One of the (many) reasons we are working on soil-structure and coverage in the orchard is erosion.
Rainwater can hurt the orchard
While we love the rain and while our trees and the soil are very much longing for it: it also has a huge potential to destroy the field. Water is such a powerful resource. And even though Greece is a very dry climate in general, we get plenty of heavy rainfalls in late autumn well into spring. The sudden and massive precipitation is causing a lot of water run-off. Especially on sloped fields like ours. Without the appropriate vegetation, terraces or other means to hold the water, it will wash away all the precious topsoil. After heavy rains, it is very normal to see the road underneath covered with mud. Big tractors will shovel it back to the side of the road – we want it on our field instead!
I tried to capture the formation of gullies that the rainwater shaped over the last few months, but unfortunately, it is hard to tell the depth and extent on pictures. But hopefully, you get the idea.
Tackling the runoff problems and keeping the water
The situation on the driveway is easy to address. We will refill with gravel and old clay pantiles/bricks: Not only will this allow for a smoother ride (check out the video below to understand why we desperately needed a pickup) but it will slow down the runoff. The longer we can keep the water on or next to our field, the more can soak in. The more gets stored in the soil for our plants. No brainer On the field itself, the gullies will be filled as well. But to slow down the water and prevent the gullies from building up again, more it’s needed. Cover crops that are great erosion prevention are one answer. The other is earthworks. Radical changes are not feasible though without destroying established trees. However, some light terracing and small swales should go a long way.
More than a month has already passed since the last heavy rainfall. The next one should be coming soon (even though not forecasted yet). We will give an update then on the impact of our work!
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