HOW TO BUILD SWALES - and harvest water
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 26 ก.ย. 2024
- How to build a swale is one of the most important things I have learnt while developing my food forest and studying PERMACULTURE with Geoff Lawton.
A swale is a method of harvesting water, and they work whereever you live in the world.
This is the first video of a three part series on swales. With thanks to Geoff Lawton, this first video is the "INFO" part of this series, and is pulled from Geoff's Online Permaculture Design Course (find via my website).
The second and third video in this series are here:
Part 2: Geoff visits my garden and helps start me off with planning where my swales shall be: • DESIGNING SWALES - Geo...
Part 3: I get help from my community and dig dig dig: • DIGGING SWALES FOR A F...
Enjoy and learn
Weedy
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#harvestingwater #waterharvesting #selfsufficientliving #selfsufficient #permaculture #organicgardening #organic #howtogarden #growingyourownfood #sustainableliving #offthegrid #growfood #gardening #gardeningtips #sustainability #vegetablegarden #swales #organicfarming #gardening #foodsecurity
![Swales: Earthworks for Conservation and Storage [PDC Preview]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/W-f2genlUZI/mqdefault.jpg)
Studying PERMACULTURE with my teacher Geoff Lawton - The 2024 online PDC is open for students from 10th May 2024. If you go to the enrollment page using this Weedy Garden affiliate link www.discoverpermaculture.com/a/2147844655/UvHULpHp - you can also recieve a US$150 discount off the online course by writing "weedy150" in the coupon.
I was listen to something on TH-cam while driving, then this video popped up next, I had to park to actually watch it.
Thank you for all the masterpieces.
That´s awesome. Nice one :-)
Your video editor deserves a raise dude
I just purchased 5 acres of gently sloping raw land. I think we will put in a swale! TY so much!
Congrates 👍🏼🌱
Not sure why I clicked the video, but can't stop watching.
Your not sure? Did u search for something?
Thank you! My son has been encouraging me to create swales in my low desert yard, and this gives me greater understanding of where to start, and why.
very nuanced and important distinction: a swale is dead flat, ie parallel to contour. a ditch is not on contour, it has gradient along it's length. a swale holds water on the land, a ditch drains water from the land. be like geoff and build proper swales. ;)
is their any possible connection between a swale and terraces? Is it the case that they would ideally follow the contour lines on a map?
@@GOLDSMITHEXILE A terrace is essentially a more drastic (and expensive) water-management solution that an earthen dam couldn't functionally achieve. In the States, artificial swales are usually called wascobs (water and sediment control basins) by engineers. There are other solutions like buffer strips or tile drainage that also resolve water issues.
So ditches drains and swales swim. Got it! Thanks
I am digging a small swale in my suburban garden to catch water from my gutters and I have planted 3 trees to help. In the back yard I am digging a 2nd swale to do the same, but I use bio soap in my washing machine that will discharge into the swale as well. Getting into this is very important as over here in Cape Town, South Africa we almost ran out of water 2 years ago.
Same here in this area. 😅
Brilliant work
That was brilliant. It was good of Geoff to let you use his video. Really shows the value of swales in re-establishing trees back into an environment. He really knows his stuff!
if u haven't already, watch Geoff's Greening the Desert project. It will blow mind your mind and really showcases the power of Permaculture
There are some videos on YT about swales near Tucson, Arizona, USA ... one by Geoff. :) The cool thing is they were built a long time ago under FDR and were never maintained, but they are still giving life to that desert area.
th-cam.com/video/1I-Et4FnEvA/w-d-xo.html
Amazing! Thank you for sharing.
Thanks so much for this! After the last two scorching hot dry years, our local soil went from rich to almost baked-clay consistency in many areas. The trees are all getting sick, as well. I have several trees on my property I adore (under tons of stress from changes in yearly precipitation and temps, and showing this stress) and the concerns about revitalizing the soil and creating proper drainage, moisture levels and nutrient has become my main 'at home project'. It's been breaking my heart to watch the number of trees being removed in my area due to drought induced weakness to disease/fungus. I think we lost about half of the large trees on my block last summer, or the neighbors just gave up and had them removed. Education like this is so helpful and I really appreciate it! Now I have some new ideas and a better understanding of how to reinvigorate the soil and protect our trees from the extreme lack of rainwater in recent years. You are awesome!
