Quick Fix Drainage

[whiskyman]

I have'nt grown anything directly in that spot, had runner beans grown successfully 2 foot away from there, further away from the road again. There a slope there so had to dig into the slope to situate my wooden bed so it would be level. Best thing for me to do is to raise that ground with a wall, I think 2 foot should be enough. You reckon? Perhaps add sand and lot of organic matter on top.

No Alison, the ground was soaking when I was digging into the slope.

[Bigmallly]

On photo 1, what's the pipe sticking through the wall?

[whiskyman]

On photo 1, what's the pipe sticking through the wall?

There a wall at the back of the garden that's 3 foot high, then 2 foot of land spreading towards the road and the road is a foot above that.

Last year I had to build a retaining wall in front of the original wall as that wall was leaning forward(sounds scary does'nt it, weight of the road and all). The pipe was put there for drainage if I decided to put soil behind the new wall to grow something. The pipe is above the soil behind the wall so no water ever comes out of it.

Which reminds me, when I was digging the footings there was a lot of water.

[Bigmallly]

So, if you are 100% certain it is dry behind the wall, could you not drop the pipe below the level of your pond to allow water to drain from the pond to behind the wall.

[Bigmallly]

Are the highways dept aware of the leaning wall. It all sounds a bit risky to be draining water into the roads substructure. After all something is causing the original wall to lean.

[whiskyman]

Not now as the pond/raised bed is below the soil behind the wall. The ground is sloping away from the wall so had to dig into the slope to level the bed. Best I can do is raise/level the ground in front of the wall and situate the raise bed on top of that. Its the only thing I think I can do.

[Bigmallly]

Hope you can get it sorted pal.

[Kristen]

I haven't carefully read the whole thread, so may already have been mentioned, but I double dug (i.e. 2 spits deep) the soil under my raised beds before they were constructed so that the sub-soil had no "pan" and best drainage possible at the get-go. Not sure whether that has already been done (in which case the drainage would be a mystery to me too) or if the beds were just constructed on top of, say, a lawn?

[Bigmallly]

I'm wondering if it's compaction due to the road structure.