A little advice required!!!

Dad and I went to the allotment today, took the new polytunnel. Unfortunately the top of my plot is so water logged that I couldn't stand on it without sinking. Dad came close to pulling me out. Now here is my question... What do I do if anything to stabalise the this condition? I suspect that 70ft above my plot there could be a spring.

Last year I lost all my potatoes in this piece of land. I had made the soil higher but it obviously is flowing under. The allotment above put in a little patio with slabs and on the other side of that there stands 12" deep of water.

 

Hiya Julie, that sounds a pain. I would imagine that you need to put in some drainage of some kind, lots of work! Hopefully, someone can give you some good advice

 

Would it be possible to dig a shallow trench, so the water drained away without saturating your plot.
Even if you sacrificed a small bit of your plot for the trench.
Atleast nothing would go dry in summer.

 

Have you got clay soil? The topsoil on my clay subsoil is like sponge in a wet winter and can turn to the consistency of porridge, and then when it dries out in Spring it becomes a lovely fine tilth after cultivating, and then in Summer it bakes solid and cracks, with veg like parsnips acting like a row of wedges driven into rock and producing massive deep cracks.

Digging drainage channels on a sloping allotment site can drain your excessive water onto the plot below. Last weekend clayey coloured water was pouring out the plot gateway. But the big question is - are all the other plots suffering from the same problem, and have you checked if your plots have had a history water-logging problems?

 

Unfortunately I don't own the 1/4 plot below mine so a trench isn't so straight forward.

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I get the impression the water is draining from a plot above yours, and I'm guessing the site is sloping.
So if you dig a drainage trench about a foot deep through your plot its up to those lower down to do the same.

 

My soil when dry is commented on as looking good for growing. It does drain quickly, problem is their appears to be a gentle flow of water coming from 2 plots above mine. on top of this point there isn't a problem. It won't dry out whilst there is still a flow. Feel sorry for that couple as they only cleared it last autumn and today was their first visit of year and there 15ft above mine separated by their slabs was under 12" of water. Only 3feet of mine is but another 12ft you can't stand on without sinking . The bottom 40 ft of my plot is normal. Will take some pics tomorrow.



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Yes the allotments are on a good slope with a fast flowing stream at the bottom which thankfully doesn't flood due to bank height.

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Right so if there is a spring at the top of the site,, which is causing water logging, I cant really see why it would be a problem to drain the water down hill?

 

...

 

Just been down to the allotment, drainage pipe is going to be dug in,leading all the way down to the stream. In the meantime have abandoned the top of my plot.

New polytunnel going where 2nd strawberry bed is. See pics below.



This is the flooded plot above me.



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Just think, only 12 months ago all the talk was about drought.

 

The pipe will go from 2 plots above mine, through my small plot and through the one below mine into the stream. A distance of 175ft.

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Thankfully my main plot to the left is fine, all 100ft of that is ok. Its just the topend of my 50ft plot that is suffering. I just hope the pipe doesn't cause issues to the rest of my plot. Apparently its going to be put 3ft down. I think this came about through the allotment holder above me being moved to another plot, due to there whole plot being a bog.

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