A year ago my missus and I were living in the city in a townhouse trying to think of an escape, watching your videos every night, today we built our greenhouse and planted our first spring veggies on our acre block (barefoot) 😂 and built our bathtub wormfarm, with our rescue magpies . just thought I'd come back and say thanks for the motivation! We're home ❤️
That´s the comment of the day :-)
A big tv can cc cc cc by Rd r Rd jo
We are trying very hard to achieve the same but could only afford to buy in the middle of nowhere, Queensland, Australia which make sustainability in our 40’s just a dream. But, we have 39 acres of Aussie bush covered in Australian Grass Trees, a disrupted creek that only runs when our neighbours dam overflows, a good sized dam, a really dodgy old transit bus and many adventures to have until we can finally move there permanently.
Woohoo!!!😀 delighted for ye.
👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾 BEAUTIFUL!!!
Your lessons are so much needed. You ARE changing the world through education . Your lesson are amazing! So many questions finally answered !
I love Geoff's lessons... I've been absorbing them for a few years now, and I find him so easy to understand. You are also very easy to spend time learning from in your Weedy Garden, so thank you for the inspiration! I'm just starting to plan out my second fruit forest in 3 years - I did the same thing just a few years ago, carving out channels and swales in the landscape and planting about 40 tropical fruit and nut trees, many were quite rare and unusual. Everything was ticking along nicely in the garden, then, one November day in 2019, things got rather hot... only a few trees survived. I moved. Now I am planning a totally different temperate fruit forest, preparing the land, digging swales by hand, planting cover-crops, potting fruit trees in preparation... This video was an excellent refresher for me ~ it sparked all sorts of ideas and I learned so much. Cheers
I think Geoff talks on this point about growing pioneer trees and transitioning into fruit trees. Pioneer trees grow to provide shade and help develop the soil and prepare it for future plants, and fruit trees are introduced later with the protection cover that the pioneer trees give until they are established and not as vulnerable to the sun and droughts. Once the fruit trees are established, the pioneer trees are removed over time to allow the other trees more space to grow. Remember a forest has various levels to it. From the ground floor plants, to shrubs, up to vines and canopy trees.
This is exactly the info I needed for my new block of land. Thank you so much
The day I saw your first video, I knew you will be going this route.. it's your calling..permaculture is the way ahead.. wish you more power in your journey.
Each time I see your videos, I just want to jump into them, its beautiful
Thanks I loved your lesson on swales and how impotant they are to help the earth and provide perfect systems for trees and plants to flourish. I live near a swampy area but gets very dry in winter so we dig 8 foot deep hole and bang a sand spear in .
And use a small pump to water every thing ...i can smell the nutrient water and the plants are fed to perfection .
🤣👏🤣❣
I could listen to this man all day long, not get tired of his voice or lesson. Great info! Thank you for sharing kind sirs!
🖍 🙏
If only we could hear him
@@blakelafevers9243 where are you? Try closing your browser then reopen the video.
@@wakeupsheepleNWOREAL I meant that his voice is quite than the music, and the whole video is much quieter than most TH-cam videos.
I grew up on a large commercial farm in the piedmont region in the southern USA, all our farms had terraces with grass waterway in front of them that fed into irrigation ponds. This greatly reduced erosion and encouraged deep water infiltration. This along with contour tillage (when a crop needed it because almost everything now is planted no-till to reduce erosion and cut fuel cost), no-till planting and subsoil deep tillage to allow rainwater penetration have been standards of agriculture since the 1960's. (Subsoiling is when a 18 - 24 inch deep slit is pulled through the soil but no soil is turned over or moved.)
Such a valuable video! Love Geoff's teaching style.
Swales are like- a one dig and then fertilizing everything in the path. You cannot beat that.
Geoff is doing great work. I have learned so much from him. Plant the water and you will succeed.
How fascinating... thoroughly enjoyed this video. It amazes me how techniques such as these aren’t used more!
A year already? thank you for your channel I enjoyed your first one , and been here ever since!
I have gravel deposits on my property from the Wisconsin Glacier that act like a sponge. The gravel recharges with water from winter snow and spring rain and slowly releases the water during a dry summer. The trees grow really well up on that hill.
👌 perfect
Nice I didnt think gravel was much good for holding water! Is the rock of the gravel a very porous rock? My garden is very gravelly and dried out a lot.
@@Padraigp I had gravel soil in my vegetable garden. It was great I could plow the ground when it was wet and if the sun came out later, I would disc and plant because it would dry out. The gravel in my woodlot is not to near the surface and the tree shade and organic material keep the sun from drying the gravel
@knuckledraggingneanderthal720 ah mine had gravel but also quite thick clay and then rocks and sort of sandy ...it dries out really quickly in summer buts it's soggy as hell in winter. I have very little actual soil hummus..
