I'm cross posting this on the Frugal Gardening forum because, if it works, it could save me time, if not money. Warning: there is a long explanation before I get to the question.

I was looking at one of the little vegetable gardens we have at work this morning and groaning inside at the prospect of having to re-do the brick edges.

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Last summer we had some generous people come over and plant some veggies for us. Unfortunately, they picked a steep slope along the fence to the generator cage, and simply plopped some plants in the patchy grass and gravel.

After the first rain, when runoff washed out the dirt they'd dug up (and half the plants) and the first sunny week (which baked the remaining soil to earthenware) I tried to fix things after the fact. I amended the soil around the plants and laid a brick edge, then dug in brick terraces, to slow the water runoff.

It worked pretty well, altho' I was narrower than I would have liked, and the brick edges weren't sunk into the soil. (I just didn't have the energy!)

What I'd like to do with the edging is have regular, stepped levels. And it occurred to me that pre-cut stair stringers are pretty cheap at the hardware store....

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I know the wood would warp and rot eventually, but I think the would last at least one season, if not two.

What do you think? Is it worth the $20, or should I just resign my self to digging?