Kate Day

Wow! That looks really great....I can't wait to see it planted!!

Here is the link to that article:
http://permaculturenews.org/2012/05/16/swales-the-permaculture-element-that-really-holds-water/

Thanks, Roberto!
I can pretty much guarantee that I'll be slightly off contour simply because I can't seem to draw a straight line with my backhoe! I read an article @ permaculture news.org regarding hillsides, Swales, etc. and have (I think) come up with a pretty good plan. 2-3 beds, depending on width, a swale, 2-3 more beds, a second swale, on up to the top. I seem to have a couple natural Swales that I will be enlarging a little to maximize catch potential of rainfall. Now if I could just get the ground to thaw....

Thanks so much, John! It seemed logical to me.......and since I will be digging to sink my logs and branches I really wanted to make sure I was thinking correctly!

I am creating hugelbeds on a slight slope which faces south. Am I correct in that I orient my beds across the face of the slope ( east/west) rather than up and down the length of the hill? I would definitely appreciate feedback, as I will be digging in multiple beds ( yay for a tractor w/ backhoe!) and want them done correctly!

Digging in my first hugel beds as soon as I can get the ground worked (snow is finally gone!) they will be on a southerly facing slope....I am assuming I orient them east/west to capture as much sunlight as possible? I have done a ton of research this winter, but haven't found a lot of info on orientation of beds! Thanks for your advice! Oh, I'm in zone 5b in Maine .....growing season is roughly Memorial Day to September.....

I absolutely love this! Will definitely have to have a go at this when we get to clearing our land!