@@knuckledraggingneanderthal720 or houmus? Not the chickpea thing lol!
So grateful that you are sharing permaculture! You are an artist and your beautiful way of presenting awakens and awes. So exciting!
I have been hearing about swales and decided to look more into it. Found lots of info but listening to Geoff was great.
Thanks for sharing.
There's a popular place in the Lake District, Cumbria, UK called Swaledale, I think I might know why now. Very informative. Thanks for sharing.
Wow, I watched the second one first, more wowed watching the first one now... People have got to do this all over the world... This will go towards saving the planet. Thanks so much for your knowledge, explanation, and illustration...
We just "discovered" you and are now watching your videos back-to-back every evening. There is so much to learn and we absolutely adore the way you teach; your photos and videos are quirky, creative masterpieces. Never forgetting the smallest of critters, your attention to detail is jam packed with the most adorable sense of humor (those sound effects...:) we love your kindness and connection to mother earth 🌎 and most of all, we see a man, whose inner child is very much intact! You are changing the world in an endearing, playful manner! You deserve a nobel peace prize! Joy and Love and Light from Cape Town.
07.10 am. I just woke up, and read this comment. I must say Zita that your comment has started my day on the perfect tune 💚 probably the nicest, bestest thing written so far on my channel. Thank YOU SO MUCH for sharing it. You have made my day. 😃🪱💚🎥🎃🙏
One of the best explanations I have ever watched, great explanation of the system and the benefits.
Just when i start to miss you, you come up with a new video... You are an awesome Madala...💐💐💐
Most important teaching, taught in a way a child could understand. You and your good friend have much in common. Thanks to you both.
Geoff Lawton has an excellent,detailed and magnificent way of teaching and i can really understand what he is teaching especially through the visual illustrations as he talks.
You both have such a great auro about you's.
Agreed.
Is it possible for you o raise the VOLUME on these videos. This info is CRUCIAL FOR THE LIKES OF ME AND TO HAVE TO STAINS to hear every word is time consuming. I am fully cogisent that I need to watch your videos again and again to be able to absorb all that we are being give and then to try to utilise it but the LOW VOLUME just detracts from my concentration . THANKS A MILLION FOR ALLLLLL YOUR PREVIOUS videos which have not ONLY been entertaining. BUT too have been educational, which really is the point of all your hard work. Many, many thanks 👩🌾😊🌹
Beautiful Dave thank you. So easy to listen to Geoff. Rains plenty here in the west of Ireland
I’ll be continuing my backyard swale dig this weekend.
Thanks to both you and Geoff.
Great video David, nice that Geoff allowed you to use his class lecture. This is absolutely the first step in setting up a food forest in an arid region, it seems, and awesome to see the results. The most amazing thing about Geoff is that when he took classes from Bill Mollison, he was a skeptic. I guess getting out there and trying the methods Bill taught was a revelation for him.
I finally understand swales! What a clear video, thank you!
Fantastic. Here’s what I’ve learned at 8:00 minutes into the video. A swale is a landscape feature that creates ponding along a slope or grade, and thus directs water into the ground for the purpose of growing trees.
Great presentation and excellent content.
I am starting the permaculture journey - started watching TH-cam videos last month. After seeking the advice of the Ministry of Agric on rainwater harvesting, I was pleasantly surprised that they offered free assessment of farmland for rainwater harvesting potential.
I hope their recommendations will be useful and can be used with permaculture techniques. I am excited about this journey. My farm has been unused forever. Its time that changed.
Yes Geoff Lawton! I have been studying as well my friend and it gives me such joy to see someone with the artistic talent of filmography, such as yourself, who truly captures the magnificence of it all! Thank you so much for your inspiration 🥰
Good on you for learning about permaculture! Like you, I got into it online, & now I'm going to do an online course from Oregon State. It has really expanded my understanding of what's possible.
I think I'll always be a city person, but I still think learning about shit like this is important. Helps you learn to be more in touch with nature and hopefully less destructive overall. Ty for the video
this is one of the best presentations i have seen on swales to include those that Lawton himself has presented haha - simple and direct
Watching from Scotland , love your inspirational videos just finding it hard to replicate in our cold climate but still trying 🤗
Yes. It’s a bit different 🤨
@@TheWeedyGarden regarding the trees that can be planted in both sides of the swells. Can they be fruit trees or does that affect the water absorbtion since they might absorb more water?
