WE'VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS. HUGE SWALES TO REGENERATE ABANDONED LAND ON OUR HOMESTEAD

[@rootsdownhomestead]

Hey everyone, thanks for landing on our video! Feel free to leave a comment and say hi, we read and reply to all comments :)

[@fernsmum-l5y]

swales look great. Suggestion for all the sticks and stems lying around, drive some straight ones into the ground along lowest edge of the berms and chuck all the woody stuff in, it will act as a sort of catcher for finer material that may run off the berm. Also, collect a load of cork oak acorns and chestnuts and grow them in pots until they are large enough, they can be your 2025 season plantings. Both trees can grow quite fast if they are well looked after in the early years

[@rootsdownhomestead]

Thanks so much! What a great suggestion there, i think it's a brilliant idea. I should certainly do that :) Great idea, it's certainly acorn season at the moment :)

[@neutonrenda2303]

While he was digging, the aerial view gave a much better understanding of the landscape and design of the swales.👍

[@rootsdownhomestead]

It did, didn't it? I enjoyed getting the drone up, shame it was too windy the next day, But the first day lots of good shots

[@louistorcello3525]

Your plan to plant trees in rocky ground is fine. Consider adding large quantities of matured cow, pig, horse manure plus good quality compost in the hole for each tree planted. This will help the tree establish and you will see quicker growth. Begin a worm farm and have plenty of castings available for your planting.

[@rootsdownhomestead]

Thanks a lot :) I am working on getting the manure - a worm farm, i have already, looking forward to planting lots :)

[@Mr_Jamin007]

He's got the skeleton of the land built. Adding all sorts of soil amendments will help refine the shape and give a good layer for planting.

[@marybradley7791]

I watched a documentary about cork trees in Portugal years ago, they are really important and support an abundance of wildlife, its great to see you looking after this landscape, hopefully the wildlife will return as well as you being able to make a living and maybe in the long term you might even be able to make some corks.

[@rootsdownhomestead]

Yeah they are super important for loads of reasons but wildlife is of course the most important. We hope to support these and plant lots more :)

[@ColinMacharia]

The swales look impressive. It'll be interesting to see how they help transform the land over the coming seasons. We learn from your experiences as you learn. Thank you.

[@rootsdownhomestead]

Thanks so much! Keen to see how it improves this very dry piece of land :)

[@Reet64]

That drone shot at the end really helped to clarify your vision. Looks great! I hope it functions as you hoped.

[@rootsdownhomestead]

Thanks so much Reet, the drone shots seemed to be quite popular and gave everyone a better idea of what's around! Thaanks - me too, excited to see how the land changes now

[@stephenmoss9842]

They are called earth stars. Quiet a beautiful fungi. I do the same too with the shotgun rounds and we call the old plastic bags mines, as they fragment into millions of pieces. Great work with the new swales.

[@rootsdownhomestead]

Thanks for this Stephen, hadn't noticed them before! Yeah they do, sometimes i see loads of green bits everywhere The swales are great!

[@evelyngorfram9306]

How wonderful that you've got these berms & terraces in, especially after the frustrations with scheduling & logistics. They look great, & I can't wait to see you (& Mother Nature) bring them in into literal fruition.

[@rootsdownhomestead]

Thanks so much! Looking forward to seeing how the land improves and getting LOADS of trees planted :D

[@cathythomas2692]

This is a wonderful effort on your part. Portugal needs more people like you to restore the natural environment. Your hard work is inspiring. Mother Nature is blessing you with the right resources at the right time. All the best!

[@rootsdownhomestead]

Thanks so much Cathy, trying our best to bring this land back to life :)

[@mnstmnst910]

Congratulations. You guys are doing such a great job there, not only for your finca, but also for nature. The Iberian peninsula is getting dryer and dryer following old agricultural practices and sadly people don't realize how important this kind of work is and the difference it makes. So glad you do... keep going and hopefully many more learn and follow your steps. Greetings from Sara from 🇨🇦

[@rootsdownhomestead]

Thanks so much! Trying to do our bit to regenerate the land for natures sake! It is getting dry here and the summers very hot - if we can create some solutions that help the land and show others our success that would so very rewarding! Thanks and hope things are good in Canada!

