wrote:


My small garden used to puddle and get squelchy and muddy with run off
from surrounding properties. I dug down and replaced maybe 6-12 inches
with topsoil and so far everything is alright. The topsoil allows the
water to "drain" sideways acting like blotting paper. I've yet to see
it perform in a real downpour but for small localised puddling it's a
solution that can work. Some parts I mixed sharp sand, top soil and
compost but I've yet to see any real difference. I also in places dug
shallow soakaway channels. The clay that was beneath was so clay like
that one could have made pots with it.


....and if cost of turf is a problem then you could seed it - it's a
good time of year to do it, assuming the weather stays as it has been.