permaculture

["John D'hondt" <dhondt@eircom.net>]

Drainage is a constant problem we have found. Over the ages that this farm 
existed the earliest drainage systems were built with natural flat stones in 
a triangular shape at a dept of a foot and a half to two feet. Trenches were 
dug by hand and flat stones put along the sides meeting in the middle and 
then one flat stone on top. Many of these still work.
Later attempts consisted of pottery pipes about a foot and a half long and 
laid end to end at a shallower dept. Most of these systems have become 
blocked after less than 20 years.
Still more recently plastic drainage pipe was used, as the only option that 
is still afordable these days and the 6 inch pipes mostly still work after 
ten years. The 4 inch pipes are much easier to get blocked.

However, we find that is is mostly the top 15 inches of the soil that get 
waterlogged with much drier conditions below and the waterlogging is caused 
mostly by animal or human treading. If we manage to keep out of the gardens 
when it is very wet the condition clears op from itself as soon as the rain 
stops. When you need to be there for harvesting vegetables or when you drive 
even a wheelbarrow over a track several times you compact the ground so much 
that you get areas of standing water that take a lot longer to recover. 
Sheep feeding in certain areas or even geese and ducks plodding around 
compact the soil no end. Pigs are worse.
In fact in Europe in times gone by both pigs and ducks were used to make the 
bottom of ponds impermeable for water. And we found this still aplies.

We found that a single worm hole can drain a cubic meter of water away in 
short time so stimulating worm activity is probably the best thing to do. A 
pitty we now have New Zealand Flatworm here that can wipe out earthworm 
populations.
Other than that the best thing to do is keep all heavy animals and machines 
of the land until we get a drier spell and to reduce any form of compaction 
through treading to a minimum. But we do have a few problem areas where we 
would like to find a better solution.

john in Ireland

> On 12/31/2011 12:43 PM, John D'hondt wrote:
>
> "We have seen cloud and mist for weeks now and so much rain that much of 
> the land is so
> soft you sink in to the edge of the wellies."
> john
>
>
> John et. al.
>
> From November to April, I have waded in mud up to my wellies for the 11 
> years I have been on my farm. Even though I have silt loam on high sloping 
> ground, it is very poorly drained. At a depth of 20 inches, the soil is 
> mottled yellow and blue clay without any sign of life. Water must move 
> laterally for drainage. After much thought I have finally started to 
> install drainage. I have dug a few main channels with my backhoe and 
> buried slotted drain pipe. I do not like to use plastic on my farm so I 
> will purchase a used trencher and cut channels 6 inches wide and 30 inches 
> deep. In these I will put 6 inches of crushed limestone before filling 
> with soil. This will result in a network of channels flowing into main 
> drains. I will concentrate the flow through a series of small constructed 
> ponds where I will grow aquatic plants (watercress, algae, etc.) Overflow 
> water will be channeled to my farm pond for retention.
>
> Most of the motivation for doing this is that I am establishing an apple 
> orchard of heritage apples (culinary, multipurpose and cider varieties). 
> I have been building berms for the trees to keep their feet out of water. 
> This is a pain in the butt to manage, so the drainage will allow me to 
> continue orchard expansion on flat ground.
>
> Will those with experiences of soil drainage in wet climates please share 
> those experiences, observations and advice.
>
> Steve
> Indiana USA
>
>
>
> --
> Steve Bonney
> Sustainable Earth
> a 501(c)3 not-for-profit membership organization
> to promote sustainable farming and food systems
>
>
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