Creating Well Drained Soil

I am a newer gardener, I just started. I dug out a 10x20 vegetable garden out of clay soil and replaced with top soil and horse manure. It rained hard over the weekend and now my garden is very very wet. I am trying to dry out the soil with peat added, but it doesen't seem to drain well. I don't want to get into another rain storm in the summer and find out it still does not drain. What do you suggest to add to soil or drainage to help alleviate this problem. Thanks!!

Garden Plot

It is not a good practice to replace a soil with another type of soil. Soil layers with different soil structures almost always cause drainage problems. The water runs quickly through the top layer and then is slowed down by the heavier clay layer below. It is best to toss the top layer of clay aside, loosen about a foot of the sub-layer with a fork or spade, return the top clay soil and mix ample amounts of organic matter and some sharp sand in with it. If your soil has poor drainage to begin with, your method has probably made it worse. Is the area around your garden plot as saturated or wet as is the 10 x 20 foot garden plot? You can check to see if your soil has naturally bad drainage by digging a hole about a foot deep and filling it with water. If it takes a few minutes to about 1/2 hour to drain away, drainage is not bad. If it takes over an hour to a full day to drain away, then there is a drainage problem with the soil.

The only way to provide proper drainage is to lay a grid of weeping tile under the garden plot and drain it away from the garden ( if there is a natural slope, and you have the room on your property to do this, just run the weeping tile off to a lower point). Otherwise, you need a dry well to run the weeping tile into. To make a dry well, dig a hole in the ground that is about 2 to 3 feet in diameter and about 4 or 5 feet deep and fill it with rocks. The weeping tile will drain the excess water to this well. Information on how to lay weeping tile can be obtained from where it is purchased. It is work, but it dosn't take a rocket scientist to do the job.

Another option is to grow your vegetables on raised beds. Replace the clay in the plot and build 10 to 12 inch deep beds, about 3 to 4 feet wide on top of the clay soil. This is done by pulling soil into piles and levelling it off, and then using the area where the soil has been taken as the walk-ways. These walk-ways can be mulched with straw or something to keep them from getting muddy when it rains or the garden is watered. These beds generally work well in areas where there is poor drainage. Best of luck with your garden plot.