Rain: winners and losers

[bigpaul]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-20900662

[Prepper1]

Thats what happened on my allotment...
Its at the bottom of a hill, the soils only about a foot deep with clay underneath, so when there's heavy rain it just sits there.

I managed to get another allotment further up the site and a little rain stays but then disappears as the soil is deeper there 2-3 foot before clay so there's more chance this year of a decent crop.

I'm keeping the other floody plot this year to see if I can get some spare top soil for free to build it up.
I could always dig it out and put a trout pond in I suppose if they let me...

[bigpaul]

(4 January 2013, 13:17)Prepper1 Wrote: Thats what happened on my allotment...
Its at the bottom of a hill, the soils only about a foot deep with clay underneath, so when there's heavy rain it just sits there.

I managed to get another allotment further up the site and a little rain stays but then disappears as the soil is deeper there 2-3 foot before clay so there's more chance this year of a decent crop.

I'm keeping the other floody plot this year to see if I can get some spare top soil for free to build it up.
I could always dig it out and put a trout pond in I suppose if they let me...

thats why we gave up our allotment, completely under water, it only had a couple of inches of top soil and the rest is SOLID ball clay(the whole area is made up of this stuff).

[Geordie_Rob]

(4 January 2013, 19:00)bigpaul Wrote:

(4 January 2013, 13:17)Prepper1 Wrote: Thats what happened on my allotment...
Its at the bottom of a hill, the soils only about a foot deep with clay underneath, so when there's heavy rain it just sits there.

I managed to get another allotment further up the site and a little rain stays but then disappears as the soil is deeper there 2-3 foot before clay so there's more chance this year of a decent crop.

I'm keeping the other floody plot this year to see if I can get some spare top soil for free to build it up.
I could always dig it out and put a trout pond in I suppose if they let me...

thats why we gave up our allotment, completely under water, it only had a couple of inches of top soil and the rest is SOLID ball clay(the whole area is made up of this stuff).

My old neighbour had an allotment in similar condition. He got huge trailer loads of manure & proceeded to shovel it onto the plot. He reckons it was a good foot thick of manure & left it for the year. He swears the next year it was excellent soil & got the best crops he ever had from gardening.

[Kenneth Eames]

Prepper 1, You could grow Watercress and other Wetland plants upon it. Two allotments are better than one. Geordie_Rob also has a good suggestion on rejuvenating the soil. A lot of cardboard would help too. It would break down into good compost with much composted green plants. Kenneth Eames.

[Hex]

could always grow rice