[@robwarren5744]

Have you considered putting another pond higher up on the property? It would encourage more wildlife and allow for watering where necessary higher up on the ground. I’d suggest up by the ruin building as a location, lovely to sit up there in an evening. If successful, you could place an outdoor wildlife camera to give you some extra film footage. I know that you have enough to do already, it’s just a thought as I was watching this video. Regards, Rob, from Cardiff, Wales

[@rootsdownhomestead]

Thanks Rob! We have indeed, we need an area not so sloped, which is difficult as our land is a valley but think i have 1 or 2 places in mind. One i need to clear a lot of the overgrowth to see how steep (or flat) it actually is :) It's a beautiful little spot up there (near the ruin) a wildlife camera is great idea. Recenly we've seen hares and also evidence of boar too so we will have to see what comes out when we're not looking :)

[@jacquipettitt3389]

Wow! The aerial view is fantastic. Well done you!

[@rootsdownhomestead]

Thanks a lot! :)

[@seagaivo8513]

Really enjoyed all the work you've done. Looking forward to your next videos and to see how the land transforms! We need more people like you in Alentejo, reforesting and creating shade. Thank you! 😘

[@rootsdownhomestead]

Aw thanks so much! We just want to create a beautiful ecosystem out of a dry bit of land - challenge accepted :D

[@sheridavis261]

I can totally see why you needed the big digger! It would have been impossible to do that by hand! It is really impressive!

[@rootsdownhomestead]

Yeah it was a big project, so pleased though :)

[@owenp65]

That was seriously impressive. I've heard of swales and berms before but never took much note of them. Well this episode has awakened an interest in them for me. It will be interesting to see how they settle and have an effect on your land. Brilliant. 👍🏼

[@rootsdownhomestead]

Thanks so much Owen! Glad it was somewhat informative, i'd never heard of them until moving to this dry climate and our wells running dry. I found this method when researching ways to retain water. Hope it improves everything :D

[@neutonrenda2303]

I find the idea of using the swales really sound, I can't wait to see how much it changes the land, especially with such a steep hill. 👍

[@rootsdownhomestead]

Thank you! I am excited to see what difference it makes and get lots of trees planted :)

[@joanlyons2141]

What a job! Can you imagine having to dig that by hand? Just landed on your channel. It looks like a fun channel to follow. Hello from San Jose California. Joan

[@rootsdownhomestead]

Thank you! I don't want to even think about digging it by hand haha. San Jose - amazing :) Thanks for following us!

[@christienagema7855]

Hey, it looks great! My suggestion for trees are olive trees (to have your own olive oil) and fruit trees.

[@rootsdownhomestead]

Thank you, great suggestion, might be an olive harvest coming up in one of the next few videos ;)

[@andresamplonius315]

Nopales, Jujube, Dates, plenty of hardy fruit trees and bushes. Goldenberry... As the soils gets richer and wetter the more options you'll have.

[@andie1769]

Great video! Lots of progress with the swales. Aerial shots showing how steep it is! I think I first found your channel with the massive flood you had . Make sure the animal poop is aged before you plant into it. Cheers

[@rootsdownhomestead]

Thanks so much Andie, certainly bigger than the other ones we've done, so keen to see how it all works out! Ah nearly a year then, thank you for following along, it's much appreciated :)

[@teresarubel2182]

This is fantastic. As others noted, the aerial view gives greater appreciation for the on-contour earth works. Your timing in building the initial swale structure aligns well with your season of rainy weather. Do you plan on seeding part of the berms with local wild cultivars? Some cacti as groundcover, perhaps? Can't wait for updates in future postings. Wishing you great success and best of luck.

[@rootsdownhomestead]

Thank you - it was good to get the drone shots. Exactly, as it was delayed i was worried it would get too wet before the rainy season, which is the problem we had last year - too wet to do excavating! Cacti, perhaps, we have this lovely viney-cacti with beautiful flowers, might try that. Need to get ground cover in and growing soon!

