Lesson 4 — Drainage, Runoff, and Erosion

Goal: keep plants and people out of mud, prevent standing water, and manage storm events.

Drainage priorities

• No standing water in production blocks.
• Roads stay passable in winter.
• Runoff is directed, not random.

Think in a 2-inch rain event

Roof runoff → gutters → downspouts → pipes → safe outlet / infiltration
Yard runoff → swales / french drains → infiltration / outlet
Production runoff → graded lanes → collection → managed discharge

Do this

1. Walk the property during or right after a heavy rain and mark wet spots.
2. Identify: roof runoff, driveway runoff, and production runoff separately.
3. Plan “hard surfaces” first (potting area + shipping + main lanes).