How to create swales for small permaculture food forests

Food forest swale

Food forests stand as bastions of sustainability, weaving together the resilience of natural ecosystems with the productivity of cultivated landscapes. These lush havens offer a plethora of benefits, from abundant harvests to enhanced biodiversity and soil health. However, within the realm of permaculture, the incorporation of swale systems takes food forests to new heights of efficiency and ecological harmony.

The function of swale systems

The primary function of swales is to capture and distribute water, effectively harnessing one of nature’s most precious resources. In food forests, swales act as both conduits and reservoirs, mitigating erosion, retaining moisture, and nourishing plantings.

Without proper water management, precious rainfall just cascades down slopes, leaving parched patches and erosion scars in its wake. Introduce swales into this landscape, strategically placed along contour lines, and suddenly, every drop of rain becomes a gift. Swales intercept runoff, allowing it to infiltrate the soil and replenish underground aquifers. As water seeps slowly downhill, it irrigates plant roots, fostering luxuriant growth throughout the food forest.

The advantages of swales in food forests

1. Water conservation: swales capture and store rainwater, reducing the need for irrigation and preventing soil moisture loss.
2. Erosion control: by slowing the flow of water, swales prevent soil erosion and sedimentation, safeguarding the integrity of the landscape.
3. Enhanced soil fertility: as water infiltrates the soil, it carries nutrients, enriching the root zone of plants and fostering a fertile growing environment.
4. Microclimate regulation: swales moderate temperature extremes, creating microclimates that support a diverse array of plant species and beneficial organisms.
5. Increased productivity: with consistent moisture and nutrient availability, plants within food forests thrive, yielding bountiful harvests year after year.

In essence, the integration of swales into permaculture food forests exemplifies the synergy between ecological principles and human ingenuity, offering a blueprint for sustainable food production and regenerative land stewardship.

In the below four-part video series, Adam from BEDurVeg explains how to set up a small swale for a permaculture food forest.

Part 1- Laying out a small swale system

Adam recaps the working swale system and shows the small swale system in the beautiful established orchard/food forest before instructing on the basics of how to get started cutting in a swale.

Part 2 – Defining the berm

Adam shows you how to make the cut and shape the berm to create the optimal planting landscape for your orchard/food forest trees and support species.

Part 3 – Fertility/ Plant guilds

Adam demonstrates how to get your swales off to a great start by boosting fertility. This video also describes how your small scale swale system for orchards or food forests is perfect for plant guilds creating biomass for a more self-sustaining system.

Part 4 – Planting out

Adam shows you how to plant fruit trees into the berm, how to water, and how the swale and berm function to support tree growth.