Hi,

I was wondering if someone could offer any advice on the best solution for the problem described below.

The problem is that my lawn is degenerating in a muddy swamp. I live in Warrington and it never snows and never freezes, but it always rains, so in the past, when everyone else has been building snowmen, we've been getting trench foot.

My problem is particularly acute as there is a small stream or brook running along the bottom of the garden. As across most of Cheshire, the soil is mostly clay, so drainage is a foreign concept to us. Over the last few years it was a regular thing to have the bottom of the garden awash with 3 feet of water after a few weeks of heavy rainfall.

Two years ago a I tried to fix the problem permanently by digging drainage ditches filled with gravel running to a pipe which empties back into the brook. I then covered the entire lawn area with three tonnes of sand and sprinkled grass seed over it. A combination of continuous rain since then (the brief heat wave killed some of it off) and my three dogs, means that only patches of rather pathetic grass have returned and while the garden doesn't flood anymore (success!) it remains a muddy pit for most of the time.

I'm now considering alternatives. I don't care about having a lawn. It's more hassle than it's worth and I don't do that kind of gardening anyway. I'm more interested in growing tomatoes and I grow those in pots on the patio, which is nearly 2 metres above the level of the lawn. I'm happy to grow bushes, shrubs, small trees etc. on and around the lawn area instead.

My current idea is to fill up with another few tonnes of sand and lay some kind of bark mulch over the top in a thick layer. This way the top surface will hopefully remain dry and the dogs can run about without coming back inside with feet caked in wet mud!

I'd be very grateful for any comments or alternative ideas.

Thanks

MSR wrote in
:

I was wondering if someone could offer any advice on the
best solution for the problem described below.
My problem is particularly acute as there is a small stream
or brook running along the bottom of the garden.
Two years ago a I tried to fix the problem permanently by
digging drainage ditches filled with gravel running to a
pipe which empties back into the brook. I then covered the
entire lawn area with three tonnes of sand and sprinkled
grass seed over it. A combination of continuous rain since
then (the brief heat wave killed some of it off) and my
three dogs, means that only patches of rather pathetic
grass have returned and while the garden doesn't flood
anymore (success!) it remains a muddy pit for most of the
time.

well, grass can't grow on sand...

I'm now considering alternatives. I don't care about
having a lawn. It's more hassle than it's worth and I don't
do that kind of gardening anyway. I'm more interested in
growing tomatoes and I grow those in pots on the patio,
which is nearly 2 metres above the level of the lawn. I'm
happy to grow bushes, shrubs, small trees etc. on and
around the lawn area instead.

sounds sensible to work with what you have rather than against
it.

My current idea is to fill up with another few tonnes of
sand and lay some kind of bark mulch over the top in a
thick layer. This way the top surface will hopefully
remain dry and the dogs can run about without coming back
inside with feet caked in wet mud!

i don't think that will work. you'll end up with muddy bark
mulch, which will be even more of a annoyance when the dogs
drag it in.
if it were my yard, i would plant willows & keep them pruned
as shrubs (maybe take up basket making with the pruningsg).
willows suck up a *lot* of water & may help dry things out.
you can plant a few different decorative types including pussy
willows & the Japanese types with colored or varigated leaves.
lee

MSR wrote:
Hi,

I was wondering if someone could offer any advice on the best
solution
for the problem described below.

The problem is that my lawn is degenerating in a muddy swamp. I
live
in Warrington and it never snows and never freezes, but it always
rains, so in the past, when everyone else has been building snowmen,
we've been getting trench foot.

My problem is particularly acute as there is a small stream or brook
running along the bottom of the garden. As across most of Cheshire,
the soil is mostly clay, so drainage is a foreign concept to us.
Over
the last few years it was a regular thing to have the bottom of the
garden awash with 3 feet of water after a few weeks of heavy
rainfall.


Two years ago a I tried to fix the problem permanently by digging
drainage ditches filled with gravel running to a pipe which empties
back into the brook. I then covered the entire lawn area with three
tonnes of sand and sprinkled grass seed over it. A combination of
continuous rain since then (the brief heat wave killed some of it
off)
and my three dogs, means that only patches of rather pathetic grass
have returned and while the garden doesn't flood anymore (success!)
it
remains a muddy pit for most of the time.

