should I redig my mini-swales?

Hey, I dug 10 mini swales on contour along a 68-ft x 8 ft food forest row.  In the future I plan to divert overflow to them from a 200 gallon rain barrel. Water also drains into them from the gentle slope of our lawn. We are in an HOA so don't shoot me for having some lawn, eh!

The swale trenches were about a foot deep originally, in largely clay soil. Leaves and debris have lessened that depth to about 6 inches. Should I re-dig them before winter?

Thanks, Julie

Julie Horney wrote:Hey, I dug 10 mini swales on contour along a 68-ft x 8 ft food forest row. . . . Leaves and debris have lessened that depth to about 6 inches. Should I re-dig them before winter?

I would. I say that because we have a number of mini-swales like you describe and have experienced the same thing, i.e. filling in. All swales tend to fill in over time, with the bigger ones taking years. When you dig it out, you may find it contains nice organic matter that can be used as mulch or incorporated into a batch of compost.