How to Build a Swale in the Residential Landscape

A permaculture swale is a technique for capturing and storing water in a garden. In this article, learn
how to build a swale in the residential landscape.

Oh, and don’t forget to grab your FREE DOWNLOAD: How to Build a Swale to Capture Roof
Water Quick Start Guide at the end of the article.

This page may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure  for more info.

A permaculture swale can be an important feature in the productive garden or earth-friendly yard
because it helps to slow, store, and spread water.

>> Are you wondering what a swale is? Check out my article What is a Permaculture Swale: Irrigate
the Easy Way for more details.

When I learned about the permaculture swale, I discovered that it was the perfect solution for creating a
low-maintenance, edible landscape in my front yard.

This article is about the technical, nitty-gritty details of building a permaculture swale: How to
choose an appropriate site/location, and how to build it.
Constructing a Swale in 9 Steps
Step 1: Observe water on your site.
As water flows across a typical surface or landscape, most of it will run off quickly without having a
chance to soak into the soil, even on land that appears flat or very gently sloping. With a swale or other
earthwork such as a rain garden, the water flows into the trench, where it slowly seeps deep into the
soil. This produces little to no runoff.

Collect information about your yard. Where is the water coming from and where does it go?

Write down the following observations.

 Identify where water is wasted.

 Observe drainage patterns.
 Locate steep slopes.
 Determine annual rainfall.

>> If you’d like to create your own whole-system water plan (that possibly includes swales), follow my
instructions for 6 maps to draw for the permaculture farm design. 

Constructing my front yard swale, 2011

Step 2: Identify the ideal site for a permaculture swale.

A swale can help capture water where it is being wasted in order to irrigate a planting area.

Here are some rules for siting a permaculture swale. It should be:

 10 feet away from a building (water must drain away from building)
 18 feet away from the edge of a steep slope or septic drain field
 Uphill from a garden or low spot that doesn’t drain well
 An infiltration test demonstrates an infiltration rate of at least 1 inch per hour.
Note: This may not be an appropriate strategy for areas with a high water table or on extremely steep
slopes.

Step 3: Mark the contour line.

Use a contour level and utility flags to mark the contour line every 6 feet. This video shows how to use
a simple, homemade A-frame level to mark the contour lines. (Don’t worry, anyone can build one of
these!)

It’s essential to mark the contour lines accurately. Swales built off-contour are not actually swales
by definition, and go by other names, such as keyline trenches or diversion trenches.

Step 4: Dig a trench along the marked contour line.

 Typical trench depth: 6 inches to 1.5 feet deep
 Typical trench width: 18 inches to 2 feet wide
 Length: Varies by your needs, size of the space, and how much water you can catch

Step 5: Mound the soil from the trench on the downhill

side to create a berm.
Take the soil dug from the trench and place it on the downhill side.

Step 6: Test and adjust the swale.

Work the A-frame level along the bottom of the trench to test whether it is level. Fix uneven spots.
Next, observe the swale during a heavy rain event. How did it do?

If it overflowed, then make the swale trench deeper, wider, or longer.

Step 7: Plant the swale.

I recommend planting perennials that will grow permanent, thirsty roots to stabilize the system. In
desert areas, plantings are typically placed in the swale trench, while in non-desert areas, it is typical to
plant the berm.

Try:

 Fruit Tree Guilds

 Berry-Producing Nitrogen-Fixing Shrubs
  Perennial Sunflowers
 Hedgerow

(To name a few of my favorite ideas.)

Would you like to learn more about using earthworks like swales to reduce maintenance and
increase yield in your productive landscape?

You’ll find loads of information just like this in my award-winning book, The Suburban Micro-Farm.

Step 8: Build Redundancy into the Swale System.

Always think about where the water will go if the swale overflows. Have redundancy built in that can
handle a 100-year rain event.

When we built our front yard swale, we directed the overflow into a rain garden to accommodate any
excess water.

You can also direct a spillway into another swale.

Step 9: Add Aesthetic Details (Make the Swale Pretty!)

