#30 💦 Fixing DRAINAGE PROBLEMS on the French countryside

Working in the garden

On the day that it almost looked like Autumn,  we worked in the garden. Still working on the basics of the vegetable garden. It need some more time and years to get the veggie garden fully functional. But for now it is a start. And with my new (2nd hand) yellow wheelbarrow, filling the compost heap is so much easier.

With some heavy rain we had the last week we noticed some broken branches. Also there are some old forgotten trees that could be a danger when walking the garden. We still cutting trees and maintaining the garden when we spend some time there.

With every tree cut there is some possibility to put on a bird house! Looks like we are creating new tasks on the fly 🙂

Since we want to open the old bread oven from the outside to create a chicken coup and outside run, we have to cut all the trees and bushes. If we don’t do it, it will become very hard to get it cleared. So no more waiting and just start! When we were clearing the part with the chicken barn, the previous owner came over for a talk! He is working on a special project and if we would like to see it, we can go with him.

Back in the days

One of the crop lands inherited by him, a couple of streets down the road, has drainage problems. He asked us if we wanted to see how they still fix this the old fashioned way. The crop land has terracotta or porcelain pipes running across the land.

“It was in the time of Napoleon that this must have been made”, says the previous owner.

So at least 200 years old, in the time the old farmhouse was built. When digging they know exactly where the tubes are. After excavating the top soil comes the clay and gravel soil. But suddenly a dark coloured line can be seen. Underneath are the pipes. When laying the drainage they add top soil on it, so that the water can be drained filtered through the pipes.

And so with this layer on top, when digging, it is very easy to find it back. With this drainage coming out in a lower pond or winding river the field remains passable with the heavy machinery. The tubes clock over time as trees have grown and roots invade the tubes. This clogging leaves too much water on the land, which prevent the farmer from driving his heavy tractor through the field. So it is very important to fix the drainage problems.

I think his excavator tractor is as old as he is, over 75 years, and it is very inspiring to see those two men working on the field like this and determined to fix the drainage problems. It definitely paints a picture of how people used to build this drainage over here on the land  200 years ago. For us it was very interesting to see, and so we learn more about the environment and the techniques that have been used there for hundreds of years.

They continued in the field for a while so the land can be fully utilized again soon.

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