Building a Swale: Examining Water Flow

How to Construct a Swale in Your Own Yard

Yard garden plant

Building a Swale in Nine Easy Steps
Step 1: Examine the water at your location.

Even on land that appears flat or very gently sloping, the majority of water will run off rapidly when it flows across a normal surface or landscape without having an opportunity to soak into the soil.

However, water runs into a trench or depression with a swale or other man-made landform like a rain garden, where it slowly seeps into the ground. As a result, there is little to no runoff produced.
Gather information about your yard first. Where does the water go and where does it come from?

Note down the subsequent observations.

Determine the areas of water waste.
Pay attention to drainage patterns.
Find the steep incline.
Calculate the yearly precipitation.
These inquiries into the site, which are performed by asking targeted questions, are referred to as passive observations in permaculture design. Get my free, 13-page worksheet, Making Observations, and read my article on how to use the power of observation in permaculture design to learn everything there is to know about them.

Conversely, active observations are a different kind of observation. To create a visual depiction of all the data points that could influence design choices, they are created by gathering information about the site and charting it on actual property maps. If your goal is to create a whole-system water plan, it would be wise to go through my map exercises for permaculture design instead.
Last updated by Amy on June 15, 2023 54 Comments

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Water can be captured and stored in a garden using a permaculture swale. Discover how to create a swale in your home's landscaping by reading this article. Oh, and don't forget to download your Quick Start Guide—a FREE PDF that explains how to construct a swale to collect roof water—at the article's conclusion.

Water can be captured and stored in a garden using a permaculture swale. Discover how to construct a swale in your backyard.

There may be affiliate links on this page. For further details, please see my disclosure.

Water is slowed, stored, and dispersed more effectively with the aid of a permaculture swale in an earth-friendly yard or profitable garden. For me, I found it to be the ideal way to turn my front yard into an edible, low-maintenance landscape.

Are you trying to figure out what a swale is? If so, for additional information, see my post, What is a Permaculture Swale: Irrigate the Easy Way.

To be clear, this article covers the specific, technical aspects of creating a permaculture swale, including how to locate the right site and how to construct one.

Building a Swale in Nine Easy Steps
Step 1: Examine the water at your location.
Even on land that appears flat or very gently sloping, the majority of water will run off rapidly when it flows across a normal surface or landscape without having an opportunity to soak into the soil.

However, water runs into a trench or depression with a swale or other man-made landform like a rain garden, where it slowly seeps into the ground. As a result, there is little to no runoff produced.

Gather information about your yard first. Where does the water go and where does it come from?

Note down the subsequent observations.

Determine the areas of water waste.
Pay attention to drainage patterns.
Find the steep incline.
Calculate the yearly precipitation.
These inquiries into the site, which are performed by asking targeted questions, are referred to as passive observations in permaculture design. Get my free, 13-page worksheet, Making Observations, and read my article on how to use the power of observation in permaculture design to learn e