In residential spaces, aesthetics are often an important consideration. Swales can actually be visually
pleasing, although it’s hard to imagine a beautiful setting with a trench running through the yard! Try
filling the trench with gravel or wood chips and you have a walkable pathway. (I prefer filling it with
large rocks, followed by gravel, topped with a few inches of wood chips.)

Give the berm a rock border, and you have a raised bed.

If your swale trench doesn’t need to be walkable, consider seeding it with clover or adding a layer of
mulch to reduce evaporation.
Note: I don’t recommend filling the trench unless the swale is in a highly visible place where aesthetics
are important. That’s because over time, the materials in the trench may become compacted from the
walking, which reduces the efficiency of the system.

By observing your system, you’ll be able to notice when a swale that was once well functioning begins
to overflow with water. That’s your sign that it needs a clean-out. (I wouldn’t guess it would be
necessary more often than once every 5-10 years).

My front yard swale: The trench is on the left, topped with wood chips so it can double as a walking path. The berm is on the right, densely
planted with strawberries, and given a rock border for aesthetics.

Here’s a picture of our front yard before we added a swale and gardens:
 Our house before we purchased it and began our front yard project (2005).

The swale system and perennial plantings work to slow the water, spread it, store it, and lock in
moisture. The front yard now looks like this:

Our front yard (2013), after building a swale and planting the edible landscape
Storing water in the ground will benefit soil health and moisture retention. Nature does it best!

Resources
For more details and pictures of swale-building, see:

 Gaia’s Garden by Toby Hemenway

 Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands and Beyond, Volume 2 by Brad Lancaster
 The Suburban Micro-Farm: Modern Solutions for Busy People by Amy Stross (My award-
winning book. Shameless plug!)

Motivation

You might question whether using swales to store water in the ground actually works as well as I’m
suggesting. This 5-minute video, Greening the Desert, demonstrates how swales used in the right
context can turn desert into productive gardens.

FREE Download!

How to Build a Swale to Capture Roof Water

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 6 Reasons to Grow Oregano
 Does Your Permaculture Garden Need Daffodils?
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C OMMEN TS

1. Heidi @ Pint Size Farm  says

September 24, 2014 at 2:19 pm

This is excellent, I just started some passive rain catching methods and it is working really well. The
plants love the extra rain water.

REPLY

o Amy  says

September 24, 2014 at 8:35 pm

Cool! What passive methods do you use?

 REPLY

 Heidi @ Pint Size Farm  says

February 19, 2015 at 6:12 pm

Just saw this reply when I was going over your post again! Went to comment and saw I alread
did, LOL. I have mostly used swales/berms so far. I have also been using a lot of hay for
mulch. Both are working amazingly for our crazy Arizona rains (torrential river making rains
that happen a couple months a year, lighter all day rains for 3 months a year, and completely
dry the rest of the time). I’ve done some trenching from the roofline to the nearest large plants
too and that seems to work well out here too.

REPLY

2. Le Femme Farmer  says

October 30, 2014 at 10:52 am

I just found your blog through a pin on pinterest and I just wanted to say Bravo – the posts I’ve read
so far are great. My husband and I took Geoff Lawton’s online PDC last year and we are building a
permaculture farm in SW Washington.
Although we are quite familiar with swales I found your two part post on them very helpful and I
learned a few new things – like filling the swale with gravel, etc… to make them walkable paths –
brilliant! I’d like to use that idea when we start our zone 1 design (it covers about a 1/2 acre)
Our first swale is almost 300 ‘ long (farm scale!) and we ended up filling it with downed alders from
an ice storm turning it into a bioswale. That swale is out in zone 3 and the berm is planted out to
fruit trees.
Anyhow – glad to have stumbled upon you. You are doing a commendable job of spreading the
good works of permaculture in a way that is easy to digest and apply.

REPLY

o Amy  says

October 30, 2014 at 11:33 am

@ Le Femme Farmer: Thanks for your kind words about my two swale posts. It’s encouraging
that the information was helpful, even for experienced permaculturists.

