How deep can you make contour paths on sloping land?

You’re walking paths can manage water. The depth of that path determines how much water it can handle. The right depth slows water, improves access to beds, and builds the framework of your growing space.

The value of contour walking paths is moving water and nutrients across your land rather than losing it with erosion. Depending on the slope, your contour paths may not have any depth at all.

I like paths slightly below the level of the garden bed growing space. This gives me raised beds, even on large terraces. By providing a channel upslope, I’m spreading heavy rainwater out before washing it into beds. You get bed structure and water management.

You don’t need to build raised beds; even trenching around a rectangle on the ground provides water soakage value. But when you are working on slopes, you might only trench upslope and mound soil down to make your growing bed level.

To learn more about holistic land management that increases property values and food security, visit https://www.ProsperityHomestead.org/newsletter/

Being able to manage water improves hydration and prevents erosion. This is something worth the investment of time, even if it is a little hard on your back with the wrong equipment.