[@jimgott2405]

Looks amazing Marc - well done! 👏

[@rootsdownhomestead]

Thanks a lot Jim🙌

[@anamagalhaes7571]

Bom dia. Eu gostei do video e do trabalho que a escavadora fez no terreno . 😊

[@rootsdownhomestead]

Muito obrigado, bem trabalho :)

[@wendyholland2453]

Great job swales looks great, keep up the good work x

[@rootsdownhomestead]

Thank you :)

[@moniquevelasco20]

Excellent job guys. It looks really good and just in time for the rain. Love and be safe!😘🤗🌼🇻🇪

[@rootsdownhomestead]

Thanks so much! Turned out to be good timing :D

[@wdjoseph1]

How exciting to finally have the swales and berms in. They look so impressive. Can't wait to see the changes they bring to your land. Watching the landscape change next to your neighbor's land will be interesting. You mentioned planting lupine, not sure if you are aware but sheep are especially susceptible to lupine poisoning that can lead to respiratory disease, paralysis, and death by eating less than ¼ pound. Really looking forward to watching your progress with permaculture.

[@rootsdownhomestead]

Super exciting and the size is much bigger than we've done before. I too can't wait to see the changes and get planting LOTS of trees:) Ah thanks for the info on lupine, i didn't know that actually. Although i mentioned this comment to a friend and they said it's at a certain time of when the beans are growing. But i think we will avoid it just to be safe :) Thanks for watching!

[@mikeduda3173]

Just love reformatting terrain to make it productive. Berms and swales are big in the southwest states of America. Arizona, New Mexico and others

[@rootsdownhomestead]

It;s great, isn't it? Hopefully can turn this dry land in to a thriving forest!

[@mikeduda3173]

@@rootsdownhomestead be patient. It will take at least 2 or 3 seasons just to figure out what's working and what's not. It will also take that long to amend the soil

[@chrisis9030]

Great job, you're going places!

[@rootsdownhomestead]

Thanks so much! We're trying :)

[@neutonrenda2303]

When you use manure, especially from horses, if it's not very old I find it brings a lot of what they are feeding on as weeds. If it isn't for the veg patch or flower bed it's not a problem, but have had loads of new varieties introduced to my garden that way. Stinging nettle being the biggest nightmare.👍❤

[@rootsdownhomestead]

Oh really? That's a pain! funny you say that actually because we've never had stinging nettle, and it's started to appear where we had a sheep manure pile!

[@lissawall6740]

Stinging nettle will also come in dry dog food. Seeds are high in protein and if not heated to right temperature will germinate. Could be the same for other feeds.

[@pattyseree]

How very exciting for you and for the land! Your planning has given new possibilities on that slope. I wonder what kind of trees you want to plant?

[@rootsdownhomestead]

Thanks so much! We want to plant a mixture of fast growing trees to build biomass (eventally to cut down over time), lots of fruit trees and also as many native trees as possible (mostly oaks, olives etc)

[@bertiew6771]

Fantastic work (again). Knowing and understanding your land is a big part of the process, it certainly makes the big decisions much easier. That said, you're going be be super fit if you have to walk that far at least twice a day to take care of your chickens.😏

[@rootsdownhomestead]

Thank you ! Exactly, we must continue to understand and implement new solutions as we go. Excited to see how this pans out Haha yes you're right, perhaps chickens closer to the house makes more sense ;)

[@bertiew6771]

@@rootsdownhomestead Food for thought.🤔

[@sonyagair1219]

Looks amazing, Marc. I am looking forward to seeing what you will come up with to do to curb ground erosion on the back part. More stone walls coming? 😊 You are doing a hell of a good job. The grounds look so much better now and will function much better as well. 🎉

[@rootsdownhomestead]

Thanks so much! I was hoping it may have been cut on more of an angle but because it was so rocky, it might be alright - we hope! :)

[@leiladarling4495]

Well done! Nice to see next the thunderstorm filling the terraces in high speed video! God Bless.

[@frankygdanga2999]

Yous have done great work there, small steps reap future rewards and that is is what im seeing. Keep up the hard work mate its great viewing and very interesting.. ps might be time for an updated intro video youve done so much since the last. 👏👍

[@rootsdownhomestead]

Thanks so much! You've got that right :) Ah funny you say that as we show a sneak peak of your NEW intro video today ;)

[@davecleggett9371]

Thank goodness you are being realistic - Mother Nature will do her own thing, our task is to live with it and do our best with whatever she throws at us! Swales and Berms will hold up water deposits for a while, but eventually they will revert to their original contours. Lots of hard work ahead, but hey - no-one said it would be easy! Keep safe guys! And thanks for the upload.

