BAD DRAINAGE IN NEW ALLOTMENT

[meldoncat]

HELLO ALL :)
We rented an allotment in february and have spent months digging and getting it all cleaned up only to find today that the bottom half near the gate is under water! we are told that the drainage is really bad and that we have one of the worst plots for flooding but as there are no more vacant ones we are goingto have to make the best of it, we have thought about trying to change alot of the soil which is clay, into better soil which includes manure and also trying to channel the water away from the soil. weve also decided to make raised beds as this seems to be betterto prevent flood damage.we were wondering if anyone has any good ideas on how we can stop the flooding after a heavy rain, as the plot seems to be in the centre of the allotments and in a hollow.All advice appreciated. :D

[meldoncat]

[kt.]

We allow existing plotholders to swap plots if one is handed back, prior to it being offered to newbie wannabe plotholders.  Provided of course they have worked the one they are currently on.  I moved twice before settling on my current plot.  The only downside may be that you could end up having to do a big clearing again.  I had to with all 3 of mine though the 2nd was by far the worst.  Could you request a swap when one becomes available?

[meldoncat]

thank you for your reply - unfortunatley they cannot allocate any more plots as there is talk of a big redevelopment next year and only those that have looked after their plots will get oneof the new ones as there are not as many as are rented now.Weve been told if someone gives theres up in september we could have that but I dont want to hang on incase they dont and they are so hard to get I think Id rather try and make the best of this one.

[manicscousers]

ours was under water 3 months of the year so we put in raised beds, the clay underneath is a good water source for the veggie roots  ;D
I think there are some pics in our gallery, we built the beds out of old pallets, put thick cardboard down then filled them with soil mixed with compost and horse muck..it's taken 4 years to get the soil right but it's coming along  :)

[Mr Smith]

Like Manic says raised beds is one answer but  the problem you have is because of the hollow, I would  bring up the level of the hollow in your allotment with top soil  make it slightly higher than the rest of the allotment, also dig down in the hollow a good meter before you put any topsoil on and put in a soakaway, I know there is a formula for the size of soakaways regarding taking water away from properties but we are only talking about an allotment, that's my solution, :) 

[Heartysoup]

I've got exactly the same problem.

My plan of action has been to build raised beds in the driest bit and use anything that's off the ground and free in the wettest bit: things like tyres and ton bags. Also, it's worth digging a drainage ditch, it helps a huge amount.

[daxzen]

i agree raise beds is the start of the answer

Have you dug a pit - it might be that you got clay overlying the subsoil which stops it getting away - maybe consider channeling the water into a pit (pond) and then using it to water the plants in the summer etc

grow water loving plants there

If you have blue clay then its tough to grow on unless you get some air into it so its - physical interventions such as sharp sands and organics.

Clay soil when you get it working for you is a great asset

do you have mains water on site?

[Robert_Brenchley]

The first question is, where is the water coming from? You say the plot floods after heavy rain, is this surface runoff or flooding from a stream? Where does the water go to after reaching the hollow you're in?

My problems come from being right next to a stream which floods. The solution has to be raised beds, moving soil around so it runs straight off, and (possibly) land drains to deal with waterlogging, though the amount of work involved in the latter is pretty daunting. Your situation might be quite different.

Raised beds are an obvious approach; you can often get old scaffold boards cheap. They'll rot in a few years if you don't treat them. Drains, a sump (which will only soak up so much water if there isn't a way for it to run out again) and changing the nature of your soil are other possibilities, depending on the situation.

[Mr Smith]

I have to agree a soak-away or sump will only take so much water, I think we have answered a similar question before Robert, for what its worth I had a problem with other folks water because I'm on a slight slope also having a lazy lotty neighbour who could if he wished alleviate the problem so I have dug a trench at the top end of my allotment and the water because of how the trench is constructed runs off both ends of the lotty and ends up on the road outside along with other folks run off, :)

[meldoncat]

can anyone point me in the right direction to instructions on how to upload my photos to my gallery? ???thank you :-*

[SPUDLY]

To use Photobucket.

1. Search for photobucket and get yourself registered on their site
2. I find it easier to move any photo's i want to upload to my documents folder.
3. On the photobucket home page you will see a section " Choose Files" (select my computer)
4. This will open up another window for your computer. If not already selected, select my documents.
5. Double click the picture you wish to send to photobucket. This will take a minute or so to upload.
6  When the picture has uploaded a window will open for you to add a title. If you do not wish to do so
    click on return to album.
7. Back to photobucket page. Move you mouse pointer over the picture that you wish to use. This will   
    open up a drop down menu. Left click the IMG code at the bottom of the menu to highlight it, then once
    it's highlighted right click and select copy.
8. Now back to A4A page. You can now right click into your post and select paste. This will show a long
    list of letters and numbers. This will show a picture the next time you or someone else reads the post.