OK - I don't have any pictures at the moment, so a description will have to suffice for now. I have a piece of land approximately half an acre, on which sits a barn with stabling and a workshop area. I kept pigs on the paddock area for some time and did a lot of damage to that area. The land slopes to the North and the East and the barn is at the Western end although there is a small area behind the barn as well. My long term plan is to hedge around the plot plant up a forest garden orchard, have a small piece for more conventional growing, and probably keep the centre as paddock for bad weather grazing for the ponies. I have just stumbled across the idea of swales and have now adapted my plans to include swales - although I am still struggling slightly with the best position for these. I am currently thinking on the South side, to have a row of mixed hedgerow for windbreak, with a swale on the inside of that, and then plant the swale mound as wlel. At the Eastern end, there is a small fenced area (approx 80ft by 30 ft) which is the area I intend to use for my forest garden. I am thinking a swale uphill of that and possible another inside the bottom hedge. Probably not describingthat verey well - I will have to draw a plan to add to this. I guess the immediate goals for this year are to mark out the lines of the swales, get digging those in the hopes to have at least some of it done before the autumn, plant up some hedgeing and start the first phase of main planting of fruit trees/bushes. If I can get that lot done in 2018 I'll be happy as I have repairs to do to the barn as well.
Hi Hoggie, I hope that now the forums glitches appear to have been resolved, you'll be able to let us know how you are getting on with your swales and other projects.
How exciting to have the opportunity to begin such a project. It would be great to learn more as your site develops.
Hi Thank you Mischief and Purple Bear Farm. I have had my DD here for the summer (she is away at school) so have had an extra pair of hands for a few weeks. We got one swale dug although we may have to make it deeper at some point. Once it starts raining properly through the autumn we will have a better idea on that one. We also dug a second one where I hadn't intended putting one. This was a bit of a rush decision, the reason being that mid-summer we suddenly had quite a lot of rain and the big rain barrel was full (I can't remember how much water the barrel holds, but it is about 7foot tall and 4 foot across) That barrel always catches a surprising amount of water and when it overflows the yard just tuns to mud very rapidly. So we dug a small swale at the top of the paddock, and syphoned the water from the barrel into that. It vanished very quickly and without making anywhere mudddy so I guessed it must have done some good somewhere and I was happy with that.