[@rootsdownhomestead]

You are exactly right Dave - we must work with mother nature and also listen to her - then we can build better solutions :) Exactly, technically speaking swales are seen as temporary measures, to rehydrate the land and be able to grow more. Eventually it will be self sustaining :)

[@littlefurrow2437]

Keep going, mate. Im 5 years in and the land is completely transformed with potential and actual promise getting better every season.

[@rootsdownhomestead]

Thank you!

[@judiehavard4903]

Flattening the top of the berms keeps the loose dirt from running back into the swale with the next big rain as well. Don't want to ruin the work done!

[@rootsdownhomestead]

That's a great point there :) Thnaks!

[@neutonrenda2303]

Considering that you spoke a different language, he understood exactly what you wanted and nailed it.👍

[@rootsdownhomestead]

Yeah he's a good guy and we use the SayHi app :) gets us through and he's done a few swales for me before :)

[@raymondkyruana118]

I think that may very well be the rockiest soil I've ever seen haha and it also looks like clay too Wow if you manage to grow things in that I will be impressed!

[@rootsdownhomestead]

It is indeed :) Challenge accepted ;) let's see how it pans out :)

[@Giuachino]

If I might make an suggestion. From my experience efficiency is a great tool to use to reach your goals. If you can reduce workload you can do more with less effort, which allows you to do more. Those stones from the swales can be useful on your property to make checkdams or terracing. Depending on your hydrology. Throw those stones in a wheelbarrow or trailer and move them directly to a place of interest. You throw them around your landscape, if you eventually do want to use them you have to pick them up for a second time, which could have been avoided.

[@rootsdownhomestead]

Thanks for watching and the suggestion There was some method to my madness, i promise! So the land is very sloped, i was building a big pile of rocks in a slightly easier place to collect them, so they're mostly in one big pile :) Good point though!

[@duosiris34]

Marc is the Geoff Lawton of the Alentejo 👍👍

[@rootsdownhomestead]

Haha thank you - i'm flattered ;)

[@endacollins1]

great work on the land, greetings from Ireland

[@rootsdownhomestead]

Thank you 😊

[@robrichards6219]

Looks great Marc and Allys. Very exciting.

[@rootsdownhomestead]

Thanks a lot Rob :) Exciting times!

[@mechanics4all405]

monumental progress,research planting trees only one meter apart as miriaki forest method,love youre efforts,will refill underground water tables to best investment to improve soil web ever good luck

[@rootsdownhomestead]

Thanks so much! It's funny you mentioned that as planting them close together is a method i've been looking in to, great suggestion :) Really hope it improves our land :)

[@mechanics4all405]

you certainly are giving it every chance well done,great work@@rootsdownhomestead

[@polgarauk5606]

It's looking really good Marc, can't wait for next week and seeing if it worked out as planned 😊 Yeah that is a lot of rain 😮 It has been bucketing it down where I live too and of course I had to be out in it 🤦🤦. Stupid car computer system conked out on me 🤬

[@rootsdownhomestead]

Thanks so much! Yeah we had a lot of rain - when it rains it POURS! I can imagine, the UK is rain central. Sorry about your car too!

[@user-vg5rv5xf4u]

So much land,You're both living the dream.

[@rootsdownhomestead]

Thanks a lot, we are living our dream, sometimes we pinch ourselves!

[@Melicoy]

Need lot and lots of organic material in the swale. Call all the arborists tree landscaping in the area and see if they will deliver tree chips or branches. That rocky ground is very had to keep trees unless they are legumes. I always star and the beginning and excavate backwards. This operator seems a challenge but you are great at working with what you have. After watching i see the slope he did a good job Use rocks to build in front or berm Also need a lot of wood chip or wood material everywhere

[@rootsdownhomestead]

We do indeed, lots and lots of material, will be a mission in itself :) Lots of work to improve the soil but itll all be worth it in the end :) Good idea, will try and find somewhere that can sort us with some wood chip!

