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Dow Dominion Suburban Permaculture Project

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Commenced:	01/01/2012
Submitted:	03/05/2015
Last updated:	26/06/2016
Location:	Asheville, North Carolina, US
Website:	http://dowdominion.blogspot.com
Climate zone:	Warm Temperate

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Dow Dominion Suburban Permaculture Project

Asheville, US

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Success! Swales Working in the Suburban Backyard Garden

Project: Dow Dominion Suburban Permaculture Project

Posted by Nathan Dow over 9 years ago

I have mistakenly been putting my project updates under my profile, instead of the project itself. From here on, I will post updates on my project correctly.

So a few days ago, I posted an update on the swales I dug in my established backyard garden. It had rained on occasion before that update, but the garden finally received a long-awaited down pour of rain this afternoon. It gave me a chance to observe my swales in action, and make some critical adjustments to keep the water where I wanted it to go.

Overall, I'd say that the 'mini' swales are a success. I don't know how much I captured exactly, but I would guess I captured around 30 to 40 gallons of water, based on tests I did previously using 5-gallon containers of discarded aquarium water. Considering the size of my garden (approximately 150 square feet), that is an appreciable amount of water that soaked into the ground instead of running off the property--and taking valuable soil with it.

Now I need to beef up the berms a bit more and possibly widen the channels in the northern part of the garden. Still, I am very pleased with how effective these simple trenches are at reducing my need for water! Here's the video so you can see what I'm talking about:

Thanks for reading. Check out my blog, The Dow Dominion for more articles and permaculture projects I'm working on!

Comments (5)

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Corey Schmidt : i enjoyed the video. its a beautiful thing seeing water being slowed down and soaked in.

Posted over 9 years ago

Nathan Dow : Thanks for watching, Corey. And I agree about it being beautiful. I can't believe I get so giddy over capturing rainwater!

Posted over 9 years ago

Yangtao Wei : Well done~! Your garden is really beautiful!

Posted over 9 years ago

Nathan Dow : Thank you very much, Yangtao.

Posted over 9 years ago

John Lee : Looks good Nathan. Two recommendations I would make are to dig those swales deeper/wider, and to mulch your walkways. Really upped the game in my gardens. Looks like you're already getting a good lot of production though! Well done!

Posted over 9 years ago

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