My garden is in 2 levels. The bottom level has a wooden patio so i fine but the upper part of the garden is absolutely soaking!
Even in the summer, it is never really dry and the ground cracks ope with the weight of the watery ground lower on the slope.
Currently, there is a small green patch surrounded by a stone path bu we are wanting to lawn the entire area as we have a little one and th stones are not child-friendly.
Someone suggested digging a trench at the top of the garden but I don' think this will be enough.
i have a section on french/agricultural drains on our site maybe look at that and see if it will fit your situation?
in lots of cases you can fix problems by adding a good layer of topsoil over that area. but these are things yo are best to work out as you can see the situation.
if you want to grow things in garden beds raised beds will provide the answer.
snipped With peace and brightest of blessings,
len
-- "Be Content With What You Have And May You Find Serenity and Tranquillity In A World That You May Not Understand."
My garden is in 2 levels. The bottom level has a wooden patio so i fine but the upper part of the garden is absolutely soaking!
Even in the summer, it is never really dry and the ground cracks ope with the weight of the watery ground lower on the slope.
Currently, there is a small green patch surrounded by a stone path bu we are wanting to lawn the entire area as we have a little one and th stones are not child-friendly.
Someone suggested digging a trench at the top of the garden but I don' think this will be enough.
Any ideas please?
geri_a
before anyone can help u we would really need to see a pic of how you garden is set up. u say u have a slope but is there a fence in the upper section or concrete barrier that might be holding back moisture. if u can post a picture even if u put it in photobucket and then post link to it here that would be great maybe then someone might be able to help u with you problem. cyaaaaa, sockiescat:
In order to find the right solution, you'll need to analyze your current problem in some detail.
How does water get there, besides just rain falling on it? Is it getting more water than other parts of the garden? Is water running off other surfaces (roof, downspouts, swales, etc.) and collecting there? Go out and take a look at your gutters during the next heavy rain. Are they overflowing? Where does the water go?
If it's getting more water, then do one or more of the following:
- divert the excess water
- add drainage
- find a way under or around an obstacle
If it's NOT getting significantly more water, try to determine why it is draining so poorly.
- is something STOPPING the water from draining downhill? Retaining wall or other barrier that extends below the surface more than a few inches?
- what are the drainage characteristics of your natural local soils?
- how deep are the natural soil layers on average?
- do your neighbors have similar drainage problems?
Next, dig a hole and see what you've got.
- does your garden have natural or manmade soil layers?
The older the house, the less likely it is that developers stripped the topsoil down to the subsoil and returned just a token few inches, barely enough to grow grass. Given that the subsoil has also almost surely been compacted by heavy equipment, this particular problem can be very expensive to correct. (IMO, lots treated like this should carry a warning label so that they are never bought by unsuspecting gardeners). The very worst case is a bowl-shaped impermeable layer which holds water like, well, a bowl.
- are you finding construction or other debris?
You may get lucky. I once dug up a boggy spot near my house's foundation only to find a giant plastic roof tarp buried about a foot down. Drainage problem solved!
If you post back once you're learned more, we can go from there.
Cheers!
-- Karen
The Garden Gate
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