I love your bioswale idea. I’m sure it is working wonderfully – I would love to see pictures of your
work!

REPLY

3. Tilly  says

November 10, 2014 at 9:08 am

Hi,

I’m really interested in using swales on my land, it’s heavy clay and very wet in winter and dries like
concrete in summer. It’s south facing about 1 in 10 gradient, very rich soil and I’m sure it has a lot
 of potential. What spacing do you recommend and have you any advice for UK climate situation. I’m
willing to hire a digger initially

Tilly

REPLY

o Amy  says

November 11, 2014 at 12:12 pm

Hi Tilly,

It’s hard to give specific design recommendations without seeing your site, but I’ll try to offer
some guidelines. First, I’m not sure what you mean by “1 in 10”. I’m not familiar with that way of
describing a gradient. A lot of things would affect the spacing of your swales. Are you catching
water from your roof, or passively collecting rainwater passing through the landscape? How much
space do you have? How flat is the land?

If you’re catching a lot of water on a sloping (but not steep) hillside, 18 feet distance between
swales is a good measure. If the land is relatively flat, however, and you’re not catching
roofwater, swales can be farther apart. There are other factors that affect spacing, such as: Do
you have machinery that needs to access the space between swales?

If the land is steep, swales may not be a good option for the site. Heavy clay can buckle under
the weight of the water and cause land destabilization. Instead, try  check-log terraces .

Best of luck to you!

REPLY

 David says

November 12, 2014 at 10:03 am

Amy,
I believe “1 in 10 gradient” means 1 foot drop for every 10 feet of horizontal. (approx. 6
degrees)
Regards

REPLY

4. Amy  says

November 12, 2014 at 1:51 pm

Thanks for doing the math for me, David! 6 degrees is around a 10% slope…that’s pretty steep. We
used check-log terraces  rather than swales on a 13% slope. I would use a swale anywhere the
hillside flattens out a bit, either at the top (at least 18 feet away from the edge of the slope) or the
bottom of the slope, but probably not on the steep part.

REPLY

5. Jenna  says
 November 24, 2014 at 11:23 am

This is such great information. It has really made me think about better planning and usage of
space to benefit what I am growing. Thanks for sharing at the Homestead Blog Hop! Hope to see
you there again this week. 🙂

REPLY

6. Jen @ The Easy Homestead  says

November 25, 2014 at 3:42 pm

Mountain Man has “no choice” ;)- but to read this post tonight! This will be featured on Homestead
Blog Hop tomorrow. Thanks for sharing!

Jen

REPLY

o Amy  says

November 25, 2014 at 5:30 pm

Yay! I’m so glad it will be useful for you! And sorry to Mountain Man for all of the digging he’s
about to embark on 🙂 Thanks for the feature on Homestead Blog Hop!!!

REPLY

7. Joby  says

December 3, 2014 at 3:43 pm

This is great information! Bookmarking this for lots of future reference.

Thanks for writing this

REPLY

8. Frances says

February 12, 2015 at 5:09 pm

There’s a lot to think about here – thanks!

REPLY

9. Richard Stang says

September 22, 2015 at 12:39 pm

Hello: By filling in the trench you do not obstruct the swale?

REPLY
 o Amy  says

September 22, 2015 at 4:47 pm

I was wondering the same thing when we filled in the trench of our swale. It seems like it would
obstruct the function of the swale, but in our case it didn’t. I think as long as your swale has an
overflow–like our rain garden or the more traditional spillway–the swale should work okay. Before
filling in the trench, be sure that it can handle a regular rain event without overflowing. If it can’t,
it may be advantageous to make the trench wider before filling it in.

REPLY

10. Christine says

October 16, 2015 at 8:45 pm

Amy! It’s wonderful to see your blog so successful!

Working with you and your husband at Enright seems so long ago. I’m now in Kentucky, on 10.5
acres and digging a swale/catchment pond—we’ll see what it turns out to be. The edible planting
idea is perfect and I can’t wait to make it happen.

