Hi there,

I'm a new home owner with a very wet back yard. I believe my property
is on reclaimed land on or near a bog, so I expect things to be wet.
However, I seem to have more problems than my neighbours. There isn't
any standing water, even after several days of rain. But generally
the yard is soft and a bit soggy. More importantly, there are areas
that don't have much grass on them, and these areas are made up
primarily of dark, heavy soil. One example is the area below my deck
stairs. It's almost like a mud pit (well, it's not mud - it's that
heavy dark soil). Nothing is really growing there, except for flies
and bugs. The other main area without grass is the alley between my
house and the neighbour's house.

What are some methods of controlling this type of heavy soil? Would
installing drain tiles (leading to a gravel drain pit) help? Is there
a type of grass that would cover these areas nicely? What about
gravel and rocks?

thanks,
sluggo