Drainage for a garden

[City Farmer]

I need a little help on the best way to drain my (40'x80') garden of excess rain water. I've had the garden 5 years, the first 2 were great, so many vegetables I couldn't give them away fast enough. One was ok but the last 2 were a total loss. I have a rain water drainage creek at one end of my garden. My brother told me to put some 4" socked perforated under the garden but I'm concerned about running it over with the tiller in the spring when the ground is wet. Is it better to mound the rows or put some sort of drainage? I can pretty much do whatever needs to be done. I've got a Ford 3000 & 4400 with a BH, 60" tiller, 60" box scraper, middle buster, back blade, PHD, 2 bottom plow and a small set of disc's. If I need another tool to get the job done I'll buy it, I just want it fixed once and for all. One last question, I have access to all the free horse manure I want, is it to late to add it to the garden for this season? We're about 2.5 months before I'll plant. Thanks in advance. Here is a picture of what I'm working with, the creek is at the left of the picture hidden by the Phragmites that have taken over everywhere around here these last 10yrs.

 

[Ed of all trades]

The big question I have is how much lower than the garden is the creek, or is there somewhere else you can drain to.

 

[City Farmer]

The big question I have is how much lower than the garden is the creek, or is there somewhere else you can drain to.

Believe it or not the creek is lower by about a foot at its highest, that's standing rain water that won't run off. There's clay under the little bit of top soil I have. I got in there with a shovel for a couple hours and was able to get most of that standing water off but it was to late. It was looking great in the begining but everything drowned except the corn. I thought of hilling/mounding but I like to go between the rows with my 12" walk behind tiller once a week to take care of the weeds. If I could make mounds 5' wide 10"-12" high I'd do that but I don't know where to start. Could I put the tiller on a steep angle and plant on the sides or put a trench to the creek between the rows? I'm kinda reaching now, I'm not sure what would be best but I have to try something. There's nothing worse than putting in all that work just to have a heavy rain take it away.

 

[dave1949]

Well, ideally the drainage pipe you put in should have its outlet above the water level in the ditch. When the ditch is full, that is when you need the drain to work the most. So, that doesn't give you enough depth to keep the drain pipes from being frosted and heaved. If I am seeing it correctly, drainage pipes aren't going to be a very good solution.

Maybe you could build up the height of the garden on the side opposite the ditch to create a gently sloping surface for runoff. 1/4 to 1/2 inch per foot should be enough. If your garden is 40 foot wide, 1/4" per foot would need: .25" x 40 = 10 inches. So, if you can raise one side by 10-20 inches, it should drain the surface water to the ditch. If you use sand, which is plentiful in MI, mixed with your existing top soil to raise the garden, and add organic material to that with the horse manure compost, it should help a lot.

 

[RxRatedZ71]

We had hardpacked red clay here in Oklahoma and gypsum will help to break up the clay. It worked great in our flowerbeds. You may check with your local ag extension if it would work for your soil.

Could you create a sloped surface by just "digging in" on one end and moving it to the other end? Then just run a section of pipe to relieve runoff/standing water at the lower end. Or maybe plant some lower growing plants to disperse the water around your garden so it doesnt all flow just to one area..

 

[Stimw]

If the horse squeese is old or properly composted now is the best time to till it in. It will enhance the soil and make it better.
You don't want to add it fresh with your planting window that close.
I have been using horse squeese for about 4 years. I give it about 4-6 months in a compost pile that I turn regularly. The biggest problem I have with it is WEEDS!!! Even after lengthy composting the weeds keep coming up. I sprayed my garden 3 times late last summer/fall with double strength Round-Up and you would never know it!
I bought a 4' tiller about 5 years ago and it was the best money ever spent. It grinds up the dirt so fine that it looks like coffee grounds or saw dust. Anything organic that you can add will help. Chicken squeese is the overall best.

 

[Reyer Farms]

If the horse squeese is old or properly composted now is the best time to till it in. It will enhance the soil and make it better.
You don't want to add it fresh with your planting window that close.
I have been using horse squeese for about 4 years. I give it about 4-6 months in a compost pile that I turn regularly. The biggest problem I have with it is WEEDS!!! Even after lengthy composting the weeds keep coming up. I sprayed my garden 3 times late last summer/fall with double strength Round-Up and you would never know it!
I bought a 4' tiller about 5 years ago and it was the best money ever spent. It grinds up the dirt so fine that it looks like coffee grounds or saw dust. Anything organic that you can add will help. Chicken squeese is the overall best.

Doubling your round up is not helping you. Too strong is as bad as too weak. We use roundup very very little. It's just not worth the risk in losing a crop. It needs time to go all the way to root & kill it, too strong kinda just burns it back and root does not any.
As far as water drainage- raised rows are great for drainage and moisture control to plant. Water will run down hill if you let it, it's can help and hurt when you raise rows. Lay out is key. If you can, quick way would be to bottom plow throwing dirt up hill. You will move you soil uniformly and your plants will love the deep broke soil ( ESP tomatoes). Disc to level out and plant your heart out! Have fun.

 

[Halftrack]

The attachment I did not see listed was a subsoiler. With the type of soil you described, I would be afraid you have developed a "hard pan" under your garden, prohibiting moisture flow. Your relatively heavy tractors and overworking of the soil will hasten the formation of a hard pan and the cure is subsoiling 18" to 24" deep fall and spring. Your middlebuster could be converted with a subsoiler shank, if it will reach that deep. I use one that will penetrate 24" and all the neighbors have noticed the improvement in their gardens. The last couple of mild winters have lessened the benefits of winter freezing/heaving which also disrupts hand pans. Good luck.

 

[City Farmer]

Thanks for the help, I really appreciate everyone's input. I have a few things to consider now. I'm sure I could rig something up to sub-soil. I have a 3pt trailer moving implement I could attach a subsoiler to really easy. I've been reading up on the horse manure and everything I gather is it can be added anytime as long as your not going to harvest your crops within (90 days) for above ground veggies and (120 days) for below ground veggies. I'm not to worried about weeds, I'll till them under like i do every year. I really like the mounding idea with the plow, I never woulda thought of that. One pass and that would give me a row almost 3' wide, then do a top disc or light till to bust up the clumps and plant.

 

[schmism]

we heavly hill our rows. the water gathers in the low areas leaving the hills dry. This is also how they irrigate in the rest of the world (with ditches between rows)

in the off season you can use a box blade or simular to put a 1" or more fall on the garden so that ditches between rows at least have a little fall. After that you wind up with a wet end and dry end. we learned to plant different stuff in the different areas based on timming (wet early in the spring, but toms arnt planted yet so plant them at the "wet" end after the wet spring)