Question
Hello,
My yard is made up of clay type soil. I have dug a trench, installed corrugated drainage, wrapped it in landscape fabric and added gravel. The drainage is below ground level to ensure water will flow towards it. The problem is, I can not have a below level trench through the middle of my yard. I need to add some type of dirt or sand on top of the drains to even it out with the rest of the yard. What can I put on top of the gravel that will allow the water to drain? I can not put the clay dirt there because it turns into a paste when wet and will not allow any water to get through. Will sand work? In the spring I will be adding good topsoil over everything to begin growing things in my yard.
Any suggestions would be much appreciated.
Thank you.
Emily

Answer
Hi Emily, I would rather have not added drains until after you added soil and then blended it with your existing soil.  You may not have, or you may have, different drainage concerns.  Since it's done, I'd add pea gravel or very coarse sand.  Keep the layer as thin as possible.  Layers of different textured soil can become a nightmare.  Loose soil on top of clay may hold too much water or dry too quickly in the summer or winter resulting in poor plant growth or death.  Good Luck. Jim