water

swale on contour

effort: a weekend

a level ditch and mound that catches rain where it falls and soaks it into the land.

mark a contour line with an a-frame level, dig a shallow ditch along it, and pile the soil downhill as a planted mound. water that used to run off now sits, spreads, and sinks — recharging the soil profile for everything planted below. plant the mound with deep-rooted and nitrogen-fixing species to hold it together.