Join me today for a critical-thinking dive into swales - we cover what they are, the functions they perform and how they perform them, and then go into all of the context-specific factors that inform the decision of "To Swale Or Not To Swale".

More than being a referendum on swales, today's show is meant to serve as an example for how to think through selecting, designing and installing elements within your landscape so that they actually perform their intended design function (i.e. rehydrate your landscape so you can grow more food, more animals, more beauty - whatever!).

Swales are awesome rehydration elements and can be a boon to a healthy and productive landscape - provided they are a good fit for your context!

Do your due diligence when considering swales within your landscapes - they are not a one size fits all solution and should NOT be applied in many cases and contexts.

Show Resources

• Curated YouTube Playlist: Swales
• Greg Judy talking about his $10K swale mistake
• Darren Doherty discussing cost per volume of water stored with swales vs. keyline subsoiling.

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WHAT I DO:

Design:

On-Site Consultation

Online Site/Project Consultation

Holistic Ecosystem Design

Implementation:

Water Harvesting Earthworks

High-function, Low-Maintenance Access

Living Systems

Spring Development

Courses:

Minimum Holistic Goal

Media:

The Sovereign Homestead Podcast

YouTube

Instagram

Music by Alex Grohl