REPLY

o Amy  says

October 18, 2015 at 3:33 pm

Hi Christine–time flies! Congrats on your big property — so exciting! Good luck on your swale–let
me know how it turns out 🙂

REPLY

11. Greg Torr says

March 4, 2016 at 3:01 am

HIAmy
I’m really late on this thread, but I’m wondering if there is a use for the swale in growing water
-dependent plants – like water cress for example. (instead of making the “lake” part of the swale
into a walkway, use it for riverine plants like ferns etc)
Also, is there a way of incorporating water features with the swale or is it recommended to keep the
ttwo separate?

REPLY

o Amy  says

March 4, 2016 at 9:22 am

Great questions, Greg. Yes, you can plant water-loving plants in the swale trench if you don’t
need it for a walkway. Keep in mind that the trench can become quite dry in the heat of the
summer, and only remain moist during the rainy/cooler seasons. It will depend on your climate.
For some other ideas, here’s an article I wrote  about water-loving edibles that can also withstand
 those dry periods. You can connect swales to other water features.  In my front yard , we directed
the overflow from the swale into a rain garden.

REPLY

12. ardeth bannon says

April 3, 2016 at 6:55 pm

Hi, i am just coming across your website. I have just moved onto a new property. mostly clay soils.
very waterlogged at the moment. flat. reading this, i see there are some contours, although slight. i
will be putting those to use. hopefully i will be able to do the work necessary!

REPLY

o Amy  says

April 6, 2016 at 5:00 pm

It sounds like swales could be beneficial to your landscape, but they are a lot of work to create.
Host a digging party with your friends or hire a Bobcat-type excavator to help you get the job
done more easily 🙂

REPLY

13. Brad Vossen says

May 19, 2016 at 10:03 pm

I really enjoyed your design. It is one of best projects I have seen. Where did you get your
inspiration to make this design? Thanks for sharing. I’m happy you shared it. What are your ideas
for your new project?

REPLY

o Amy  says

May 23, 2016 at 5:32 pm

Lots of ideas for the new homestead. I’ll be sure to write about them as we develop them more
fully 🙂

REPLY

14. Brenda says

July 27, 2016 at 12:32 pm

Can I take a picture of the area that I need to have some type of drainage done and you kind give
me some suggestions.

REPLY
 o Amy  says

July 27, 2016 at 3:51 pm

Hi Brenda,
It’s nearly impossible to consult via photo. Your best bet is to find a local consultant who can
help, or take a permaculture course that can help you learn to read your landscape. This isn’t
easy stuff!

REPLY

15. Johanne says

April 4, 2017 at 1:58 pm

Hi Amy! LOVE your site! Here’s a question I hope you can answer soon (since I’m doing it in the
next couple days over spring break). If I dig a trench to capture redirected roof water, fill it with
gravel and plant along the edges, do I have to use landscape fabric before I fill it with pea gravel?
Will the dirt from the side seep into the gravel so it can’t drain as well? I’d rather not, but I trust
whatever answer you can give me. Thanks for being my #1 inspiration – I’m in the process of
digging up my front yard and planting with herbs and edibles. Your pictures were the thing that
convinced my husband to give me the go-ahead. 😉

REPLY

o Amy  says

April 11, 2017 at 6:29 pm

I may have missed your project window, but yes, I would recommend the landscape fabric. The
worst that will happen if you don’t use it is that your swale trench will need re-dug sooner than if
you didn’t use the fabric. Most swale trenches that are filled eventually need to be cleaned out
and restructured to reap the original benefits. But don’t let that scare you. Depending on your soil
and size of the trench, I would estimate maintenance to be every 10 years or so, perhaps even
longer.

