Dig a ditch the length of the wall that is about a foot wide and 8 to 12 inches 20 5 cm 30 5 cm below the ground level.
Building a dry stack stone retaining wall.
Here are the basic steps involved in building a dry stack stone wall.
Try to cut the ditch into native soil rather than loose added soil as the former provides a more stable foundation for the wall.
Each layer of a dry stack wall is called a course.
This ditch will act as the wall s footing and prevent the rocks from sliding forward due to pressure from the earth behind.
Lay high quality stones and use a geotextile backing to ensure the wall lasts a long time.
Higher walls should be engineered for stability.
Even if you don t plan to sit on your wall 3 feet is about as high as i would recommend building any dry stacked wall.
When putting your wall together mix the stone sizes throughout the wall rather than using only large stones at the bottom and small toward the top.
The ideal height for a dry stacked retaining wall is 18 to 22 inches so you can sit on it when your gardening chores are done.
Draw the wall to scale and measure the length and height.
For dry stack walls the base should be as wide as the wall is tall.
Use a hand or power tamper to level the base.
Plan for good drainage proper width height ratio and distance between tiers.