New Garden

Windlepoons

Hi All,

Recently moved into a new build, and would like to think about getting the garden in some sort of order before the heavy rain and snow arrives.

My main problem is, the garden has a slope that is running towards the house, and when it rains muddy puddles form at the bottom of the patio. The slope starts halfway along the fence and then goes up at a 4 degree angle.

It isnt a really deep slope but I really would like to level it off so it is as flat as I can get it, the problem with doing this is, I will need to remove dirt from under the fence which will make the garden behind the fence higher.

I was thinking of digging a test area and then putting something like this http://www.homebase.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?langId=110&storeId=10151&partNumber=593993 in to prevent the neighbours garden falling under the fence during bad weather. Do you think it would work? I plan to have flower beds running along the fence with either bark chippings or slate chippings ontop.

I have attached 2 photos so you can see what I am talking about.





Thanks in advance

Nan_Dingle

Two things -

1) The quality of soil in new builds is usually terrible (it'll have been sold off before the build started) then a skim of soil will have been put back over the discarded rubble and sub-soil from the digging. If you are serious about gardening, you may need to get the whole lot replaced.

2) TBH, rather than undermining the top fence, I'd look to put a retaining wall across the garden and make it split-level. More interesting design options and less likely to end up with the fence blowing over.

blossomhill_2

^ ^ Good advice above - or sleepers which would be in keeping with the fence

The good thing about raised beds is that because they don't get walked on, the soil doesn't compact so are virtually no-digging

Also you get to choose what you fill them with, so can even have a mediterranean/gravel bed on a clay garden

I was excited to move into a new build on an old allotment site (I know!) but found as Nan Dingle said, that the good soil had been sold off and we were left with builders' rubble

Leif

Build up the garden with imported soil, and use walls to retain it. Then divide into beds and lawn/path. As said, the beds will need digging once. They do not have to be raised, unless the soil is shallow or poorly drained.

SailorSam

In my last house the garden was sloped and clay so badly drained. It went away from the house though and in bad weather i had a swimming pool at the bottom of the garden. If your slope comes towards the house it wouldn't be difficult to add some sort of drain at the edge of your patio going into a nearby grid.

DavidSmith78

Good advice! The gardens are wonderful, it's good & big space for walk around. :T

Davesnave

DavidSmith78 wrote: »

Good advice! The gardens are wonderful, it's good & big space for walk around. :T

Weak in the Force he is, I fear!

Windlepoons

thanks for the replies.

I'll probally have to leave it until after the new year now anyway as the weather is a bit wet to start moving dirt arount anyway lol.

Windlepoons

Have been leveling it off over the days couple of days, and now have a 5 ton mound of soil at one end of the garden.

The initial plan was to have raised sleepers running along the back fence and halfway along the sides. This would have dealt with the slope, only I have now hit another problem, and that is concrete. It is solid and appears to be very thick... looks like the foundation to an old building of some sort, or possibly something to do with the drains. It seems to run halfway along the back section of the garden.

I am having to come up with a backup plan and that would be to run sleepers around the patio and have a step up onto what would be the lawn area so there is extra soil above the concrete (would add an extra 8 inches giving me about 15 inches of soil in total).

Before I ditch my main plan, how much soil would I need on top of the concrete if I wanted grass to grow. I know drainage could be an issue, but as the concrete isnt completely flat I am hoping it wont be an issue once everything else is level.

thanks

Leif

Take a look at your deeds. That will tell you where your drains go. You have to be careful of drains, pipes taking rain water from the gutters, water pipes and electrical pipes. When you bought your house, you might have been given relevant documents e.g. plans.

Davesnave

I think I'd be more concerned to find out the nature and extent of the concrete before adding more soil. Your local council should be able to give you sight of drainage and older OS maps which may give you some clues as to what you have there. However, it would be unusual to find foul water drains that shallow.

If you achieved 15" of soil above the concrete, it should not affect a lawn, but it's hard to advise without knowing the extent of it. We had a field growing strongly over two concrete septic tanks at about that depth.

Water tables have been at max levels in most areas recently, so you must have some idea how waterlogged it can become, and whether this is likely to be an issue.