REPLY

16. Mary says

August 12, 2017 at 10:55 am

Hi Amy! Your articles on swales are wonderful. I am looking to dig one this fall before the rains hit
our Portland Oregon area. We are in the west side outside of the city. My daughter has two girls
age 2 and 6 months. Out goal in her long narrow back yard is to create a functional safe play area
for the girls, plus perhaps some food growing.
The yard is about 16′ wide and 45′ long, sitting downhill from the property next door. In heavy rains
the yard has standing water, and is mucky and muddy all rainy season. There is some french drain
that may not be functional but it only goes partway the length of the yard. Where the drain ends
there is a shallow, narrow trench that was dug in peak rain as an attempt to drain the yard of
standing water. For now we are working to get rid of the current grass and mulch the yard. I’ve seen
debate on landscape fabric, and am leaning toward putting down something like cardboard or
newspaper and just lining the swale/spillway for rainwater with river rocks. Since the land is down
slope from the neighboring land on the east, we would berm to the west and to the east plant some
rain loving plants. We have 8 to nine months of rainy weather with occasional heavy rains, but
 mostly misty light rain. Then summers are very dry with months of little to no rain. Obviously we
have limited options in the space, We plan to use ecolawn alternative seed that includes clover and
fescue for the area west of the berm and rain garden seed mix for east of the swale/spillway. I think
what we are really looking to construct in our limited space is less a swale and more a spillway to
direct the run-off from the neighboring yard and driveway uphill. Any comments or suggestions are
welcome. Thanks for your blog posts.

REPLY

o Amy  says

September 6, 2017 at 10:59 am

Mary,

It sounds like you could really benefit from a consultation with a local permaculture or landscape
designer in your area. I can’t substitute for solid advice from a professional who can visit your
property, but it sounds like you’re dealing with some frustrating water challenges. My guess is
that you would do better with a drainage solution that channels the water away from your yard,
unless you’re looking to do a whole lotta maintenance on a planted rain garden/swale/berm area.

I missed the part about why you’re removing grass. I wouldn’t do that unless you’re planting the
area with deep-rooted, rain-loving plants. My experience is that mulching a mucky area invites
mosquitoes. A swale might be a good solution here, but without seeing the property, I can’t
guarantee it. If you do try to construct a swale, you’ll want to place it as uphill as possible.

REPLY

17. Joshua David Reynolds says

October 7, 2017 at 11:07 am

Howdy from southeast Texas!

I am a numbers guy myself and trying to figure out calculations for swales I’m designing currently
and those I’ll be designing in the future. We were taught in our PDC to calculate catchment x max
rain in 24 hours. Take that number and divide by 24 to get max hourly rainfall. Then we divide by 60
to get minute rain and 60 again to get second rainfall. We need this data to calculate the amount of
runoff we will need to allow to outflow during extreme events. What I’m stuck on is the length of the
spillway to avoid erosion even during these extreme events.

For example, if I have 22″ max rain in 24 hours and my catchment is just a roof like what you’re
doing here and directing that into a swale, which is what I’m actually doing, so the catchment is
1200 square feet. That gives me a max rain event of about 1/3 inch per second that I would need to
allow for outflow. If I wanted only about 1/2 inch of water spilling over my spillway, it would seem
that I would only need a spillway of a little less that an inch. That does not sound right but I’m not
sure where I’m going wrong in my math. Or am I correct? I would think something like a 2 foot
spillway would be more appropriate but that’s just a guess. Do you have any insight into this?

Thanks!

REPLY

o Amy  says

October 15, 2017 at 9:36 am

 I have seen a few different methods for calculating spillway dimensions. As I mention above, one
method is to make the spillway about as wide as the trench. So if the trench is 2 feet wide, that
will be the width used for the spillway. Brad Lancaster in  Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands, Vol
2  states that a spillway will be twice as wide as your berm height, measured from the bottom of
the trench to the top of the berm. So if your berm is 18 inches tall, the spillway would be 36
inches wide.

He also says that the spillway will be indented to 1/3 the height of the berm, so if the berm is 12
inches tall, the spillway will be indented 4 inches.

There are a lot of variables that determine how much water the spillway will have to
accommodate at a given time. The best thing to do is construct a swale using a method (like the
one you were taught), and then observe to see how it does in a heavy rain event, which we would
do anyway before planting.

