How to stop flooding

[gojigirl]

We`ve just be to our plot for the first time in a week. I was horrified to find it like a lake. What is the best way to stop flooding of your vegetable beds? Any advice appreciated.

[Hazel at the Hill]

Get one on higher ground!

No, seriously - sorry to hear about the flood - but you are not alone! If you do a search on 'floods' on the button at the bar at the top, you'll see there are quite a few grapes with swimming veg at the mo!

The advice seems to be that as long as the water is not there long enough to rot the crops, most things will be ok.......

So try not to worry too much - and welcome to the Vine!

[sewer rat]

You are never gonna stop flooding like you've had this while back, but short of laying french drains everywhere, all I can suggest is raised beds.
Seriously though, this rain should be considered a one-of, so chalk it up as 1 - 0 to Mother Nature, and battle on.

[Tigerella]

Hi

If you concider it a one-off, then you dont believe in global warming.

The result of global warming is more extreme weather conditions!

Which is what we and others have been having. So if you want a cure for this weather, ditch the car and stop the over-seas holidays, it wont solve global warming, it might not get any worse though.

Tigerella

[October]

You are never gonna stop flooding like you've had this while back, but short of laying french drains everywhere, all I can suggest is raised beds.
Seriously though, this rain should be considered a one-of, so chalk it up as 1 - 0 to Mother Nature, and battle on.

What's a French Drain?

[terrier]

A French Drain is a sort of small ditch filled with stones beneath the porus layer of soil to soak water away. Have a look here:

http://www.diydoctor.org.uk/projects/frenchdrains.htm

[October]

French drains

Thanks! You learn something new every day!

[Mrs Dobby]

This is going to sound a little flippant, but perhaps its time to plant rice on the flooded plot? We were talking about it for one of our very wet beds today! lol!

[Two_Sheds]

if you want a cure for this weather, ditch the car and stop the over-seas holidays, it wont solve global warming, it might not get any worse though.

If it's raining, people will get in their cars. Sad but true.

[Two_Sheds]

PS. this is my transport. No roof when it's raining, but plenty of boot-capacity. Multitasks as a personal gym...I'm the same dress size as when I was 16 (same income too!)

[rustylady]

This year's rainfall has been exceptional. I don't think we've had a completely dry day for a month. I've been lucky - my plot is very wet but hasn't flooded. This time last year we were desperate for rain.

[TPeers]

True Rustylady, and I lost all my crops 'cause I obeyed the drought order and didn't water - I kept the pond topped 'cause it has fish in and that was allowed but trying to heave that many buckets every day......

I gave up......

This year it would be nice to see the sun for a while - at which point it will no doubt be too hot for everyone!

What do you want to bet that three consecutive dry days and we will have hosepipe bans again?

[dexterdoglancashire]

I bought one of those IBT (?) water containers a few weeks ago. It's now FULL! 1000 litres water! and there was me thinking we were going to have a hot summer........Bernie PS water anyone?

[Sue]

I had a look at my shallots yesterday and on an experiment dig around in my raised bed, found that underneath the earth was totally waterlogged, dig down into it and water started puddling, so I've now dug them up and my kitchen is covered in trays of drying shallots.
I think I'm going to have to give up on raspberries, I've lost two lots through their roots being drowned and now they're surrounded by a moat - again. The sunflowers are now growing in a lake.
And yes DDL, it's amazing how much water you can get off a shed, I've got three linked waterbutts draining off the shed and they're all full again after being emptied out. The one on the greenhouse is overflowing and have a small pond in the greenhouse, luckily am not growing in the ground, in there, just too wet.
And I agree probably some time soon we will all be moaning the lack of rain, the only thing I can do is keep adding mulch to guard against drying out.
The one thing that cheers me up everytime I visit the allotment is that my strawberry plants are still producing fruit, not a lot now but still enough for two portions a day - I salute them!
Sue

[SimonCole]

Two Sheds: That is a really cool bike. I am absolutely desperate to get either a Dawes or Claude Butler myself because I love a good long cycle in the mountains before everyone wakes up in the morning. I don't have a car.