A masterpiece of self growth. A visual feast. I love the sound design truly makes it.. So worth the effort.. Love it so much..
Thank you kindly!
This comment was meant for your 40 Min movie exert released today.. Somehow ended up here.. Random.. They are all great just the same... 👌
@@solmedia131 lol. I had a feeling. This one isn’t that epic 😁
I look forward to seeing the Weedy Swale! I want to see how you do it on your farm... but I always like watching that video from Geoff again
Hi Weedy Gardener. I remember working on a swale at college. We had to take care of it, clean it up, and maintain the mound. It was fun. At the University, I helped in a hawaiian garden. Glad for the experience working in a garden. So relaxing.
Outstanding this video was amazing in every way possible deserves over a million views ASAP
Love everything your doing I’m trying to do the same but with a smaller bit of land (much smaller 😊) but very wet here in Bedlington England so I’m trying everything to stop my garden getting water logged and save water for dryer days if we ever get any ❤
Excellent video, as someone thinking about how to maximise rainfall on very dry and sandy soil this was most helpful. Thanks so much, you are very inspiring.
I can't decide if I like best your voice, your kind soul, your poetic writing or the instructions that originally were the reason I clicked on this video. You are a beautiful human!
Perhaps it’s the combination 😁
@@TheWeedyGarden I did not know there was more to you than swales and gardens. Now that I have seen your photographs and your little film about who you are (and who we are,) all is clear. I stand by the original assessment but to a factor of zillion. It is indeed the combination! Permaculture of the soul as a being in time!
@@girlscribe2845 First comment I read today. It’s a good day. All day. Thankyou 💙
@@TheWeedyGarden Lots of joy back at you and your family from across the sea.
This is great Weedy Man! I've wondered what you've been up to for so long with no videos. While I can't do a swale in a city garden it's nice to learn new things. Thanks for sharing your journey and thank Geoff for allowing you to share a bit of his course with us. Looking forward to the next videos.
Great idea to saturate the soil bring nutrients to soil and trees. Very useful information. I will add swales when I have a farm. For now I grow food in pots in my shoebox size space.
Gotta start small 👍🏼
Your voice is extremely relaxing.
Thank you for the education.
Never stop being awesome.
Gosh you’re inspiring! Manifesting this beautiful way of life as my reality in 2022 🙌
Thank you so much for this teaching about swales! Thank you to Geoff for letting you use his lesson in here!!!
💦💙🌿💚🌳💦🍀💙
Thanks. For this very informative video, clearly this man talks confidently out of wisdom & experience .Excellent 👏 Amen !🙏❤🙏😊
Love the bamboo wall.
Thank you for your knowledge, your wisdom.
It helps in building foundations In permaculture before going to next level in university.
Sorry I’ve watched this video about 3-4 times and keep forgetting to ‘like’ the video… and I’m sure some others, but no doubt I’ll be watching again and again!
Swales are my new fav thing
Beautiful photography.
You had me at the first 30 seconds.... thats what lifes about... man I miss the countryside
OK, Now this is mindblowing. i am utterly grateful for sharing this with us, this will have a major importance later in my life. bless Geoff. bless you.
🙏🏻👍
Thank you very much for this David (and Geoff)
Great information. I learned a lot from this.
Cheers!
Your cinematography at the beginning of this video is OUTstanding!
Thanks. I gather you have also seen some of the other episodes. This episode th-cam.com/video/o1nwFxMMFyE/w-d-xo.html you will also like I think 🙃🐨
Perfect insight into the world of gardening the right way.. great stuff need more videos 👨🌾👩🌾
Often people in Geoff's situation (eco hippy) babble on about mystical forces and the like but he is just talking hard geography and makes a lot of scientific sense. It's very refreshing and clearly the guy understands what he is talking about.
I hear ya buddy! I listened to this one Irish hippie in YT talk about permaculture in her land and she kept calling it “goddess permaculture”. Nothing wrong with being in touch with your land but for those of us that are technical it’s a fast turn off.
you are an inspiration mate, really fantastic. And totally unique. Thanks for all of this!
Brilliant and captivating. Thank you
I have an ancient forest near me and there are swales in the forest, I always wondered what they were, now I know! All the forest soil washes in the bottom of them when it rains, I collected some to start JMS. 👍
Oh i love this! thank you for a rejuvinating video, so in tune with permaculture. Wishing you the very best on this journey and looking forward to more videos. Love that you're taking classes from Geoff Lawton!
Nice looking swale you dug there!