I'm now considering alternatives. I don't care about having a lawn.
It's more hassle than it's worth and I don't do that kind of
gardening
anyway. I'm more interested in growing tomatoes and I grow those in
pots on the patio, which is nearly 2 metres above the level of the
lawn. I'm happy to grow bushes, shrubs, small trees etc. on and
around the lawn area instead.

My current idea is to fill up with another few tonnes of sand and
lay
some kind of bark mulch over the top in a thick layer. This way the
top surface will hopefully remain dry and the dogs can run about
without coming back inside with feet caked in wet mud!

I'd be very grateful for any comments or alternative ideas.

You might want to google "rain garden".




--
--
--John
to email, dial "usenet" and validate
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)

"MSR" wrote in message
...

Hi,

I was wondering if someone could offer any advice on the best solution
for the problem described below.

The problem is that my lawn is degenerating in a muddy swamp. I live
in Warrington and it never snows and never freezes, but it always
rains, so in the past, when everyone else has been building snowmen,
we've been getting trench foot.

My problem is particularly acute as there is a small stream or brook
running along the bottom of the garden. As across most of Cheshire,
the soil is mostly clay, so drainage is a foreign concept to us. Over
the last few years it was a regular thing to have the bottom of the
garden awash with 3 feet of water after a few weeks of heavy rainfall.


Two years ago a I tried to fix the problem permanently by digging
drainage ditches filled with gravel running to a pipe which empties
back into the brook. I then covered the entire lawn area with three
tonnes of sand and sprinkled grass seed over it. A combination of
continuous rain since then (the brief heat wave killed some of it off)
and my three dogs, means that only patches of rather pathetic grass
have returned and while the garden doesn't flood anymore (success!) it
remains a muddy pit for most of the time.

I'm now considering alternatives. I don't care about having a lawn.
It's more hassle than it's worth and I don't do that kind of gardening
anyway. I'm more interested in growing tomatoes and I grow those in
pots on the patio, which is nearly 2 metres above the level of the
lawn. I'm happy to grow bushes, shrubs, small trees etc. on and around
the lawn area instead.

My current idea is to fill up with another few tonnes of sand and lay
some kind of bark mulch over the top in a thick layer. This way the
top surface will hopefully remain dry and the dogs can run about
without coming back inside with feet caked in wet mud!

I'd be very grateful for any comments or alternative ideas.

Thanks

We've used raw wood chips from private arborists and half composted wood
chips from the city at our dogpark with great success. Even after a
substantial rain, a 4"-6" layer of chips has proved durable and clean. The
arborists are happy to dump it for free so they don't have to pay for
disposal.
We do have a well draining substrate underneath, as the land is mostly
limestone rock and sand. Good luck...

Dont give up on the grass
You will be surprised just how though it is and how much abuse it can take.
If you really have no grass cover I would suggest getting the area ready for re-sowing by creating a fine tilth on the surface (when it's dried out a little)
Once temperatures rise in the spring, apply a good amount of quality lawn seed that includes creeping fescue and dwarf ryegrass and rake it into the tilth before light rolling or treading in. Consolidation is important as it puts the seed in contact with the soil and soil moisture.
Dont apply water unless an extended period of dry weather is forecast. This will encourage the roots to serch down for moisture rather than stay up at the surface from irrigation.
This will give the best result for the conditions you describe.
Good luck

"MSR" wrote in message
...

continuous rain since then (the brief heat wave killed some of it off)
and my three dogs,

Your dogs are the problem. We have a similar issue with the soil here.
We have a large field next door owned by the school that's used as a dog
park by the folks in the neighborhood. A few years ago the school decided
they had enough of the field of mud and on advice of some of the neighbors
they fenced off one section of the field for 4 months and threw down grass
seed. The mud disappeared and the grass grew lush and full, both the
original grass and the new seed, bare spots disappeared, etc. The contrast
between the unfenced part of the field and the fenced section was like night
and
day. Then they moved the fenced section from the good field to the
mud section. By the time the grass had come back and the sod had
gotten strong, the section that was previously lush strong grass had been
beaten back into the mud and weak grass that the field originally started
off as.

There was then talk of banning off-leash dogs but the neighborood dog
owners threw a fit.

Ted