Our best work happens when we are willing to observe and adjust, since nature can surprise us
🙂

REPLY

18. Eric Fayard says

December 9, 2017 at 1:04 pm

I purchased a home in Ooltewah TN and the home inspector suggested adding a swale along the
back left and side of the home to keep water from entering crawl space. Looking for a Chattanooga
company competent in swale installation.

REPLY

o Amy  says

January 24, 2018 at 7:04 pm

A swale that a home inspector suggests is likely different from the permaculture swales that I
discuss here (two techniques with same name). The home inspector is likely suggesting
something like a diversion trench that diverts water away from the home, while a permaculture
swale is constructed on contour to hold water and encourage it to sink in. This would likely not
have the desired effect next to your foundation/crawl space. 🙂

REPLY

19. Elza Flaherty says

March 9, 2018 at 1:55 pm

Hi. Very useful article, thanks! The street we live on was poorly constructed, meaning all the yards
and storm water drains are lower than the council drains they are supposed to empty into. We can’t
change that unfortunately. There is a holding ‘tank’ in the ground at the point where our rain water
exits our property and that takes care of most of the water in light rain. However, in heavy or
sustained rain, that tank will fill beyond the exit drain level, leading to water ponding in our front
lawn which takes some time to drain away. We are planning to dig up the front lawn to lay some
french drains but unsure of where to locate them and how deep is best. Can you help with some
guidance? Thanks for any advice you can offer.

REPLY
 o Amy  says

March 22, 2018 at 9:29 am

Managing water properly is incredibly important, and the best way to have the water managed
properly is to work with a professional. As a landscape designer, I cannot give advice about
whether french drains are the best solution for you, where to lay them, or how deep, without
seeing the property. Having something done right the first time can be a lot cheaper than doing it
wrong and having to redo it.

REPLY

20. Ryan says

May 2, 2018 at 6:28 pm

I have major drainage issues at my new house. Heavy rains always results in a flooded backyard
sometimes as deep as 6 inches of water. Unfortunately there is a walk out deck on the back side of
my house and adding fill under it would very difficult if not impossible. I’d like to fill in the back yard
so that water won’t stand there but that would bring it higher than the grade underneath the deck.
My initial idea was to install a French drain from my back yard all the way around side and to front
yard of my house where there is a drain that empties into the storm sewer.
The side and front yard is already graded towards that low spot but the back yard is only a few
inches in grade above this drain with a high spot in between keeping all the water in the back yard.
I was told by a couple contractors that a French drain would not work. It would freeze in the winter
and not have enough pitch with about 250 ft from back yard to this drain and only approximately 5-
6″ drop over that distance.
It seems my only option is a swale to avoid freezing and also be able to make best use of the
minimal pitch. I’m hoping to raise grade of backyard slightly and have the swale just barely lower
than current grade to maintain a minimal slope away from the back of house without adding fill
under the deck.
My problem is the swale would separate the steps coming down off the deck and my back yard.
Aside moving the steps and running the swale underneath the deck I don’t know what other option I
have but have an unsightly swale to step over every time we go from the deck down to the
backyard.
any ideas or input would be helpful.
Also, what machinery would be most effective for installing this swale? Rototiller and shovel or
backhoe or?
What about finish grading? I’d really like keep the swale grass or it will stick out even worse
separating my yard.
Thanks,
Ryan

REPLY

o Amy  says

May 3, 2018 at 12:29 pm

This is not an issue that can be diagnosed via internet, unfortunately. If the contractors you spoke
with couldn’t offer an alternative to a french drain, then I would suggest seeking out opinions from
other contractors. Landscape architects and permaculture designers would be really helpful in
this case. It’s possible the deck in its current form is not a good match for a proper water solution.
It’s important to be open to what a long-lasting solution would look like.