[@MrKjetil1965]

Well done! The swales will surely stop runoff and erosion of topsoil. But looking at your bedrock which seems to be made of vertical flakerock I would be surprised if you ever get a watertable on top. The swales will work great, it just wont be visible as water in the swales. I guess it wouldnt be desireble to have water in the swales as it would quickly evaporate in your climate. If the swales drain too deep for your planting you could try putting good quality clay in the swales to clog up the deep pores.

[@rootsdownhomestead]

Thank you ! Certainly should stop that. Interesting point, i hope we do get a watertable but can see your point there, if there is no where for the water to go past the rock! Good idea too, thnaks :)

[@stevenewbank]

Fantastic video.

[@rootsdownhomestead]

Thanks so much :)

[@lindagage7315]

Looking good!

[@rootsdownhomestead]

Thanks so much :)

[@antonioserrador3430]

Hello, first time in your channel. Welcome to Portugal! I have also made something similar to you in 2015, near Tagus river, north of Nisa. Close do Vila Velha de Rodão. Hope to meet you in the future. Abraços!

[@rootsdownhomestead]

Thanks so much for watching! Ah amazing, we have some friends near Nisa, beautiful place. Are you still there?

[@888Donna]

Have you seen the Dutch farmer and his swells your are going to be impressive

[@rootsdownhomestead]

I have indeed, big fan of his channel and what he's doing :)

[@juanitakauffman6336]

I have been wondering if your original swale worked to keep your lower land from flooding. I am happy to see you are making more swales. Will you be getting your tractor back?

[@rootsdownhomestead]

Will be updating in the video out today! It's a tough one as a lot of the flood water for the bottom comes from other peoples land but we are working on adding better solutions! Sore subjet on the tractor, the transmission is more damaged than we thought AND there is a hole in the gearbox. I think it would be too much to repair. Still pondering though

[@bradfeatherstone1775]

To improve your soil permantly check out the Johnson-Su bioreactor. Basicly you restore fhe soil biome. Very cheap but takes about a year to create the material. Cheers!

[@rootsdownhomestead]

Thnaks for the tip, will check it out :) Sounds interesting!

[@amirsyarifuddin9544]

Happy for you, guys.

[@rootsdownhomestead]

Thank you :)

[@neutonrenda2303]

Wow, it was s done just in time to catch some of that.❤👍

[@rootsdownhomestead]

Good timing. :D

[@stevet647]

I would recommend planting less initially something like the oak trees but not too close, two reasons for oak's they provide shade for new plantings later and drop their leaves so are dirt builders, they are also great at pulling water out of the air in mist and wind during rain because of leaf shape and their size. Your swales would rot down the leaves for you to use elsewhere like the terraces etc Also when you plant shade the rocky ground around each tree to prevent the rocks from cooking the tree roots. I planted the same swale three times before I figured these things out, not cheap. Trt get some bigger trees with less competition for water and space establishing first. When they are getting there add around them and then start filling gaps.

[@rootsdownhomestead]

Thanks so much for the tips Steve especially as you’ve gone through this already! I will do a bit more of an update on this project soon but yeah i kind of thought I should plant more canopy trees and pioneer species first then do more next year once they’ve had the chance to establish - build soil and shade!

[@KarenPowell-q3u]

Looking great , hard work but worth it, well done 😊xx

[@rootsdownhomestead]

It was hard and a bit of planning but will all be worth it! Thanks :)

[@elainekaufman2264]

The Yellow Boots Homestead just did a video on those flower shaped mushrooms

[@rootsdownhomestead]

Ah really? I'll need to check it out, thank you :)

[@pedropinheiro7320]

Nice work with the swales!

[@rootsdownhomestead]

Thank you! Cheers! :)

[@mattcartwright8272]

Hi, I've just stumbled across your channel and have subbed. You could have used a water level; using a long run of hose. It probably would have been a lot quicker and given you more flexibility when marking out the contours. If it was me I would also hold off on the animals for now (except chickens). But they all help out in different ways. The goats are obvs suited to your local environment and can be very useful in clearing rough land. Sheep less so and need a lot of grass. Pigs though are great earth churners and can help clear pretty much everything but also produce fertile soil if you keep them in a temporary pen and move it around the land. I look forward to following your journey...

