Please help me find resources to understand swales?

I have a hill that I think might be good for a swale or swales,

I am wondering, though, would a swale help water a garden?

We had hoped to tap into the spring, but it dried up this summer.

Michelle Bisson wrote:Congratulations on your land purchase!  I assume you have a house to move there with the family.


I have a few questions.

Do you have plans to continue with cattle or have other types of animals besides chickens?

How big will your orchard be? How many fruit trees and what kind?.

I have a hill that I think might be good for a swale or swales,

I do not think in terms of "a hill is a good location for swales"  I think in terms where is the best location for your orchard.  Hills facing the sun can be good locations for an orchard as the roots of trees protect the hill from erosion and the slope might be too steep for other purposes.  If the slope is too steep, it might not be suitable for swales.  There are alternatives to swales, such key-line plowing. (moving the runoff from the valleys to the ridges, but this is a whole other topic. Check out Mark Sheppard on this)

I am wondering, though, would a swale help water a garden?

Yes, many dig swales and put the extra dirt/soil to make raised beds.  The runoff soaks into the swales and surrounding raised beds and the plants send deeper roots looking for that moisture.  A vegetable garden will likely still need to be watered above what your swales collect.  

We had hoped to tap into the spring, but it dried up this summer.

 Swales can be used to revive springs or even the surface water can be channeled to the spring by swales or key-line plowing.

One of the best ways to harvest water is to dig out a pond.  Even small ponds are very useful.  After a rain, you have extra water for irrigation that would off simply run off.   When you have chickens, you can even harvest water off of the roof of the chicken coop if need be for the birds.

Some of my favourite permaculture people regarding harvesting water are Steff Holzer, Mark Sheppard, Geoff Lawton and Brad Lancaster.  They are all genus in their own right. They all have their distinct techniques, but the end result is harvesting water and growing food.  We have much to learn from their experience and knowledge. You can buy their books or maybe find them in the public library.  Watch any videos on YouTube.  Some have free and paid webinars.  I would add Stefan Sobkowiak with his dvd "The Permaculture Orchard: Beyond Organic" for his knowledge of setting up a permaculture orchard.

If I were you, I would spend this winter learning as much as possible.  Draw out some plans of possible scenarios on paper or on the computer.  Decide what your priorities are and what is your budget for this next year.  You cannot do everything in one year.

Fruit trees are important to plant as the best time is plant them was 20 years ago, second best time is now.   But you do not want to plant them without a good plan.  You do not have to plant them all at once you could start with a few of the basic fruit trees and each year expand your orchard.

What will your farm income be generated from?

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I have 1.5 acres so everything we do is on a small scale compared to a farm scale, but the permaculture principales still apply and the technics still work.  Learn from the greats and there are many in this forum that have rich experiences and knowledge to share.  Every land is unique and every land owner is unique so you will find what is appropriate for your situation.

Come follow me on my journey.

Go Permaculture Food Forest - our suburban permaculture journey


Thanks, Michelle. I will attach a picture of the "house". It is a 4 room log home built in 1830 that we have to do some work to. We have been camping in it, but there isn't water or electric. And it needs sided, as that was how it was originally built. Siding would have protected the logs. Because it has been without siding we have some compromised logs.

We, actually, prefer to put in a pond. As we currently have no erosion issues, a swale may not help us any.

The orchard will be mostly apples and will cover 3-5 acres. It will be part of our "income", however. we plan to be extremely diversified.

We are hoping to adopt a better cattle raising method. We are very interested in the methods Joel Salatin gives in Salad Bar Beef. Much more efficient and much better for the land and cattle.

Here is an article about help with our business plan that lists income sources. In addition to the farm sources, if needed, my husband ran a business in tree trimming and lawn care since he was 11 and may do that again to fill gaps.

https://permies.com/t/60719/Der-Bauernhof-farm-business-plan

Our Journey: https://derbauernhofsite.wordpress.com

We, actually, prefer to put in a pond. As we currently have no erosion issues, a swale may not help us any.

As we currently have no erosion issues, a swale may not help us any.