Hey all so we are currently in the process of attempting to build a small food forest like garden plot, 30ftx45ft, in our backyard and I am having difficulties keeping things moist and I am trying to avoid using our county
water because of very high hardness and I assume alkalinity. We do not currently have rain barrels and the like due to budget and space issues.
I made some very small swales 4 to 6 in depth and they have helped control washout quite a bit. I also have a bunch of branches around 6 to 12 in diameter that came with a load of free
wood chips and I'm thinking of putting in beaver dam inspired swales. Basically just lay them out on contour on the surface then
berm our heavy clay on either side to help get water to stay and soak.
I may try to establish
native dandelion, chicory and clover on the berm portion in order to fix the soil. Just wanted to know if you guys see any major problems with this plan or suggestions for improvements. My hope is to get started on it this weekend.