[@rootsdownhomestead]

Thanks for the info - we will definitely consider animals in the future :)

[@anniemac3075]

I was making tea when this started so watched it now instead. That's a lot of earth moving achieved, considering how rocky the ground is I think you'll need Wile E. Coyote to dynamite some holes for you to plant trees in!

[@rootsdownhomestead]

Aw thanks so much, really appreciate your comment and the fact you always leave a comment :) Haha yeah i think so too! Will get planting soon!

[@robertszyszynski7959]

GOOD JOB .

[@rootsdownhomestead]

Thank you :)

[@morganleticia2316]

What a difference looks great

[@rootsdownhomestead]

Thank you! :)

[@rosaescairo2872]

Bom dia, fizeram um ótimo trabalho! Desejo vos tudo de bom...e não esquecendo que gostei muito da música do vídeo, só faltou a Alice😘❤️♥️e façam favor de ser felizes ok beijinhos

[@rootsdownhomestead]

Muito obrigado por assistir :) Vamos tentar que ela participe em mais vídeos :D

[@bonniehollingsworth1996]

Just so you know… premiers are so frustrating. I think I’m settling in to watch a great video, and all I get is a reminder that once again it isn’t really on right now.

[@rootsdownhomestead]

Thanks Bonnie, sorry for the disappointment! HOpe you enjoy the video anyway :)

[@user-vg5rv5xf4u]

Bonnie there is a countdown to the Premier ...Literally just letting you know when the video is dropping.

[@anitaklamer3360]

Yeah me too. Premiers are confusing and dissapointing. In the end I miss the full video grrrrrr😅❤

[@debbiesmith1626]

HOW RUDE… Read it then, says premier, and when it can be viewed,

[@robwarren5744]

It’s not necessarily being rude, they are being honest. Fair enough you don’t have to agree with someone but they are entitled to have an opinion. It opens up a discussion which is good. I’ve often settled down to watch an episode but found that it’s a count down to a premiere. I’m not too fond of them either, but that’s my opinion. Rob from Cardiff, Wales 😊😊

[@tomrobertson3236]

Im in the pacific nw. WA state 3 passes with equipment causes 90 percent of compaction . Just sometimg to be cautious about

[@rootsdownhomestead]

Thanks for the info - didn't know that :)

[@djwaco2623]

Looks like a really fun project! The music though?🙃

[@rootsdownhomestead]

Thank you! I see you have DJ in your name, are you a DJ? What do you play? I used to DJ too - house and techno mostly :D

[@portugalitis]

good job :) they so big !!!!

[@rootsdownhomestead]

Thanks :D

[@danross344]

I think I’d start closest to the house highest on the hill first, so that water could sink into the ground and actually go to the lower swales

[@rootsdownhomestead]

My first swale was uphill from the house :) i dug that one by hand - you can check out my old videos! :)

[@aliciadupuy9228]

got my fingers crossed for those trees!

[@rootsdownhomestead]

Thanks!

[@almeidacheang7853]

ta ficando bom amigos,parabens,de Brasil,Curitiba

[@rootsdownhomestead]

Muito obrigado! Bom ano!

[@jeffgent764]

That’s some really bad soil you’ve got there. You’ll need lots of compost and cow manure to get it shape for gardening, but it can be done. 👍🏻

[@rootsdownhomestead]

Yeah it;s not great, we can work with it though. Hydrating the land is half the battle, we can work on building the soil now :)

[@elainemcmillan1022]

Happy new year 🎉x

[@rowan57]

What you could do for your terraces (but this would potentially mean bringing material in) is dump material on top and flatten it out.

[@rootsdownhomestead]

Great idea! We hope to continually build soil, might be difficult but i think planting some trees which shed their leaves could be useful for building soil :)

[@futurecaredesign]

I just wanna say that those old dead trees might look a bit ugly, but in terms of wildlife habitat they are AMAZING. Old dead trees become home to birds, insects, lizards, mice, all kinds of critters that need a place to live. I imagine them to be little pockets of Zone 5 amongst your zone 3 / 4 food forest.

