Drainage trench?

[bario1]

Hi, my small plot is severely waterlogged at one end - i'm considering digging a deep trench across it, filling it with rubble and using it as a path. Has anyone tried this and found it effective? How deep and wide would it need to be and does anyone have any other tips before i embark on this?

Many thanks!

[rustylady]

Wouldn't have thought it would need to be very wide, but as deep as you can go.

[bario1]

Oh, another thing - what would i do with all that subsoil that i'd be left with?

Cheers!

[rustylady]

How deep do you intend to dig? You could add the subsoil to your compost heap or beds if it's not too bad.

[bario1]

I've read it needs to be at least 1.4 metres deep... not sure how easy that'll be in a path-sized strip though! It'd probably throw up way too much soil for my compost heap. I've also read that you shouldn't mix your subsoil with your topsoil for some reason? I've done the reading, but i'd like some first hand advice from real people before i go breaking my back!

Cheers.

[veggiechicken]

Why don't you dig a pond there? Good for frogs and they'll keep your slugs down

[bario1]

That's a lovely idea, but my plot's really small and i need the space for growing!

[Samurailord]

Hi Bario

I too have had drainage problems on my plot, our partial solution was to dig a drainage trench as you are suggesting.

Mine went down about a spade depth and was 10-12" wide (as narrow as I could get it). The main thing to check is that it gently slopes off your plot.

At the bottom of this trench I put a perforated pipe which was covered with rubble and small stones. On top of this I put a thin layer of topsoil (mainly to level it), then some weed fabric, bark chippings and then flagstones.

This is still a work in progress for me as this last stage was only done yesterday, and I only had enough stone to fill in half of the trench but the land around the trench is definitely drier than it was before.

You can see some pics of my progress on my blog (link in the signature below) but I haven't had time to post the pictures from yesterday yet, so check back tonight.

I would use the soil from the trench to fill in your beds.

Andy

[Newton]

Where will the water go? Isn't it the water table that's the issue? The trench will then fill up again if it is not drained away......

Just make sure its not the water table problem before you dig......otherwise....wot samurai lord said.....

[Nicos]

If you are on a slope then perforated land drain pipe would help in the trench- but it needs to drain away to somewhere which won't make a neighbouring plot flood.
( if you use perforated pipe, wrap it in fleece to help prevent it clogging with any soil )

You can find shorter lengths on ebay ( maybe freecycle?)

The alternative as you suggest would end up being more of a sump for collecting the water.

If you are on an old site- who is in charge? Usually there are land drains already there- but they've not been cleared. Worth checking with the person in charge....even they may not be aware of their existence.
If you are next to farmland- ask the farmer first before you start digging- you may be doing your whole site a favour!

[bario1]

Thanks for your replies! Unfortunately i can't pipe the water off the allotment, as it would end up on my neighbours' plot... my idea was just to create somewhere locally for the excess water to gather (in the trench), so that it could drain from the topsoil on either side... as i'm halfway up a hill, i'm assuming its just a heavy soil problem, rather than a water table problem? Maybe the trench would just fill with water permanently from the ground further uphill from me though?

[mrgrower]

This is what i've done on mine you can see what I did with the soil I dug out I will probably just plant rhubarb in the mound after I shore it up with edging to stop it falling back into the trench as I mix organic matter to the sub soil. Whilst the trench don't look deep it's actually about a foot and a half deep.

[out in the cold]

Drainage I can help with!

Can you post a photo of your plot please?

Is there a stream or a burn anywhere near your plot? This will help you identify whether or not it is a water table issue. If you have a burn downhill orto the side, then the water table is lower than your plot and the drainage trench or land drain will help with your flooding

[Aberdeenplotter]

Drainage I can help with!

There is such a depth of expertise on this Forum from within the registered members. yet another example here.

[mrgrower]

Out in the cold from the pictures I have put up have I got the right idea? there is no stream etc near mine just very heavy clay.

Your thoughts?