problem with inclined section of yard next to wood fence

[butrflydremr]

Hello everyone. I have a landscape design issue. I have a wooden fence around my backyard. Inside the fence there's about a meter of yard that inclines down to the fence from a patio space. This patch is about 20 meters long along the fence. I don't know what to do with this patch of yard. I do know I need to remove the dirt around the fence so it doesn't rot the wood.

I've been thinking of creating a retainer wall to hold back the dirt away from the fence. This would leave about half a meter of gardening space. I would then fill in the gutter with rocks. Or should I make the incline steeper by digging the dirt away from the fence? What would be best for the fence not to rot so easily?

Much thanks!

[butrflydremr]

I'm now thinking of lining the bottom section of the fence that touches the soil with sheets of tin. So I would remove the soil from the fence until I have a small gap underneath the fence between the soil. Line with tin sheets. Then move the soil back against the tin. Has anyone done this before? Any other suggestions?

[ElizabethB]

Pictures would be very helpful.

[tomf]

Not seeing photos; make a steep bank.

[DDMcKenna]

Curious to see what that looks like