Hello,
I am trying to implement some permaculture design principles on a 3 acre plot of land that was previously farmed using conventional methods (corn/soybean). There are two sections of the field (each about 1/10 acre) that are depressions that have been flooded continuously all late-fall, and winter. I am thinking about making one of these depressions a pond (and since we have high-clay soil, I'm hoping it can be a natural pond) to diversify the habitat. I wanted to get some feedback on this idea, while also considering other ideas I have had for the area. For example, I have thought about just accepting that this area is more prone to flooding and planting some water-loving plants there (cattail, sea oats, other ideas?). Or perhaps I can try to rip the area and put in a cover crop to try to improve drainage there. Those are some ideas and I would love to hear any thoughts on the pros/cons of those (or propose other ideas). I suppose underlying these thoughts is the question: is it sensible to select a location for a pond based on where the water already goes? Or are there more important considerations I should make? The rest of the 3 acre property is relatively flat. Any thoughts you may have are much appreciated!
