup is in early March, so you can sow them as the ground freezes and thaws, which helps work the seeds in. Check it out.

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pine trees grow very well in sandy soil, and the root grows almost straight down so they aren't as likely to topple in a storm.

Here's a site about trees for sandy soils! There are some pines listed.

http://www.backyardgardener.com/tree/indexlist5.html

If this hasn't been posted on the "sandy soils" message, I'll put it there, too.

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Okay, I gotta ask!!!
What do you do with the Buffalo?
Or don't I wanna know????

And how many do you have??
And how much fun are they??

We have a big huge ranch of them
south of us, we take the boys and mother,
and any body else that wants to go with us..
We drive over and just watch them...
It's so neat to think about them and how
they were in abundance here long ago!!!!
B & B Buffalo Ranch

Weezie

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Weezie

Don't forget to be kind to strangers. For some who have
done this have entertained angels without realizing it.
- Bible - Hebrews 13:2





http://photobucket.com/albums/y250/weezie13/

moonstar, how do you tan the hides? my son really wants to start doing that with the animals we eat. mostly deer, but some squirrels, rabbits, etc.

I dont' know the complete process,
but I do know you have to skin the animal yourselves, have an area that's large enough for the animal you're working on, to lay the skin down (on like newspaper) (my father always did it in a cool, actually unheated room on the floor)
but, then you have to have about (what seems like)
20lbs of salt, I think it was just regular salt,
don't think it was kosher*larger* salt??
And then you have to leave it on for,
I'm not sure but about 2, 4, 5, 6 ??? weeks!!!
After that, we pkged them up and sent them somewheres, I'd have to ask my mommy, where they sent them off to!!!! But they take the hair off and come back with a soft, skin...
Hope that info helps a bit, to get you started....

Weezie

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Weezie

Don't forget to be kind to strangers. For some who have
done this have entertained angels without realizing it.
- Bible - Hebrews 13:2





http://photobucket.com/albums/y250/weezie13/

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.../???

Don't know!!!

Still have to ask my mom.

Weezie

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Weezie

Don't forget to be kind to strangers. For some who have
done this have entertained angels without realizing it.
- Bible - Hebrews 13:2





http://photobucket.com/albums/y250/weezie13/

Jiffy,
Here's another one,
this one seems more like it,
it says something about making stuff
with your items???

Russell Moccasin

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Weezie

Don't forget to be kind to strangers. For some who have
done this have entertained angels without realizing it.
- Bible - Hebrews 13:2





http://photobucket.com/albums/y250/weezie13/

that is so awesome! I am going to send this page to my son (and let him know that he has my support) to let him try it. I think he would want to do it. do you have to buy the tanning solution or is there a recipe to make it up?

you know, i didn't even think about the foxfire books for reference. we are part creek (that and english are what we have the most of on my side) and my son is very proud of his heritage, that i why i asked about doing it himself instead of buying a kit. i have emailed him this page, and hopefully he will join so he can talk to you about it! thanks for the help!

Thanks papito,
that is a very good site! There are alot of them out there... And many ways to do it. And time comsuming

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Does the driveway go stright up the hill? If so having the drive go diagonally up the hill will help a little with erosion. If you can change where the driveway is.

I have a hill in my woods that was eroding. I changed the path from going straight to switchbacks. It has made all the difference.

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