REPLY
21. Ryan says

May 3, 2018 at 4:16 pm

the only contractor that wasn’t just a flyby night hack does nothing but drainage. He suggested just
regrade better slope and be done. I’d like to integrate a gentle swale into this at time of grading for
quicker water removal.
This guy also said he doesn’t know any other company within 100+ miles that specialized in
drainage. Most places I called were landscapers and some where diggers and excavators. The local
excavators that would most likely do a good job on my project are too busy to waste their time on a
project the size of mine. The only landscaper that looked at it said they can do whatever I want
saying it would most likely cost around $6-7k to regrade and add better drainage. He wouldn’t go
into details and sounded like he wanted to just wing it and charge me an arm and a leg for what
would most likely turn out to be an inadequate result. There is what looks like a pond 15 feet away
from the deck steps now with majority of backyard flooded and unusable. I guess even a small
ditch/swale in front of steps would still be better than what I have now. Maybe I can extend the
bottom step and add a small storage area with decking and run the swale under that. It would be
easier than installing a swale under an existing deck.
still curious on best equipment to accomplish something like this.

REPLY

22. Christopher Parker says

August 17, 2018 at 9:36 pm

We have about a foot of soil above granite ledge bedrock. There are two spots where the properties
of a swail might be nice, but is there enough soil for water to sink into? Below these areas, the
water pools and I am hoping a swail might help, but it may be that the water holding capacity of the
soil (at least in peak wet periods) has simply been reached already?

REPLY

o Amy  says

August 22, 2018 at 10:29 am

Swales can be very useful in areas with shallow soil over bedrock.

In flatter areas, bedrock prevents water from draining, and therefore encourages standing water.
Eventually water drains, of course, through evaporation and by percolating into cracks and
crevices in the bedrock. These pools of standing water after a rain aren’t inherently bad for the
ecosystem, in fact, they are their own ecosystem, attracting plant and animal life suitable to the
conditions. However, this can be a difficult place to grow in. In this case, swales add dimension to
flat land and create microclimates of higher dry spaces (linear plantings along swale berms) and
lower areas that collect and hold water.

On gently sloped land with shallow bedrock, swales catch and slow water higher up in the
landscape to help bring life to these spaces. Linear plantings along swale berms on slopes take
advantage of water before it collects in the valleys, giving you more options for growing space.

Swales can be ideal for managing heavy rain events during peak wet periods. Planting the swale
with grasses, legumes, and shrubs will help accelerate establishment of a root mat that holds soil
in place to prevent erosion, catches and holds more water, increases soil microbial activity, and
takes advantage of the minerals present in the rock. This is the beginning of creating a
foundation of healthy, bioactive soils with bioavailable minerals.
 REPLY

23. Mandy says

February 13, 2019 at 9:51 pm

Hi Amy! I’ve read your book and I love both it and your website! Your directions are easy to follow
and I really appreciated the videos and pictures as I’m very visual. I was wondering if you could
advise me on a potential problem with our first swale…?

Our newly built house sits on compacted clay so the water in our newly dug swale doesn’t drain at a
satisfactory rate.
I’m unsure as to whether I need to intervene now or allow berm plant roots to work on improving the
soil. My internet search hasn’t been fruitful so I wonder if you could advise…?

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o Amy  says

February 14, 2019 at 12:53 pm

Hi there, I’m so glad you’re finding some useful information from the book and here at TAF.

In step 2 above, I’ve referenced an infiltration test that is important to conduct before digging a
swale, because, as you mentioned, it’s essential that water be able to soak in. 🙂

But tap-rooted plants are your friends. Consider sowing daikon radish, dandelion, and/or lupine
into the trench and berm. They are your ‘decompaction team’, drilling into the clay. Let them die
back naturally. As they do, they will create a compost corridor that accepts and infiltrates air and
water a bit more each year.

But also make sure that your swale has an overflow to manage the excess water that the swale
can’t manage yet.

