The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Smallholding => Land Management => Topic started by: Mel on May 02, 2012, 10:40:40 pm
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hello,would any one know the most economical method and what to use in a bid to stop my plot flooding.it is on heavy clay with pond in,over the last four weeks of rain it has become the worst it has ever been since I moved in,i have added a couple of picture below,the mud in places is 6 inches,the additional water is up to 8 inches,again in places,the entire plot is soaking!
I have contemplated getting someone in the use a mini digger for the entire length and use that drainage pipe,however,it is still incredibly expensive so would like to try and resolve the problem on a preferred limited budget if at all possible. Any advice welcomed,I really would like to try and overcome it somehow as if we get more floods in the future,well,I would probably just walk away and start again somewhere else.
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is it flat or on a slope are there watercourses near it do you know if it is drained already has the area been altered (raised or lowered) :farmer:
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It is running downhill very very slightly,ditches either side and at the bottom-these never have water in them,my little plot is in a basin of clay and the water table is really high.i.e.if I dig in my back garden even on a hot summers day,once you get to a spade depth it fills with water like on the beach.-I am sure the houses are on rafts!
If anything it may have been raised around 1970 as originally,the old outhouses stood at the top,the guy whom bought them all demolished these outhouses, and as far as I have been told,had the builders rake it into the entire field to save the cost of skips! wherever you dig,you shall come across vintage sandstone boulders and bricks along with victorian and earlier bottles and ceramics,mostly broken sadly!
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it sounds as if it is buggered but from your description it needs draining
either that or dig the stone out crush it and spread it on top no grass but then no mud either :farmer:
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Lime will break down the clay in time. Plus i would put some french drains in , that should help take the worse of the water away.