to swale, or not to swale...?

5 SEPTEMBER, 2013

As the weather warms up (earlier than usual, it seems) I'm feeling concerned about the efficacy of the swales. I have dug a trench that snakes through the top half of the front yard and, as I dig up the sandy soil and place it on either side of the swale, I'm wondering if I'm doing the right thing!

Firstly, the front yard has little to no privacy from the street and I am thinking that I should be putting my energy into giving the Lilli Pilli hedge some attention, mulch around all the fruit trees and shrubs and create raised vegetable gardens in the backyard, where the chickens and bees will be.

At the moment, the lavender and rosemary are thriving in the full sun of the front yard, and the Lily Pilly's aren't looking too bad either. Something tells me I need to work to enrich the sandy soil and either plant more natives as I have seen neighbours do with great success, or just focus on giving the trees and shrubs already there as much care as I can by loading them up with compost and mulch.