I've tried gravel a couple times myself, and honestly, I'm still on the fence about it. Last summer, I built a small greenhouse and figured I'd give gravel a shot after hearing similar advice. It seemed solid at first, but after a few months and some heavy rains, things started shifting again—not as bad as before, but still noticeable. Maybe it depends on soil type or drainage conditions? Either way, I'm not totally convinced it's a long-term fix...though it probably doesn't hurt.
Yeah, I'm kinda skeptical about gravel too. Wonder if compacting it differently or adding some edging might help keep things stable longer? Still, sounds like you're making progress...building anything yourself is pretty impressive.
I've had decent luck with gravel, but only when I used solid edging and compacted it thoroughly. Have you considered maybe mixing in some crushed stone dust? It binds things together nicely and might help keep everything straighter longer...
"Have you considered maybe mixing in some crushed stone dust? It binds things together nicely and might help keep everything straighter longer..."
I've tried stone dust before, and honestly, it didn't do much for me. Maybe I didn't compact it enough, but after a season or two, things still shifted around. What really made a difference was switching to angular drainage rock underneath—gave me way better stability. Gravel's fine, but angular stone locks together tighter and doesn't budge nearly as much. Just my two cents from a frustrating weekend spent redoing a wall...
I get the appeal of stone dust, but honestly, I've found it pretty hit-or-miss too. It can compact nicely at first, but once water gets in there and freezes, things start shifting again. Angular rock underneath is definitely a solid move—pun intended, haha. Another thing I've noticed helps is making sure your drainage is spot-on. If water isn't pooling or saturating the base, your wall stays straighter way longer. Learned that one the hard way after rebuilding mine twice...
