willows for water control???

[Lavender2]

The size and depth depends on the area of runoff to be controlled. Maybe you could start small with the worst area and enlarge it over time. Google 'rain garden MN' ... lots of interesting info!

Water loving trees may help, but I would make certain that the roots would not get to your garden area.

 

[digitS']

. . . Digits, any chance of a pict of your 'french drain' system?

As I said, Cane', it is tiny. There are treated 2 by 4's set on edge with the fiberglass gutter between them. The boards keep the bricks from sitting directly on the gutter which has very little strength.

I am on a little "pad" of bricks with the camera. I dug a hole about about 3' deep and about 3' square with the posthole digger. After tossing in some boulders (much larger than the one in the picture), the soil was shoveled over the top and more bricks replaced the sod. Some of the soil was carted away.

The soil just about everywhere around here is essentially ½ gravel. I have said that a hose could run at full pressure all day and not make a puddle larger than 5' across. I'm sure that isn't quite true - depends on how packed the soil but it is really porous soil. I have little doubt that the boulders came out of the ground right here.

This is a shady area and the ground does not drain away from the basement wall. This just "hastens" water along its way about 30' in total and then allows it an easy drop into the ground, probably below the frost level on most any year.

Steve

 

[canesisters]

Wow. You guys are a never-ending source of inspiration!!!

I googled the rain gardens... which lead me to a re-evaluation of that bird's eye picture of my yard... which made me realize that IF I manage the coop expansion that is planned for this year, I have already planned a space that might work really well as a 'sorta-rain-garden'.... which could include the willows (just in case they DO actually help)... which got me thinking about other plants that would be happy in the ditch - oops RAIN GARDEN …. which got me thinking about digging that ditch.... which got me thinking about all that dirt... which got me thinking about raising the veggi garden... which got me thinking about planting the veggi garden…. which (for some reason) got me thinking about rain barrels...

I think I need a nap now …..

 

[baymule]

Scoop it out, get ducks.