Help!

[newtonuk]

I'll not say anything, just post this picture:

[Scarlet]

Hello and welcome to the vine.

Where abouts are you? That's not dissimilar to how my garden looks at the moment...we've had a lot of rain. Next spring maybe dig a trench down the RHS to help with drainage?

[Chestnut]

Welcome from me too :-)

We've had a lot of rain too, and lots of gardens around us (including ours) look just like your photo.
Agree there's not much to be done until the ground has dried out a bit in the spring.

[Guest]

Hi and welcome.

If it is just rain water then as above. I think someone last year ended up with theirs flooded from a nearby burst pipe but again there isn't much you can do at this point

[Cadalot]

What a lovely lake !

[Snadger]

I would wonder why the next plot along wasn't flooded? What have they done different that you haven't?

[Guest]

Are there ditches the other side of that fence that need clearing? If so get on to who ever you pay your rent to so they can chase the matter.

[newtonuk]

I would wonder why the next plot along wasn't flooded? What have they done different that you haven't?

Folks, thank you all for your replies and now I'm not on my phone I'll give you a bit more background.

This is my first allotment and it was signed over to me about 6 weeks ago. It hadn't been used for the last couple of years other than by the existing allotment holders as a bit of a spare plot. There was loads of rubbish dumped at the back of the site, but the front end that hasn't flooded had been worked and a small amount of crops had been grown recently.

The plot next to mine is significantly more raised than mine, with mine looking like a bowl, rather than an upturned plate (if you know what I mean).

The hedge on the right hand side was holding a lot of the water back from the plot at the other side of the hedge, so I will be clearing the accumulation of weeds and undergrowth from the hedge and discussing with the neighbour how we both dig some sort of a ditch between the plots.

I think the far end of the plot turns into quite a clay-y subsoil, so when I've got it divided up into my 3 beds I'll be double digging the far bed and the middle bed to try to start breaking the clay up a bit.

I think the main jobs for me next year will be to fill the bowl by adding as much additional material as possible and clearing the RHS of the plot to make sure I'm not the place where the water stops.

[Nicos]

Had you considered digging a sump/ underground storage area for some of the water.
You'll be glad you did by the tail end of a dry summer?

[Bigmallly]

Hello Newton & welcome to the Jungle. I would be tempted to don some wellies & take a fork to the puddled areas to try & drain some of the surface water, then take it from there.

[Guest]

Just another thought when it is drained/ dryer you might want to do some test pits to see what is going on below. Clay-y is one thing but if there is an impenetrable pan you will have to have a think on how to tackle it. It is best to get the problem dealt with first even if some of the things are just in case. Don't let it get to you, although you do seem unphased by it, in your second post

[Bigmallly]

The plot next to mine is significantly more raised than mine, with mine looking like a bowl, rather than an upturned plate (if you know what I mean).

Hmmmm!..........I wonder how they managed that..............

[newtonuk]

Hmmmm!..........I wonder how they managed that..............

I wonder it I upturned their allotment and laid it over the top of mine if it would fit exactly?

[newtonuk]

although you do seem unphased by it, in your second post

That's only because I don't know what's involved yet and how much hard work it's going to take to minimise the problem

[newtonuk]

Had you considered digging a sump/ underground storage area for some of the water.
You'll be glad you did by the tail end of a dry summer?

That sounds like a heck of a job!