Soggy, clay-y garden!!!

jesskaharrisZJLuTbWK · March 2022

Hi folks,

How would I go about managing a garden that is just clay? Currently there is a lawn and a path going through it. When it rains the water pools and then turns the lawn into a bog. It gets so waterlogged that the path ends up submerged!

I have 3 young children and want them to be able to enjoy the garden! I don't have much in the way of funds so I would like this to be a home job as much as possible.

Do you have any hints and tricks that me and my partner could do? I've read that overseeding the lawn can help. As well as removing the path and turning it into stepping stones. Any thoughts or pointers?

Fairygirl · March 2022

Unless you can amend the soil well enough, that will always be a problem in wet weather. Many lawns in wet areas are like that during and after winter too, and it just means not using them.
Constantly spiking/aerating and filling with grit might help a tiny bit, but it doesn't sound as though it would make much difference. In dry spells it'll do the opposite, and will dry out and crack. You may have a high water table, so it might make no difference anyway, unless you raise the entire lawn.
A raised boardwalk with chicken wire attached, instead of a standard path, is the other option if you need to go across the space regularly. It's how it's done in boggy moorland etc for access.
If you can post a photo, that will help. Keep it around 1MB if possible so that it loads easily.

There's another thread at the moment with someone who has some quite serious flooding in part of their garden, due to the water table.
https://forum.gardenersworld.com/discussion/1063175/high-table-water-build-over-it#latest

Soggy, clay-y garden!!!

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