Hello, I have just joined this group and I am desperate for some advice on my garden. Every time it rains my garden looks like this [see photo]

[Tango]

 

[Meadowlark]

Welcome, @Tango.

Ever heard of French drains? Looks like you could use one effectively in that corner. They can be very effective.

 

[Sean Regan]

Hi and welcome.
Just from the photo, it looks as if you've the makings of a pond there!
I can't tell from the photo how much more lawn you have and how much shade there is that won't help.

It would be better if there was a way for the water to run off the lawn. The edging you have isn't helping.

Mine, has a brick paver edge, the other side of which is a shallow gully. The lawn is slightly higher in the middle, so any surface water can gravitate towards the edging to the left and towards the patio and path to the right, which is slightly lower than the lawn. Fortunately, the soil in our garden drains well.

 

[Oliver Buckle]

Two basic things, raise the bit you want it drain from, and give it somewhere to drain to. A friend of mine had a house literally in the middle of a bog in Cornwall. He made a great veg garden by digging a four foot deep ditch all around it and piling the spoil into the centre to raise it above the water level. That's extreme, but the principle is good, raise it so there is run off and give it somewhere to run to.

 

[oneeye]

Looks like your soil is super compacted from compaction. It will take some work but it should be easy enough to fix. To improve soil drainage, you can add organic matter like compost or shredded leaves to your soil every year, which helps break up compaction and allows water to flow through more easily. Over the years the carbon content will increase and drainage will improve much with yearly applications of shredded leaves or compost.

For clay soils, adding a small amount of horticultural sand or perlite can help loosen the soil and improve water flow.

Create elevated planting areas with good-quality topsoil to avoid poorly draining soil below.

Use a core aerator to create holes in compacted soil, allowing better air and water penetration.

In areas with severe drainage issues, consider installing underground drainage pipes like French drains with gravel to direct water away. AI

Divert the incoming water by rerouting your rain gutters or excess runoff to another area.
I wish you the best of luck friend. Keep us posted.

 

[Meadowlark]

In areas with severe drainage issues, consider installing underground drainage pipes like French drains with gravel to direct water away.

Exactly!

We think alike...sometimes its scary

 

[GFTL]

That looks like clay. I had a similar problem. French drain works but is a lot of work to install. I covered my walking paths with wood chips and eliminated walking in mud. Raise the level of your beds with soil or compost so at least your plants can drain better. I did install a few drain pipes but had to run them to a sump with a pump to remove the water but I was getting 6-12" of flooding since the area was so low.

 

[smitty55]

Sure looks like a lot of clay in that "soil". Without a lot of work to remove and replace the clay I would first add a lot of gypsum to break up the fine clay particles and then top dress with as much soil, compost, sand etc with as much as you can afford. You could also consider planting a very deep root crop like alfalfa for a season but you would have to let it grow and your "lawn" would look more like a field but those roots would penetrate that clay and provide much better drainage once the roots have rotted and left those holes behind. Then you could reseed with grass.

Benefits Of Gypsum For Clay Soil - How To Apply And Factors To Consider | Garvillo

Discover the benefits of using gypsum for clay soil, including improved drainage and enhanced soil structure. Learn how to apply gypsum and factors to consider for successful results.

garvillo.com

 

[Oliver Buckle]

Cheapskate Olly realised some time ago that plasterboard is gypsum with a sheet of paper each side, and it is chucked in skips all over the place. Put in the bonfire the paper burns and it smashes up easily, gypsum and wood ash is quite a nice mix.

 

[Deblee]

Make it easy on yourself. Lay down gravel or wood chips and place raised beds on top of them, the type that are closed on the bottom, not just wooden sides. Fill them full of good soil and grow amazing flowers and vegetables with no trouble and no bending. Fixing that soil looks like a lot of work to me.

 

[pepper2.0]

Make it easy on yourself. Lay down gravel or wood chips and place raised beds on top of them, the type that are closed on the bottom, not just wooden sides. Fill them full of good soil and grow amazing flowers and vegetables with no trouble and no bending. Fixing that soil looks like a lot of work to me.

That is what I've been pretty much thinking since this thread started, but didn't say. I'd add some crushed white stone between the raised beds and get rid of the grass all together.

 

[smitty55]

Make it easy on yourself. Lay down gravel or wood chips and place raised beds on top of them, the type that are closed on the bottom, not just wooden sides. Fill them full of good soil and grow amazing flowers and vegetables with no trouble and no bending. Fixing that soil looks like a lot of work to me.

I grow in 4x8 raised beds due to very rocky property but the last thing I would do is have closed bottoms as all that would do is prevent drainage and promote rot and root diseases from saturated soils after heavy rains.

 

[pepper2.0]

I grow in 4x8 raised beds due to very rocky property but the last thing I would do is have closed bottoms as all that would do is prevent drainage and promote rot and root diseases from saturated soils after heavy rains.

Good point. But enough gravel or crushed rock should fix that. Must be on some kind of a slight slope if it isn't swamping the basement when it pours rain.

 

[smitty55]

Good point. But enough gravel or crushed rock should fix that. Must be on some kind of a slight slope if it isn't swamping the basement when it pours rain.

Gravel would certainly allow for drainage but even then why bother, the clay is still underneath. The soil food web works on biological action and gravel would inhibit the movement of micro-organisms from the soil/clay beneath the bed. You can still grade the landscape away from the foundations while keeping the beds level. For instance in my case I have bricks underneath one side of some of my boxes and covered with soil to keep them level. Now I have around 20" of soil in my boxes. which allows me to plant my tomatoes 12" deep while still having plenty of good rich soil beneath them for roots to grow into so it could depend on how tall you make your boxes. For me the deeper the better.

 

[Deblee]

I grow in 4x8 raised beds due to very rocky property but the last thing I would do is have closed bottoms as all that would do is prevent drainage and promote rot and root diseases from saturated soils after heavy rains.

If you buy containers from a reputable garden supply house, they will have built in drainage. I just thought they would be better off not having the roots grow into that crummy soil, lol! Just cover it over and be done with it!