If your land has some hilly areas you can set up a garden swale bed to use the slope of hills as an aid to using the rainwater for the garden bed. The swale is build along the base of the raised area and is a dug out completely level bed that is then filled with various materials like a lasagna or hugelkultur bed. The swale bed will help to prevent erosion from the sloped ground above it and because the swale bed is totally level it will absorb the rain water that runs downhill and deep water the plants in it.
The bed will have branches and bushes and other larger materials in the bottom that will hold the water so that the ground can absorb it and the plants above can drink from it and as the larger items break down over time this will feed the bed as well. Grow Forage Cook Ferment shares instructions on building a permaculture swale and shows how to make cages to keep animals out of the garden while being hinged to allow the top to swing up allowing access to the garden bed.
This is a great way to prevent erosion of the soil from rain water runoff while making a great garden bed.
