The big spring project

We have a problem with our yard.  It's on a slope and in the past few years we've had at least one really HEAVY down pour of rain a year and so the water from our neighbors yards, who are above us, needs to go somewhere and we've found that it goes from one neighbors yard, who is the highest, into his neighbors yard, which is next door to him, but a bit lower and runs down our yard hits our house and pours down our stairs like a water fall.

Not good.

Water runs through this fence

Down past this planter

Down past the second planter

All the way down past the third planter

 

 

Wash out second year

 

 

Wash out the second year

 



Wash out second year

Wash our second year

Yes, this is how steep our yard is.  It has a lot of challenges. And since we are going to be here for a few more years, I would like to get more gardening use out of our yard.

I've been doing some reading and this year we are going to try to dig a trench at the top of the yard near the fence and put in a dry gravel bed that will run parallel with the back fence, under the fence that separates our yard and divert the water to run out the side yard without hitting the house or running down the side stairs.

Our yard, in areas where we have dug already, is mostly shale gravel with not much dirt.  Yes, dirt, not soil.  We don't know exactly how deep we will be able to dig this trench for the gravel bed, we would like to try for 12 inches, but I am not sure we will manage to get that deep.

We will also try to shape a swale, so that there is a slight berm at the bottom, or north side of the gravel bed, to help reduce the force of any downpour that may not run down the gravel bed.  I think the swale will help to disperse the water from pouring down with such force and at the same time also help to retain water in our yard and slowly disperse it over time.  On the other side of the swale I am hoping to make more garden space in the fall.

Updates to come, once spring is here.