Fascinating, I'm going to try and workout how I can make this happen on my allotment. Thanks
That was so very informative, Thank you for making such incredible videos. Peace and love.
Thankyou, am caretaking a
few olive groves in cyprus.
Dry olive grove so will start
Swaling ❤ and putting in
Bigger trees.
Where the land has collapsed
Onto another level then
another level below , prickly
Thorn and wild olive are growing...
The 3rd level
finishes at an old reeded
Dry riverbed its like a jungle.
The soil on the lover level
Seems very sandy and hard
Clay. Only smaller thorny bushes
Grow down there.
Have found wild sage &
Mandrake growing on upper levels and mastic bushes.
The dam is about 4km away.
I am so excited to do this. ❤
Excellent video! Excellent teacher!
Thank you for bring such an interesting video today my friend, I’m looking forward to seeing your design come to life. It saddens me that we are all governed by narrow minded politicians! In a world where climate change and its catastrophic effects are reeking havoc I wonder why people like Geoff are not the driving force of governments? I have no formal education in horticulture, agriculture, climate, pollutions or conservation but it doesn’t take Einstein to see the huge benefits and the on going positive ripple effects for Mother Earth and in turn wildlife and humanity!
Wow, you've got gorgeous soil. 😍
Yeah. Sure is. The area has been covered with Lantana for years.
You are doing something special with this channel! This is an incredible video
Our garden is on a slope, so we dig deep trenches for garden beds, fill them with organic matter, then rebuild the dirt around them to guide the water to their centerline from the pathway just above, technically making swales, but only having to build them one piece at a time in the size of a garden bed, making each section immediately usable.
I am on a sloped 1/2 acre block and have been trying to figure out what to do to slow the water flow, but still utilise the rain water.
My biggest swale will be at the top of my main yard. I have certain native trees already planted, which I planted to provide the block some stability over time.
I will be able to construct my swales over time, to ensure these trees and future trees will benefit from the deeper water intake.
The soil quality has gradually been improving with the use of mulch over the past few years.
I’ve managed to acquire some native ground covers and even strawberry plants, which are now planted near a slop near my house, so I can monitor their spread. I’m so excited to have begun this journey!
One corner of the yard is being made into a frog habitat.
🐸🐸
Wonderful. Nice and easy
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Be in it to win it and buy a ticket for this Weedy Garden Fundraiser.
Read more about what’s up for grabs by visiting the Weedy Garden Website or watching this episode: IMAGINE WINNING A FOOD FOREST - Here’s How You Can!
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Hello weedy brother, you guys have helped and inspired me so much, I dug my swale today and im gonna plant it tomorrow i got some starter seeds like basil and thyme, lettuce and other kitchen friendly herbs while my blueberries and viking berries get here 😁🙏🏼 zone 6b near St. Louis.
Great video & creatively introduced! Very clever filming! Also some invaluable info. Thanks!
You are a blessing to us all... and your are bless to have Geoff up the road. I have been quite intentionally because we Gypsies are moving again in July. So will document all my new garden adventures when we In the new place. All my love Brad, Durban South Africa aka the Nude Gardener
I thought it was to be The Naked Gardener. Looking forward to your next upload as I suggested 😳😁
@@TheWeedyGarden there already is a "Naked Gardener" she is looks alot better than I lol, so had to change the name
@@thenudegardener9915 she obviously just uses the name and a thumnail to get attention. Nothing naked about her channel except the thumbnail
I have been trying to use vetiver basically as a swale, its a great alternative that serves the same purpose.
Damn, this guy is a good teacher. Thank you very much. Starting a project in a couple of months here in northern Spain.
just found this and the first thing you said was about the soil being the stomach of the plant. I have been growing for 2 years now and one of the biggest epiphany's i had while watering was exactly that. Plants teach you so much about life i wish i would have started this when i was a child.
Well at least you are there now Lucas 🙂
This was awesome. Thank you for sharing. Whole new understanding on how to help to enrich the soil.
I'm very thankful for your videos.. i can't wait to go back to my garden and implement the things I learn on this channel..
All the love to the weedy garden 🌱💚
30 seconds into your video, I knew you deserved my new subscription and every other subscriber you have and more.
Wonderful content.
You are a top notch videographer, editor, pleasant speaker, and very informative.
Can’t wait to dive into your content further.
Awesome Steven. Thanks mate. Hope you enjoy my other vids 🙏🏻👍💚
great show
Thanks brother, beautiful, powerful vid as always. Geoff is incredible...what a life's work he's made.
Happy Earth Day ☮
So great to see you again! I have taken my PDC yay