Swales/Basins

I decided that I should create swales/basins to capture the water runoff sine my yard is a bit sloped. I don't really know what I'm doing, just kinda winging it right now, just started digging and realize maybe there's more to it and I should probably research. Anyone have any go to articles?

I fully support creating swales / basins, they truly have helped me get things established in my space. There is a bit more to it, though honestly just digging can make a difference.

Brad Lancaster is a great resource, has been rainwater harvesting and focusing on swales…etc for many years. https://www.harvestingrainwater.com
He has free information, most of which I think can get you started.

If you're wanting to watch some videos and maybe get a bit more technical at times: Geoff Lawton, Andrew Millson, Stefano Creatini all have some great information.

I started with a pair of 800 gallon tanks aImost 3 years ago. I bought Brad's books and tried for almost 2 years to build basins and swales myself. His books are good, but they are long on concept but short on nitty-gritty details. I finally decided I wasn't getting anywhere and hired someone to do it right. They showed up with a little excavator and built me a lovely pair of canyons connected to the outflow of my tanks via buried pipe. I never could have done that much digging by myself, and even my original basins were done incorrectly (with the trees at the bottom where they can get root rot).

Sounds like things are set up great. Agreed about having an excavator. I have done it by hand… it does take a lot of work and I would have to hire someone once I get a larger property. Brad does have a lot of concept, but what kind of details were you wanting specifically? As for the trees, placement depends on the situation. I have planted the trees in the bottom of the basin, but they are native and watered mostly with the rain (mesquite, desert willow and palo verde among others). I believe a great deal of this comes down to the soil and the type of trees. What species / varieties were you planting?

Overall, I'm really loving my garden. My older trees are a Joan Lionetti Oak, a Desert Cypress, and a pair of Desert Willows. One of the willows almost died from root rot - in face it is still about a quarter the size of its healthier mate. But the other three are growing quickly and doing quite well. What I didn't get from Brad's books was the scale of things, how wide and deep the swales should be. The newer trees are a dwarf peach and a dwarf orange, and these are more or less on at the perimeter of the basins.

That truly is the main thing, that you are loving your space. Sounds like you are dealing with slightly compacted or other type of soil than I have, no root rot around here. Of course every location is different, even in the same property.

Makes sense regarding the scale, he can be a bit vague in that regard. In my experience a great deal of it comes down to the space itself. If you are dealing with the smaller urban home lot, then having a smaller swale can still be a huge help (scaling up accordingly). So far I'm finding that width and depth almost doesn't matter as long as you are doing something that will help collect water to allow it to soak into the ground.

Good spot for the peach and orange tree, they need water, but certainly would suffer from root rot if in the basin.