I have heavy clay soil with several soggy areas and am looking for an
inexpensive way to eliminate or reduce them.

My yard generally slopes down from right to left and from back to front
with the house set higher so I've had no water leakage in the basement.
But the yard's not even and there are small ridges and dips here
and there. At present I have several areas in which there's an inch or
so of standing water. From past experience, I know it may take a month
or so for them to dry up and if we have a wet summer, some of them may
remain soggy for most of the summer.

For the past few days I've dug a few holes 4 or 5 inches deep in the
middle of some of the spots and have been scooping water out of
them--probably 50 gallons so far. In one spot, digging a small trench
over a slight hill drained a bit. I've thought of filling the holes in
with large gravel instead of the clay that was there. Anyone have any
other suggestions? Can I make a pond/bog and collect some of the water
there?

Thanks for any suggestions.

Janet
--
Janet Price

Sounds like a good place for a rice paddy or celery :)

"Janet Price" wrote in message
...
I have heavy clay soil with several soggy areas and am looking for an
inexpensive way to eliminate or reduce them.

My yard generally slopes down from right to left and from back to front
with the house set higher so I've had no water leakage in the basement.
But the yard's not even and there are small ridges and dips here
and there. At present I have several areas in which there's an inch or
so of standing water. From past experience, I know it may take a month
or so for them to dry up and if we have a wet summer, some of them may
remain soggy for most of the summer.

For the past few days I've dug a few holes 4 or 5 inches deep in the
middle of some of the spots and have been scooping water out of
them--probably 50 gallons so far. In one spot, digging a small trench
over a slight hill drained a bit. I've thought of filling the holes in
with large gravel instead of the clay that was there. Anyone have any
other suggestions? Can I make a pond/bog and collect some of the water
there?

Thanks for any suggestions.

Janet
--
Janet Price

"Janet Price" wrote in message
...
I have heavy clay soil with several soggy areas and am looking for an
inexpensive way to eliminate or reduce them.

snip______________________

Janet,

I live in the NW's Willamette valley, which is prone to Clay soils. They're
marvelously fertile, aren't they? But the dickens to drain. I ended up
with semi "dry wells" all over the low spots in my yard. I dig 2-3 feet
down in the low areas, and fill the holes almost full with crushed (not
river) rock. The crushed gravel will have bigger gaps betwen stones, and
more water will fit there. Pat a 2-3 inch mound over the top with the
left-over soil, and cap it with the sod you carefully removed before you
started digging. The mound will subside within the first year, and the
water will stay down underground where it belongs. Since I'm in the Valley,
I don't worry too much about drought, but you should watch to make sure the
areas over the dry wells get enough water in the late summer.

Hope this helps!

skg

In article , Janet Price
wrote:

I have heavy clay soil with several soggy areas and am looking for an
inexpensive way to eliminate or reduce them.

My yard generally slopes down from right to left and from back to front
with the house set higher so I've had no water leakage in the basement.
But the yard's not even and there are small ridges and dips here
and there. At present I have several areas in which there's an inch or
so of standing water. From past experience, I know it may take a month
or so for them to dry up and if we have a wet summer, some of them may
remain soggy for most of the summer.

For the past few days I've dug a few holes 4 or 5 inches deep in the
middle of some of the spots and have been scooping water out of
them--probably 50 gallons so far. In one spot, digging a small trench
over a slight hill drained a bit. I've thought of filling the holes in
with large gravel instead of the clay that was there. Anyone have any
other suggestions? Can I make a pond/bog and collect some of the water
there?

Thanks for any suggestions.

Janet

A possibility: Landscape "hills" that will remain dry, alongside an
excavated area that will accumulate the water, with an eye to planting
water irises & other hardy bog plants. If you end up with a natural
year-round bog area you can plant pure bog plants of all kinds. But if you
end up with a seasonally boggy area that is completely dry by summer, then
you can plant all sorts of prairie plants that love a
now-it's-wet/then-it's-dry environment, such as blue-eyed grass or
camassia or zephyranthes (zephyr lilies). Many other prairie plants (&
"torrent bed plants" which are plants that live in seasonal river beds
that completely dry up in summer) are marketed as pond marginals by
aquatic plant specialists, & gardeners wonder why they don't thrive in
their ponds, but they do thrive if they have extremely wet springs
followed by dry summers.

-paghat the ratgirl

--
"Of what are you afraid, my child?" inquired the kindly teacher.
"Oh, sir! The flowers, they are wild," replied the timid creature.
-from Peter Newell's "Wild Flowers"
See the Garden of Paghat the Ratgirl: http://www.paghat.com/

"Janet Price" wrote in message
...
I have heavy clay soil with several soggy areas and am looking for an
inexpensive way to eliminate or reduce them.

