Garden Swamp

[vicpivo]

I've had enough of my garden - it is based on old rocks and clay. It is permanently swampy, I even have swamp reeds growing on it.

Friends have advised me to dig out as much clay and rocks as possible and put in a herringbone drainage system with a soakaway. I have started but now I am concerned about making sure the soakaway is big enough and that it may hold the water rather than drain away.

The garden is approximately 25 X 15 Foot and I have marked out a 7 X 7 foot hole which will be about 2.5-3 foot deep.

Do you think this would be adequate? Also any helpful tips or pointers would be greatly received!

[rustylady]

Hi Vic. I see you are in South Wales, which is a pretty wet part of the country from what I remember. Whereabouts is your garden (on a hill, at the top, at the bottom).

[vicpivo]

It's flat land, the house it at the top of a small hill...

The whole town has the same problem with Clay - I was told their used to be a brick factory locally!

[taff]

i think it needs to be deeper and above the water table...

[vicpivo]

Not sure if I've hit the wate table or the clay is stopping the water from draining away. I've tried digging through the clay, but after 2 foot of it, I don't seem to be getting anywhere!

Any birght ideas to quickly identify if it is the water table or clay?

PS I have already tried other spots in the garden (front and back) but I have expereinced the same problem with the clay....

[taff]

dig a hole, if the hole fills up with water, it's not below.

[rustylady]

Any chance of channeling the water into your drains instead of into a soakaway?? Or away down the hill?

[vicpivo]

That was my next thought - to channel the water into the drains.... Whenever I have mentioned this to builders/neighbours they have all said it's a bit "dodgy". Is that really the case?

How do I go about gettnig consent, or getting the work done?

[vicky]

I don't think you're supposed to put rainwater down foul sewers anymore (depends on the age of the house - old houses may well be set up like this already, but not good practice in new builds!) Do you have a drain leading from your house guttering?
Back to raised beds? Or grow celery and watercress?

[rana]

It's off the point but I thought rainwater and sewage all ended up in the same pipe.

BTW if you havent struck the water table at that depth you may just need to dig out and put in some decent soil. Alternatively there is always raised beds.