Understand Swales In LESS THAN 3 MINUTES

A permaculture swale on contour is a water management feature used in permaculture and sustainable agriculture practices. It is a trench or channel dug on the contour line of a landscape to capture and slow down water runoff. By placing the swale along the contour, it helps to prevent erosion, retain water, and distribute it evenly across the landscape.
The swale acts as a temporary reservoir, allowing water to infiltrate the soil, replenish groundwater, and provide moisture to plants in the surrounding area. This helps in improving soil fertility, conserving water, and supporting the growth of diverse plant species.
The design of a permaculture swale takes into account the natural contours of the land to maximize its efficiency in capturing and utilizing water. It is an essential element in permaculture design, promoting sustainability, and resilience in agricultural systems while minimizing the need for external inputs like irrigation
#PermacultureSwales #ContourSwales #WaterManagement #SustainableAgriculture #SoilConservation #RegenerativeFarming #EcoFriendlyFarming #WaterCapture #PermacultureDesign #SustainableLandscaping #NaturalContour #WaterRetention #PermacultureGardening #SustainableFarming #PermacultureTechniques #SustainableLiving #EnvironmentalConservation #WaterInfiltration #PermacultureTips #LandRestoration #PermacultureProjects #smallscalefarming #homesteading #homestead
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[@hermanhale9258]

Somehow I watched videos about swales for years and never realized "on the contour" means you don't want them to drain. Even though I dug ditches across my yard to catch and hold water, and they do, I just thought of it as a way to break up the water and not have a big mud puddle in the middle of the yard during the winter. I dug them on the sides of my garden beds, and hoped they would help keep the garden moist during the summer, but once it gets over 90 degrees everything dries up.

[@OneWithThePlants]

Great video! Idk how you explained a feature of permaculture without the word salad but buddy you sure did it! Respect.

[@sarahkirbach5040]

I just wanted to stop by and say…your channel is by far one of the most informative & concise & understandable related to all of these interesting farming topics and techniques. Thank you so much for sharing - hoping to utilize some of these in the near future.

[@tannerfarmstead]

Thanks so much I really appreciate it!!! Very encouraging to hear!!

[@sarahkirbach5040]

@@tannerfarmstead you’re welcome!

[@terryjohnson6392]

Great information to plan in your garden.

[@beckytanner2345]

Excellent explanation. I had no clue what a swale was!

[@raincoast9010]

Your garden looks really nice.

[@tannerfarmstead]

Thank you!

[@BryceAdorno-q6n]

Beatty Forges

[@embededfabrication4482]

They're great for breeding mosquitoes

[@undefinednull5749]

Can someone explain because it's confusing. How is this supposed to keep water for longer when ditches are used to lower the water level below the ground - this is how swamps etc are converted into farmland (which is a crime against Nature).

[@tracy419]

This is intended to keep the water in place long enough to soak in more, instead of simply following the surface level of the ground and washing down hill and away from your property.
That's why the ditch (awake) is level, and has an endpoint at either end within your property, instead of taking it away and off your property.
Not sure if I made that more complicated or not😄

[@undefinednull5749]

@@tracy419 I think what you're trying to say is that Swales only make sense in areas of land where land is not horizontally level, because Swales are meant to capture water instead of letting it flow away towards lower grounds?

[@tracy419]

@@undefinednull5749 @undefinednull5749 pretty much.
And you will usually plant trees, bushes, grass, etc to hold the downhill side of the swale in place so the soil doesn't wash away.
These are often used in re-greening desert areas that used to be green and lush, but because of cutting down trees for farming, or due to over grazing, the soils just wash away with the water and everything dies.
They will cut swales into the area and plant them to hold the soil in place, and as the water table starts to return, fill in the rest of the area.
If you are interested, look up Andrew Millison's CZcams channel. He teaches permaculture at OSU in Oregon and has a series going to places like India where they are bringing water back to draught affected areas.
Really cool stuff.

[@tracy419]

@@undefinednull5749 ugh, my comment keeps getting deleted.
That's basically right.
Look up Andrew Millison to see these methods being used to re-green places in India.

[@gerhardbotha7336]

If you dig a ditch in a swamp, you drain water from the saturated ground into the ditch in order to evaporate it. A swale captures rainwater and acts like a leaky pond. Water filters slowly from the swale into the dry subsoil. Two completely different scenarios