[@rootsdownhomestead]

That's a great point, will turn in to little bug hotels ;)

[@x7j4]

Curious questions: Why are your artificial swales so small? And, why are your terraces sloping downhill? Won’t that create a huge erosion problem?

[@rootsdownhomestead]

Thanks for the comment. I don't think they're small, i feel they're a good size for our climate :) As mentioned in the video, the excavator guy hit the rock layer so couldn't get down as much as we hoped

[@gigabane7357]

just a thought i had while watching this. isn't it the bottom of the swale that must be on contour, not the land itself?

[@ytkdns]

I'll just throw in my two cents about buying an excavator. If you buy one, I guarantee you'll find loads of things you can use it for on a farm. We use it a lot to dig drainage ditches and we've also used it for building retainingwalls and forestry. I live in western Norway so we kinda got the opposite problem of you in that we struggle with keeping water away from our fields. Also, if you do decide to get one, get an eight tonner, or thereabouts. That size is the best allrounders for farmwork, in my experience. Small enought to be used around buildings, but still big enough for more serious projects. Anyway, like with most things in life, it comes down to cost vs. benefit, so if you think it'll cost more than you'll gain, I agree with you that it's better to just hire someone to do the jobs.

[@rootsdownhomestead]

Thanks and i love your two cents ;) Although the cost i can't justify with only 3 hectares. Whilst i'll get the use from it for some time, i can't justify the cost of purchase and maintainence for what i can outsource at a small price. Certainly not eight tonnes, they are VERY expensive here in Portugal, as is all machinery to be honest Would love to tell myself i could buy one but can't do it now, i appreciate your two cents though :)

[@340wbymag]

Wouldn't it be best to terrace the sloped hillside? That would surely reduce water runoff and erosion and would provide much more are to garden.

[@paulweakley3440]

You need a couple hundred yards of mulch to fill those swales in... know any tree arborists?

[@rootsdownhomestead]

Yeah, i feel like this could be the challenging part haha

[@paulweakley3440]

@@rootsdownhomestead I know its way different where you are than where I am. But through diligence (over 3 years) I found and bribed several arborist to bring me their chips (and sometimes logs). I think I got 200 truck loads last year (I have 5 acres of terrible soil like yours that is starting to look good). I have a couple lessons I have learned. 1. You need a spot where its super easy to drop off and go - they don't want to have a conversation, they want to get rid of chips and leave. 2. Contractors for the government or electric / gas companies are usually not super local (local arborist usually have places to dump already) so if you see any tree trimming work for gov't or power/gas lines - go talk to them - they are the best. 3. Take some logs / stumps with the chips - never complain, any woodchips are betting than none. Your goal is to get a couple arborists into a habit of dumping at your property. 4. Bribes can help, but my high volume guys don't want them. 5. Hang out early morning at the places they refuel their big trucks. I have one gas station off a large road close to me where most arborist fill up with diesel in the mornings. I used to just sit, drink a coffee, and wait for a truck full of woodchips and ask if they would bring it to my property. This worked extremely well. Good luck - woodchips have changed my clay hill into a lush landscape over the last 3 years. You can do it!

[@TheEmbrio]

Standind dead trees are great for wildlife. Especially owls and such that eat rodents, and the woodpecker family that will eat grubbs

[@annalinekennedy1027]

Interesting video.

[@rootsdownhomestead]

Glad you enjoyed it :)

[@andresamplonius315]

Esa madera es un valioso recurso. Puedes hacer biochar y activarlo con el estiercol de tus animales. También enterrarlo cuando plantes árboles. Y Hugelkultur. Sembrar Nopal seria recomendable, diversos usos, alimento para el suelo, de animales y humanos.

[@rootsdownhomestead]

merci :)

[@danross344]

Would it be less expensive to hire someone with a bulldozer that could work a lot faster than the backhoe? Or maybe renting a bulldozer loader I did that one time to build a boat ramp I rented it they’re not hard to drive.

[@rootsdownhomestead]

Our track is too small for a large bulldozer, so can't even get 7.5tonne trucks down due to the oak trees!