My yard generally slopes down from right to left and from back to front
with the house set higher so I've had no water leakage in the basement.
But the yard's not even and there are small ridges and dips here
and there. At present I have several areas in which there's an inch or
so of standing water. From past experience, I know it may take a month
or so for them to dry up and if we have a wet summer, some of them may
remain soggy for most of the summer.

For the past few days I've dug a few holes 4 or 5 inches deep in the
middle of some of the spots and have been scooping water out of
them--probably 50 gallons so far. In one spot, digging a small trench
over a slight hill drained a bit. I've thought of filling the holes in
with large gravel instead of the clay that was there. Anyone have any
other suggestions? Can I make a pond/bog and collect some of the water
there?

Thanks for any suggestions.

Janet
--
Janet Price



We have the same problem in one corner of our back yard.

I plan on digging a hole there and inserting a large stainless steel wire
waste basket. I will attach a cover to keep pets, people and things from
falling in and use a sump pump to siphon the water out as needed and spread
over other parts of the yard.

I will then plant some shrubs around the cover to hide it.

I think this will keep the area dry enough for many plants to grow in that
area and if nothing else it should eliminate standing water and a place for
mosquitoes to breed.

Shepherd

"Janet Price" wrote in message
...
I have heavy clay soil with several soggy areas and am looking for an
inexpensive way to eliminate or reduce them.

If you have a good sand layer under the clay, maybe some well points and a
pump.

http://plumbing.aubuchonhardware.com...pplies/pvc_wel
l_points-431362.asp
http://www.bradyproducts.com/faq.htm
http://plumbing.aubuchonhardware.com...pplies/pvc_wel
l_points-431362.asp
http://doitbest.com/shop/dept.asp?dept_id=2033
http://www.usahardware.com/inet/shop.../80220/list.ht
m

Or you could dig a deep "post" hole, and insert a length of perforated drain
pipe wrapped with landscape cloth and install a small sump pump.

Either way, you might end up with lots of watering water.

Bob

In Janet Price wrote:
I have heavy clay soil with several soggy areas and am looking for an
inexpensive way to eliminate or reduce them.

I have the exact same problem, and my plan is not to try and eliminate
those spots, but live with them by planting things that don't mind wet
soil. These spots aren't permanently wet, they just drain slowly after
heavy rain, so I'm looking for flood-tolerant plants like River Birch,
Sweet Bay Magnolia, Itea, Cypress, Clethra. If that approach works for
you, it might save you some time, money, and frustration.

Oh my socks and little shoes! A person who will not alter a natural
situation and takes an opportunity to study the plants that would thrive
in that situation. Way to go, dementia. Please do visit my websites and
enjoy.

http://www.celestialhabitats.com
http://www.hal-pc.org/~garden

Janet could study the plants, determine the symbiotic relationships
between the plants and wildlife and then plant them, saving herself
time, money, and frustration, while achieving a fantastic success
record.

Janet, there are many possibilities for plant material and design. I
live in an upscale tear-down
(near downtown) area with one story's in between new 2 stories. I teach
people the benefits about bog gardens and their effectiveness as flood
damage reduction agents.

J. Kolenovsky

dementia13 wrote:
=

In Janet Price wrote:
I have heavy clay soil with several soggy areas and am looking for an=

inexpensive way to eliminate or reduce them.
=

I have the exact same problem, and my plan is not to try and eliminate
those spots, but live with them by planting things that don't mind wet
soil. These spots aren't permanently wet, they just drain slowly after
heavy rain, so I'm looking for flood-tolerant plants like River Birch,
Sweet Bay Magnolia, Itea, Cypress, Clethra. If that approach works for
you, it might save you some time, money, and frustration.

-- =

J. Kolenovsky, A+, Network +, MCP
=F4=BF=F4 - http://www.celestialhabitats.com - commercial
=F4=BF=F4 - http://www.hal-pc.org/~garden/personal.html

For help with mosquitos try Mosquito Dunks
http://gemplers.com/a/shop/product.a...N2=&GEN3=&GEN9
=0&T1=RSC6

or Mosquito Bits
http://gemplers.com/a/shop/product.a...N2=&GEN3=&GEN9
=0&T1=77200

I've just received mine so I don't have any first hand experience yet but
the products come highly recommended.


"Janet Price" wrote in message
...
I have heavy clay soil with several soggy areas and am looking for an
inexpensive way to eliminate or reduce them.

