I started building a new retaining wall for a planter bed in front of the house yesterday.  It is built out of the same Sonoran Gold Flagstone that I used to build the front walkway, so it should match-up nicely.Â
Progress is slow-going, but mostly because I decided this time I was going to take my time and try some different methodologies: namely dry stacking the retaining wall intially, then following-up afterwards using expanding foam as the primary adhesive.Â
Also different in my strategy: most retaining walls should be tied-back into the soil that they are trying to retain. The difference? While I’ll have some tie-back, it won’t be significant.  The amount of soil to be retained is about two feet tall by fourteen feet wide and two feet deep, so not a lot of expansion to be expected, so I’ll be minimizing the tie-backs.
Also using ground fabric to prevent weed and soil penetration (both ways) thru the wall, so it should be rather tidy as well when the project is complete.