Soggy allotment question

jollymummy

Hi everyone
We're very excited to finally have obtained an allotment, we've been on the waiting list for several years Anyway, it's a fairly big plot and one end of it has a bit of a water drainage problem. The people on either side of our plot have planted raised beds in the soggy bit. Just wondered if anyone else has had this problem and if so, what did you do?? Did you plant specific crops? or perhaps put down some pebbles or similar??
Thanks

izzwizz_2

Our whole garden is like that & it's raised beds I'm afraid (only two so far but I have big plans if I can get hubby outside )

Kay_Peel

You could turn this round to your advantage and plant thirsty crops during the summer months. It'll save on water!

pvc

jollymummy wrote: »

Hi everyone
We're very excited to finally have obtained an allotment, we've been on the waiting list for several years Anyway, it's a fairly big plot and one end of it has a bit of a water drainage problem. The people on either side of our plot have planted raised beds in the soggy bit. Just wondered if anyone else has had this problem and if so, what did you do?? Did you plant specific crops? or perhaps put down some pebbles or similar??
Thanks

HI I have also been offered a allotment with drainage problems and I dont know wheather to accept it.I have been told it will need about 5 ton of mature /topsoil which will raise the ground ,also raised beds would be a great idea to solve the problem. in the winter other plotholders have told me the plot floods is your plot the same? do Iaccept or wait several years on other waiting lists? help!!!!!

Gloomendoom

jollymummy wrote: »

Did you plant specific crops?

Rice?

Lotus-eater

Plant a whole row of boking 14 comfrey and alot of your fertiliser problems will be sorted on the rest of the plot.

I'm trying to think what else could do well in that sort of ground. I suspect that if you build up some mounds and plonk a rhubarb on top of a great big pile of manure and compost/topsoil, it would grow into possibly the best rhubarb around

jollymummy

Ooo thanks for all the great replies everyone.

Gloomendom that had crossed my mind too.

PVC - We're going to accept and work with it, we've waited a while for it and can't wait to get stuck in. We had a look round this evening and our new allotment neighbour came to see us. They have raised beds at the soggy end of their patch and said it's actually better soil. She also said it was a short season due to the boggy nature of the soil, but that's ok, we'll be worn out by September !!! If I were you I'd go for it, you could always have a trial run for a year.

Izzwizz - I've told my hubby I see me as having more of a supervisory role

Lotus-eater - that's a great idea. I have a huge pot of comfrey that's reading to run wild somewhere. Hubby grows fab rhubarb so you could be on to a winner with that idea.

pvc

good luck with your plot

jollymummy

Thanks PVC, you too