[@danross344]

I would want to make the swales at least 20 feet wide, or 6 Meters, so later on you could still drive a vehicle on them and they fill in with vegetation

[@rootsdownhomestead]

with the slope, wouldn't work to be that wide. they are big enough to fit our tractor down, which was the initial plan!

[@icaniwillgrow]

Great video. Think the fungi are earthstars.

[@rootsdownhomestead]

Thanks so much! Appreciate the name too!

[@clearingland]

Will you have enough soil on those terraces to plant on?

[@rootsdownhomestead]

I'm doubting this now, i may get him to dig the rock later further down and then build soil depending on what we find. It's soft rock but we need a fair bit of top soil for them to be worth growing anything substantial. Let's see! We are concerntrating on uphill from the terraces for now :)

[@stonedapefarmer]

Man do I resonate with your climate troubles.

[@rootsdownhomestead]

Its a struggle!

[@etainepona4206]

Always dig your swales deeper than you think, debris over time will shallow them out.

[@rootsdownhomestead]

Great point, tried to get them fairly deep :)

[@jamalduweik6465]

How have you got the idea to do this long excavation?.

[@rootsdownhomestead]

I found this idea when researching water retention techniques, because our wells ran dry last year! :

[@rolandtb3]

Soon the operator will get the hang of what you are attempting to accomplish: terrace, berm, swale, across the homestead terrain. In time, you will create or modify pathways around trees, rock layers and grade terrain. Some areas may have to be modified to accommodate the quantity of water runoff. Or built-up because of underlying bedrock. Time, cost, opportunity, rewards will determine where you spend your resources. Drains, culverts, catch basins, ponds, tree/grass planting, terrace walls, other barriers will all help with seasonal water retention and minmize soil erosion. Adding progressive layers of compost, manure, ash, soil, hay/straw will encourage vegetation growth. Areas of shade for animals and soil will minimize moisture evaporation. You waited 2 yrs for this start. Do more each year, weather and resources dependent.

[@rootsdownhomestead]

Absolutely, it will all come together with time :)

[@rolandtb3]

Time heals alot of wounds or damage, if done right.

[@branchingoutpermaculturewi4766]

IM CURIOS WHY YOU DIDNT CONNECT THE TWOO SWALES TOGETHER LOVED THE VIDEO

[@rootsdownhomestead]

Thanks a lot :) They're at different levels, if they overfill, it'll run down the track on to the next one! Although they're quite big, can't see them overfilling haha

[@jardinsurprise3894]

BONJOUR., la traduction ne fonctionne pas. Désolée

[@MisFakapek]

you should really keep the land "grazing free" in the period of regrowth. Just give the local grass some chance to thrive and create some foundation, if you will allow grazing -> have a good area control. Scotland is really wet but overgrazing could keep plant life at the edge even with water and bio-matter abundance. Grazing and manure is like vitamins and not a food for soil.

[@rootsdownhomestead]

Yeah that's a good point, it's probably what's caused some of the issues in the past! Thank you :)

[@MisFakapek]

@@rootsdownhomestead I strongly recommend videos and books from Elaine Ingham. You probably know it already but leaving a trace for other people

[@auntiemandy5638]

look at you with ya swales , Move over "The Weedy Garden" 😉

[@rootsdownhomestead]

Thanks! Excited to see how things pan out :)

[@Redwarfa]

Natural sequencing farming Peter andrews He was australian and started this sort of thing and transformed and drought proofed his property Sheep are eay too destructive in my opinion

[@rootsdownhomestead]

Thank you going to check this out :) Yeah i think sheep can be, looking at the growth on the land since we put the fence up!

[@lynnegunn3478]

😊👍👍👍

[@rootsdownhomestead]

Thanks for watching and commenting :)

[@JamesSouth-d2c]

Looks like the uphill wall is too steep, you will get erosion on that side.

[@rootsdownhomestead]

Thanks, i'll address this in the video out next Wednesday :)

[@denetietarot2726]

Animals add nutrients to the soil. I have to fertilize my indoor orchids because they don't get naturally fertilized by animals and birds.

[@rootsdownhomestead]

Yes :)