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 Mandy says

February 15, 2019 at 10:48 am

Thank you so much! I got so excited to start I just started digging. 😅 There’s a lot of
rehabilitation that needs doing for our soil. Appreciate the advice 😁👍

REPLY

 Amy  says

February 15, 2019 at 1:51 pm

You’re going to do great!!! 😀

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 Emma Howell says
 July 20, 2021 at 7:00 pm

Amy, love your site. I am a gardener and recently introduced some permaculture techniques
into my installation/design projects (thanks to you!!). I am currently building a rainwater
catchment system for a client with a very subtle sloped yard toward the sidewalk (much like
your layout). I have created a trench from the two front downspouts (rain chain soon to go on)
with a berm on the downward facing side of them and they both then merge together and
funnel into a raingarden about 6′ in diameter with a berm around all sides except the entrance
from the swale. I have two questions, the first being related to Mandy’s question above.. shou
I have used the existing soil from the trench swale to make the berm? It is basically all clay, b
I included the sod so this should break down a bit to add organic matter. I topped it with some
compost (tried to work it in a bit). It is SO dense.. worried the water will not be able to absorb
into the berm…. should I pull most of the berm clay material off and start over with
compost/loam/peat moss blend? I fear I made a huge mistake. Would love to hear your
recommendation on this clay matter. 🙂

I also wonder which strawberry has a deep root system? from my experience they all seem to
have a very shallow runner.. hmm would love to learn more about this.. :))) Thanks Amy!

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24. Jeremy says

March 14, 2019 at 10:05 am

I am studying your site and ideas on how to divert water from a hill away from my neighbor’s house,
then to the creek. What does 5’berm, 2′ above the flow line of the swale mean? Someone
suggested this. I am a newbie at this. Thank you for any help you can give me!

REPLY

o Amy  says

March 20, 2019 at 12:13 pm

A diversion swale (which you’re referencing) is different from a permaculture swale (which I’ve
written about here — in which we endeavor to keep more water onsite for conservation and
gardening purposes). Your best bet is to consult with local landscapers who have experience
managing water issues.

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25. Linda says

April 15, 2019 at 4:21 pm

ahh! love the info will try in my little box garden we have here to do a swale it will not be easy but
imagination is everything.

REPLY

26. Kristen says

May 1, 2019 at 9:33 pm

 Hello! I want to get rid of the grass and other random ground cover growing in front of my house
(except perhaps the wild strawberries), and I located where I want swales and flagged them. Do I
need to dig out both the swale and under the berm, or just the swale area, and the grass under the
berm will die as it is covered in dirt? I also tried breaking ground but found some 20+ year old
landscaping fabric under the grass… I know I will probably need to get it all out or else roots may
not be able to go down to the water. I am not looking forward to that, as the shovel had difficulty
penetrating it.

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o Amy  says

May 2, 2019 at 9:21 am

There are a number of different ways to do it. Because I’m partial to doing less work, I like to
cover the berm with cardboard, so that the grass doesn’t grow through the new soil that I add
from the trench on top of it.

But you could also cut and remove the sod, or cut the sod and flip it over to decompose in place.
Any of these methods work fine. I’ve seen people not do anything about the grass under the new
berm, and it usually becomes a grassy mess that ends up killing or inhibiting baby fruit trees.
Especially if you plan to plant fruit trees in the berm, I would address the grass issue b/c they
won’t thrive with grass competition.

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27. Jenny says

July 9, 2020 at 12:06 pm

Dear Amy, my soil is almost pure beach sand and so holds almost no water. Would it be any use my
building swales?

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o Amy  says

July 16, 2020 at 10:04 am

Yes! Swales can be excellent ways to catch water and accelerate soil building. Encouraging
mycorrhizal fungi is the fastest way to stabilize sandy soils, and do you know what they need to
survive? Living plant roots. 🙂

Hugelkultur swale berms aren’t always needed, but in this case, I would start with a woody
foundation, then add the soil from the trench, mixing in generous amounts of worm castings and a
mycorrhizal inoculant, and finish with a light layer of compost soil. Water it well, or better, wait for
a rain to settle it all. Then plant immediately with your perennials – trees, shrubs, herbs, nitrogen
fixers, and sow seeds of quick growing ground covers like clover.

Keep it watered until everything gets established, and now you’ve got a soil building/soil
stabilizing/water regulating machine.