Drainage and soil problems frustrate plotholders at new site
February 7th, 2008 by admin
Concerns about the construction of the new allotments at Marsh Lane appear to be justified, as any period of heavy rain leaves pools of water on many of the plots and the top layer of soil completely saturated. Any plants that begin growing in these conditions are likely to die when the soil dries as their roots won’t have developed properly. In places the soil is so compacted it is almost impossible to dig, and in other places smells bad or is like a bog. Plotholders had been given no information about the sourcing of the 10000 tonnes of new soil that had to be imported, and it was believed by some to originate from the ‘highly contaminated’ Olympic site, having been artificially cleaned. There have since been reassurances that this is not the case but questions remain about its quality.
The more determined plotholders have tried to deal with the situation with combinations of duckboards, drainage ditches or raised beds. Others have just despaired.
There was little sign of awareness by the contractors of the importance of careful soil handling in preparing a site for horticultural use. The soil was repeatedly compacted by heavy machinery (very bad) and while wet (even worse). This is compounded by the sterility of the soil, with no earthworm activity to help aerate it. In addition, the decision to seal off the site from its surroundings with a material called Hydroduct – intended for green roofs that can drain into a gutter – is likely to result in water continually accumulating.
[...] On a much more local scale, the Manor Gardens allotment holders are now sadly having great problems with their temporary accommodation on the Leyton Lammas Lands. The soil was taken there from the highly contaminated Olympic site, has been treated – which may have removed contamination, but has also removed the living elements, including worms which are vital to a healthy structure. It also appears to have been put on top of a barrier which prevents proper drainage and is currently waterlogged. [...]