An Update on our Swales, with a major weather event to boot!!!

So we had about 1.4″ of rain in less than two hours, and the water went where we wanted it to. Our plan was to have a major runoff get into the swales and do the most good after that. This video was done during the storm and I was hurrying to get done asap. With the lightning still flashing and striking in our area, I just wanted to get out of the weather!

No waterproof camera, only the operator could stand the water. It was great to see all of the work pay off when the swale cuts were filling with runoff. The rolling dip did well, it moved the water from the road to the main swale. Although I did not have the rock face completed on the spillways, it did not come to that point. I need to get that done before fall.

The plantings are doing great. Some plants did not do well, some bush clover to name one. But the fruit trees are doing fine, most of the cover crop is going nuts as you can see. It is so fun to see people drive by and LOOK! We just did a farmers exchange and sold garden plants and folks asked where we lived. As I explained they would say “Oh you have the big green areas in front”.

We did have some damage to the driveway, something we took into consideration with a rock/mulch rundown that I have not had time to get done….this year? So many projects and so little time. Working on the chicken coop and run, then the raised beds and hoophouse, then finish putting up the fencing around the whole area! No time to dally around here.