Spring Melt Pond

With the spring melt the location of the food forest pond at the crotch of a watershed on the site means that it is slowing and infiltrating the water, hopefully to the point where the pond becomes well sealed and holds the water.

Last year, with the fall digging, it was never more then a muddy puddle -- a puddle which still attracted frogs, racoons, ducks (see previous post and here) or below for the water level last fall:

In these pictures I took March 2nd you can see how the swales and pond have acted to catch the snow (eventually water) and hold it on the landscape, versus allowing it to drain off:

One area that needs to be worked on is the overflow spillways for both the swale and the pond.  In my research it seems I failed to add in level-sill spillways -- which allow water to spill over in a controlled manner.  I will add these spillways in in the next few weeks.  For the swales, I will add them near the uphill side, and for the pond, I will run it across the slope of the East section of the Food Forest.

Thanks to my mom, Anita, for the picture of the spring pond -- I will be heading up to broadcast wildflower, clover, strawberry, daikon radish, kale, and more.   This will complement the dill, clumping onions, fennel, poppies, clover, vetch, kale, and groundcherries which I spread last fall.