The boggy plot

[bario1]

I think you need to extend your ditch to the lowest perimeter point of your plot and send the water away... where would it end up if you did that?

[Nicos]

One other thing to be aware of when working with clay.
If you dig or rotovate, you are more than likely to get a 'pan' at the level you reach, and this can act a bit like a leaky pond liner.
I would suggest you dot a few deeper holes around the place to help with drainage.
This could actually be part of the problem now....
Have a bit of a gooogle about pan layers in clay soil.

[organic_gibbo]

This doesn't help but you have beautiful 'soil' for a pizza oven or making pottery. While you probably can't sell it off, if you decide to start a(nother) hobby you're on a gold mine. No one would gripe over a few chunks of clay removed here and there.

One of the guys at my old site made a pizza oven from the soil on the site, hay, and he sourced free brick for the wood part and a smooth slab.[ATTACH=CONFIG]85337[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]85338[/ATTACH]

Great idea, I can add it to my smoker, kettle bbq and rotisserie!

[organic_gibbo]

I think you need to extend your ditch to the lowest perimeter point of your plot and send the water away... where would it end up if you did that?

Just onto council grass which looks very wet, maybe slightly into another plot but she has stones down and raised beds, i suspect has had the same problems as myself!

Council have been in contact and will supply me with more of the sandy gritty topsoil to fill more raised beds and extra to mix in with the clay. It will be a challenge by the sounds of it all but it'll keep me out of trouble over thr summer!

[muck lover]

You could apply a thick mulch over the top when you get the soil delivered. Don’t dig it as it’s in such a terrible state you will wreck your poor back. If you can get leaf mould or mushroom compost put a thick layer down and back off for a while.
Google ‘Charles dowding no dig’ and see how he managed a heavy clay.
Good luck.

[Stan79]

Yep - if you can get more soil for the plot i'd put that in the beds and on the clay and then a big layer of wood chip between the beds to keep your feet dry and gradually rot down. And just focus on the beds this year. Once you've got them productive and start to run out of growing space in a year or two you can re-look at the soil between the raised beds.

[Atta]

Most of all clay is to be very fertile ....if you break it with sand and organic matter.I have been on clay before and can admit its a challenge the worst is that is stick to boots and tools.

And what a lovely council you have to supply you.

[bikermike]

hire it for re-enactment of the Somme? ;-)

I'd not do too much now, (other than take the sheeting off that is making it all run off) - see what it looks like in say late March/early april

My plot got very boggy at first, heavy clay near the bottom of a slope and a drain draining in and no drain out. I sorted out the drain out (with consent of the next plot into whom it would drain), and a few drier summers and it's been fine.

I'd mulch and improve the soil all you can though, if it does dry out in summer you'll need a pickaxe to put anything in...
(+1 for jealousy of your council...)

[organic_gibbo]

hire it for re-enactment of the Somme? ;-)

I'd not do too much now, (other than take the sheeting off that is making it all run off) - see what it looks like in say late March/early april

My plot got very boggy at first, heavy clay near the bottom of a slope and a drain draining in and no drain out. I sorted out the drain out (with consent of the next plot into whom it would drain), and a few drier summers and it's been fine.

I'd mulch and improve the soil all you can though, if it does dry out in summer you'll need a pickaxe to put anything in...
(+1 for jealousy of your council...)

They seem good so far, I think though its as a few previous owners have given it up but I'm not that weak lol

[organic_gibbo]

I know i'm supposed to be leaving it alone but today was too good of a day not too!

Extended the main drainage ditch between plots, put togerher a 2x8ft raised bed for raspberrys, dug about six inches into the clay and turned it over then filled it with well rotted horse manure and gave it a good mix. Planted my raspberrys and topped it up with sandy/grit. What would be best to mulch around them with?

Started on another 4x12ft raised bed but my drill ran out of juice!

[organic_gibbo]

Sorry cant seem to add more than one pic at a time!

[organic_gibbo]

Last one guys!

[organic_gibbo]

The walk to my plot didnt fill me with much hope...

[organic_gibbo]

After some heavy rain the trenches where full to the brim, so the dry bits where an awful lot drier than expected, after a few spadefuls were removed it started to drain away, so success!

The blue line is a trench that cant been seen in this photo.

[bikermike]

Who maintains the plot? would it be worth seeing if they could put a french drain under the path. If you can get a mini-digger down there it would be a simple job.