Hi there,

I have a decently sloped large front lawn that I'd like to convert, ultimately, into a mini orchard underplanted with perennials. Right now the lawn is mostly unsavory weeds like wire grass. The slop is somewhat tiered into two levels, but I'd like to dig it out a bit more to make the terracing more obvious. Can you look over my plan and tell me if you think it will work? I'm in Richmond, VA, USDA zone 7b, and the slope is East facing. I'd like to not use any herbicide or plastic if I can help it. 

Steps of my plan:

1. Terrace slope

2. cut sod, flip it over.

3. Carboard, water in, then mulch with woodchips. Use coconut choir netting to hold in place.

4. After a few months, come spring, plant trees and then seed micro clover as a cover crop. Add herbaceous perennials over time

Do you think micro clover will be a good perennial cover crop/ do you have any other cover crops you'd recommend? Do you think the netting is enough to stabilize the mulch on a slope and can I direct-seed the clover seeds into the mulch after a few months? Or should I pull back the mulch?

Thank you!