tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8284944855633609232.post1821188118246954664..comments2024-02-10T18:50:01.193+10:00Comments on Gully Grove: Swales in actionChris http://www.blogger.com/profile/13715819899708384147noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8284944855633609232.post-50991850098520099992015-03-29T04:26:52.014+10:002015-03-29T04:26:52.014+10:00We are boggy through May sometimes but then it ten...We are boggy through May sometimes but then it tends to be dry with occasional heavy rains. Each region will differ and we have been in droughts the last couple of years. The reason for the boggyness is that snow melts over frozen ground up here. Once the ground thaws our propert handles water very efficiently. It's taken me this long to understand the patterns. I've lived in severe drought too. I prefer what I have to that. linda marthahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14201901762476827737noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8284944855633609232.post-54930833095609015972015-03-28T13:53:44.229+10:002015-03-28T13:53:44.229+10:00Your extended thaw this year will help keep the mo...Your extended thaw this year will help keep the moisture in the ground longer too. I often read northern hemisphere blogs and see some landscapes struggling with too much water. I sometimes wonder what must be worse - losing plants through extended dry, or extended wet periods? I guess both have their downsides and require different tactics. :)Chris https://www.blogger.com/profile/13715819899708384147noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8284944855633609232.post-12508189129834553522015-03-28T13:47:18.733+10:002015-03-28T13:47:18.733+10:00I love seeing the swales fill up, because I know h...I love seeing the swales fill up, because I know how long between drinks the land has to endure here. I can understand your eagerness to check out your own handiwork too. <br /><br />I read about beavers too recently, fascinating how they help shape the landscape. They're like natures mini loggers and pasture builders for the herbivores. :)Chris https://www.blogger.com/profile/13715819899708384147noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8284944855633609232.post-62300395377220218242015-03-27T21:43:09.960+10:002015-03-27T21:43:09.960+10:00That is quite an accomplishment to have undergone....That is quite an accomplishment to have undergone. I knew you were digging swales but I have not realized how they worked on a larger scale. Once again, its not somethiing we need right now-I'd consider it if we are in drought. linda marthahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14201901762476827737noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8284944855633609232.post-63995957006065109392015-03-27T20:26:12.716+10:002015-03-27T20:26:12.716+10:00You obviously have bigger rain events than we do, ...You obviously have bigger rain events than we do, but isn't it great to see the swales filling up with water? The first rain after I dug mine, I was down the back getting soaked, watching them fill up. Really satisfying to be able to hold up water and let it soak into the soil rather than end up next door. It looks like the new pool will do its job, too. Leaf mould will gradually rot down and seal it, but you might need to monitor it to see that it doesn't fill up with organic matter and turn into a wet meadow. I read an interesting article once about the way beaver dams gradually evolve into wet meadows and then turn back into land. The beavers meanwhile go and create a new dam elsewhere.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com