My yard generally slopes down from right to left and from back to front
with the house set higher so I've had no water leakage in the basement.
But the yard's not even and there are small ridges and dips here
and there. At present I have several areas in which there's an inch or
so of standing water. From past experience, I know it may take a month
or so for them to dry up and if we have a wet summer, some of them may
remain soggy for most of the summer.

For the past few days I've dug a few holes 4 or 5 inches deep in the
middle of some of the spots and have been scooping water out of
them--probably 50 gallons so far. In one spot, digging a small trench
over a slight hill drained a bit. I've thought of filling the holes in
with large gravel instead of the clay that was there. Anyone have any
other suggestions? Can I make a pond/bog and collect some of the water
there?

Thanks for any suggestions.

Janet
--
Janet Price

J Kolenovsky wrote:
Oh my socks and little shoes! A person who will not alter a natural
situation and takes an opportunity to study the plants that would thrive
in that situation. Way to go, dementia. Please do visit my websites and
enjoy.

http://www.celestialhabitats.com
http://www.hal-pc.org/~garden

Janet could study the plants, determine the symbiotic relationships
between the plants and wildlife and then plant them, saving herself
time, money, and frustration, while achieving a fantastic success
record.

Janet, there are many possibilities for plant material and design. I
live in an upscale tear-down
(near downtown) area with one story's in between new 2 stories. I teach
people the benefits about bog gardens and their effectiveness as flood
damage reduction agents.

J. Kolenovsky

dementia13 wrote:

In Janet Price wrote:

I have heavy clay soil with several soggy areas and am looking for an
inexpensive way to eliminate or reduce them.

I have the exact same problem, and my plan is not to try and eliminate
those spots, but live with them by planting things that don't mind wet
soil. These spots aren't permanently wet, they just drain slowly after
heavy rain, so I'm looking for flood-tolerant plants like River Birch,
Sweet Bay Magnolia, Itea, Cypress, Clethra. If that approach works for
you, it might save you some time, money, and frustration.



Thanks all for the suggestions. Two of the four areas are not in spots
where I need to walk and could be made into boggy garden areas. They
are shady, however. The other two are not appropriately located--one's
just in front of the door to the garden shed. I think I'm going to try
digging a couple holes there this spring--deep as I can get them, drain
as much water out as I can, fill with rocks or gravel and cover with a
good layer of sod. Then next spring, if it's still soggy, I'll dig a
couple more holes.

Would it help to contain the boggy garden areas for me to sort of scoop
them out a bit more and build up the edges?

Janet

--
Janet Price

Scooping them out couldn't hurt, it would allow the area to collect more
water and should stay wetter longer. I don't think I would build up the
sides tho, that might impede runoff from 'entering' the low area and
actually restrict the water accumulation, I think a more I would create a
gradual slope into the low spot to assist in runoff collection.

Just my two cents worth!

"Janet Price" wrote in message
...
J Kolenovsky wrote:
Oh my socks and little shoes! A person who will not alter a natural
situation and takes an opportunity to study the plants that would thrive
in that situation. Way to go, dementia. Please do visit my websites and
enjoy.

http://www.celestialhabitats.com
http://www.hal-pc.org/~garden

Janet could study the plants, determine the symbiotic relationships
between the plants and wildlife and then plant them, saving herself
time, money, and frustration, while achieving a fantastic success
record.

Janet, there are many possibilities for plant material and design. I
live in an upscale tear-down
(near downtown) area with one story's in between new 2 stories. I teach
people the benefits about bog gardens and their effectiveness as flood
damage reduction agents.

J. Kolenovsky

dementia13 wrote:

In Janet Price wrote:

I have heavy clay soil with several soggy areas and am looking for an
inexpensive way to eliminate or reduce them.

I have the exact same problem, and my plan is not to try and eliminate
those spots, but live with them by planting things that don't mind wet
soil. These spots aren't permanently wet, they just drain slowly after
heavy rain, so I'm looking for flood-tolerant plants like River Birch,
Sweet Bay Magnolia, Itea, Cypress, Clethra. If that approach works for
you, it might save you some time, money, and frustration.



Thanks all for the suggestions. Two of the four areas are not in spots
where I need to walk and could be made into boggy garden areas. They
are shady, however. The other two are not appropriately located--one's
just in front of the door to the garden shed. I think I'm going to try
digging a couple holes there this spring--deep as I can get them, drain
as much water out as I can, fill with rocks or gravel and cover with a
good layer of sod. Then next spring, if it's still soggy, I'll dig a
couple more holes.

Would it help to contain the boggy garden areas for me to sort of scoop
them out a bit more and build up the edges?

Janet

--
Janet Price