drainage issues

[boosmummy]

The bottom end of the plot where my shed is, is a nightmare - an utter nightmare!! The land is now just really sopping, i wouldnt say boggy but your sinks in when you stand on it and i have no other choice but to stand on it to get to the shed. Is there anything i can put on (other than making a path of pallets) i was thinking sand? but then would sand be ok for the growth of the plants. There are raised beds going on the plot so drainage for the beds wont be such and issue.

Ive been today, and marked out 3 beds and then ive been reading my books and ive put them the wrong way ive done the east to west rather than north to south, thinking i wouldnt have enough room but now i think about it, i think i do have room im going to try and plant it out

any advice about the drainage would be welcomed - ideally i dont want to have to dig a ditch xx

[Homemade]

I think it rather depends on the cause of the waterlogging and for how long it persists.
It may just be due to clay soil having been compacted and a pan has resulted ie. a layer that doesnt let the water drain. This can be cured by forking down through the compacted layer.
Generally wet clayey soil would benefit from sand added. (just not collected from the beach as it is the salt that is a problem) Also any gravel /stone/ broken pots if you are going to put raised beds over.
If it is the accumulated run off from higher up the garden then digging a drain or soakaway would help.
I think you should dig a small pit to see what is happening underneath,
A path to the shed would sound a worthwhile investment of pallets!

[lancashire lass]

My plot had the same problem - years of compacted clay soil at the bottom of the hill (neglected before having an allotment plot became popular) and when I first took it on, that year was appallingly wet. I can remember wading ankle deep in water (not mud) that "squeezed" up out of the ground where I walked, so I decided to go for raised beds - add an extra 6 inches above soil level so that gravity allows the water to drain. The combination of breaking up the soil and digging deep plus the raised beds and I've not had any flooding issues since.

I have also been adding several kg of builders sharp sand to each bed - it has no nutritional value as you can imagine and "dilutes" any already in the soil, but from a physical point of view it has helped to break up the clay matter (the more you dig over, the better the soil and drainage) I also add extra compost/manure to compensate and that also helps too.

Ive been today, and marked out 3 beds and then ive been reading my books and ive put them the wrong way ive done the east to west rather than north to south

Trust me, there is no right or wrong way for orientation of beds - my plot has both north-south and east-west beds and to be honest, there is no difference in plant growth. Just make a note of where south is and grow shorter varieties at the front and taller varieties on the "north" side so that they don't cast shadows