Help its a swamp!!!!

bertiebots

Hi feel free to move me as I dont usially post on here.:D
We have a major problem with our back garden and its just getting worse. Its average size approx 45 ', very flat and mostly lawn,(there are a couple of small trees at the far end ). After all the rain we have had this year and last (infact any rain at all) the ground is saturated and inches deep in water and mud. The garden is basically unusable and I am dreading winter as we have 2 dogs . You cannot walk across the garden without sinking into the ground and need wellies! The grass is starting to completely give up after spending most of its time under water.
I know I am lucky that I havent been really flooded like some poor soles but I would still like to be able to tend to my garden without looking like I have been to Glastenbury!!:eek: I had such plans this year to grow my own veg etc but simply cant get anything done!
Any very cheap tips please??

greenfingeredsteve

sorry to hear of your dilemma bb.
it seems a drainage problem ,have you tried scarifying the lawn or just go round the lawn piercing it all over with a fork ,as for growing veg brassicas and beans will do well but add plenty of manure first .try raised beds or ridges for others.
lots of moisture loving plants will do well i.e monarda, loosesrife,snakes head fratillery etc would do ,but keep forking that lawn to help drainage.
hope this works ,let us now good luck steve

td

Hi,

We are having the very same problem - we've even been thinking about putting decking over bottom of garden to try and sovle the problem. My dad suggested digging grass out a bit and putting down bark instead (I'm not opposed to getting rid of some of the lawn) not sure if this is a good idea or not so would be interested to see the replies you get.

No help I'm afraid, just a kindred spirit.

td

JWF

If it really is as bad as you say then you should look to see if your lawn is at the low point of all the surrounding area. Although ground will get boggy when it rains, it really shouldn't turn into a quagmire so quickly so I suspect that you have an underlying issue which scarifying/applying sharp sand/aerating won't really solve. Have you ever noticed water running on to your property when it is raining? And do you have any pictures you could post as they may help.

tillytomcat

for help really need more info, has any neighbours had any work done recently. Patios, extensions, conservatories as this could be sending more water your way. It does seem like what you need to do is put some proper drainage in your garden.

tillytomcat

http://landscaping.about.com/od/excessivewetnessrunoff/f/drain_water.htm

bertiebots

Hi thanks for your replys....The estate we live on is flat so the drainage isnt run off from other propertys as far as I know . Our garden basically backs onto a double garage behind our garden (with gardens either side of that) and we also have our garage down one side.The other side is a neighbours garden which is considerably larger than ours with very mature trees down one side and is more formal with large beds and a small lawn (they dont seem to have a problem either!).
We dont have a problem with drainage on our front lawn which is just as flat. I have tried using a garden airiator which at the moment would simply churn up the ground even more,the sand I put on the lawn made no difference (done beginning of last year). I am begining to think our only answer is to dig a dry well/soak away...a big one! My soil doesnt seem too clay based and digs over nicely when we have had better weather so I am a bit baffled! Thanks for your help so far.

Steel_2

With two garages either side of your lawn, the surface water that should be soaking in and going through the water table isn't. The concrete bases of the garages are diverting it - through your lawn.

It's one of the reasons some areas of the country are flooding - housing estate and all the concrete that entails are replacing areas of ground that would normally soak up the rain and take it away naturally so the water rushes through the only available open ground spaces it can. When people then put down patios and front drives to block paving it makes the problem worse.

As you said, a soakaway to a drain might work. The other option is to have your lawn dug up completely down to a couple of feet below the surface, have drainage pipes laid to drains, then build up layers of ground with type one, gravel, topsoil and then grass.

It might seem excessive, but my parents had this done last year and it solved a similar problem, although it wasn't as extensive as yours.