Any suggestions to improve drainage on a quite heavy soil on my plot?. there is a gentle slope down to an area of hardstanding which passes as a car park but the plot is about 1 ft below the car park (which has been built up by addition of hard core and scalpings). I know I could import a load of soil to bring the level up and/or use raised beds (but this seems very expensive and access is difficult) but was wondering if the addition of sand or fine gravel to soil would help. The main trouble would seem to be that there is nowhere for the rain to go even if it would drain on what passes for soil. I dont think the sub-soil would allow the digging of a useful soak-away and I dont have a JCB!
If I was to add sand, what sort? presumably not builders sand, and am reluctant to add coarse gravel.
I also have heavy clay.
I spread sharp building sand, dug in, which has had no ill affects & is cheap.
My soil structure has been much improved.
Sounds like you have a really dire prob to deal with. I don't have the same extent, but since I divided my plot into beds (untrod) and paths (trod) (but no edging, so not expensive) the beds have remained friable all year - unlike the unbedded bit. So creating bed shaped areas and trodden bits might help structurally with draining the growing bits? And you could put plenty of compost on top to raise them even more and provide nutrients and texture to clay (see http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/joomla/index.php?option=com_smf&Itemid=28&topic=15878)
Good luck! ;D
Poor you, mine was growing marsh type reeds when I first got it in one corner, so I begged wood from everywhere I could and raised my beds, lovely now! ;D
But as you have said this is not feasible, what others have done on our site is to dig a moat around their plots, you loose a trench around your plot but the water leaches into it, and it is bl**dy hard work to dig! Seems to work for peeps round us.
Another friend of mine has just gone upwards, he is from NZ and over there did the same thing, a layer of cardboard, a layer of manure a layer of straw leave over the winter topped with carpet, he has been doing this for about 5 years and has the best soil and drainage in our boggy bit! :o
In my solid clay beds I have added fine grit and compost/leafmould/manure, 1 year on looking much better, the best bed was the lasagna type bed I made.
Or you could try a paddy field?? :-\ :-\ i thought about it with mine! :)