Water Harvesting Earthworks — FarmPal
Shape the land to capture, slow, spread, and sink every drop of rain. Swales, berms, rain gardens, and keyline design turn water from a problem into the food forest's most valuable resource.
Applications
- •Swales on contour capture runoff and infiltrate it along tree rows
- •Hugelkultur berms store water in buried wood that releases slowly over years
- •Rain gardens at downspout outlets filter and sink roof water
- •Keyline plowing directs water from valleys to ridges, evening out moisture
- •Mulch basins around trees act as micro-swales for localized water capture
- •Overflow paths between swales prevent erosion during extreme rain events
Common Mistakes
- •Building swales on slopes steeper than 15% (erosion risk)
- •Not planning overflow routes for heavy rain events
- •Digging earthworks without observing natural water flow first
- •Ignoring local regulations on water capture and land modification