Are you saying that you have a low spot where water collects and the ground stays soggy? Or is this not a low spot but the ground gets wet and stays wet? If it's the latter, do your neighbors have the same issue?

 

Yes, it stays wet for days or a weeks at a time depending on if it's been raining or not. Example, it rained a couple weeks ago, and it's still mushy walking on it. Crawfish holes everywhere, too. Not sure if my nearest neighbor has the same issue or not. I live out in the country.

 

Send some pictures. Probably a drainage issue. How long does it take to dry up?

 

Here's a couple pics. I believe it is a drainage issue. I have thought about putting lime down, French drain, or sloping the yard, but I'm not sure on which way to go, and I've never done a drain before. It can stay mushy for weeks at a time if it's rained hard enough to over-saturate the ground. During summer months when it's hot and dry, it's okay, but anytime else it's not.

 

Looks like some low spots. Is this the only spots? If so then it seems your yard has proper grading. If so you can fill them in by a adding top soil a little at a time.

If yard is no properly sloped, then you can either regard then entire yard and start a new lawn (expensive) or as mentioned a French drain if you have some place to bring the water and there is fall to this discharge point.

 

Yeah it's the whole yard that's soppy, not just a few spots. I may have to put in a drain, but I've never done that before, so I'll have to read up on it. For the short term, I'm thinking I might have to put lime down to control the wetness.

 

Septic field backing up?

 

No, it's not septic.

 

Lime does not control wetness.

 

Can we get some wide area shots of the property so we can give more detailed advice? Check out Gate City Foundation Drainage on YouTube to get some ideas. You will want to move any water away from the house first then you might need a French drain and or aerate and top dress with sand might be an option too. Does your property have any slope to move water away?

 

Apple Drain also on youtube

 

If you have crawfish holes that tells me you're not far from a stream or swamp. I bet you have a high water table.

 

When we bought our house, I installed 4 yard drains in the backyard with one being a french drain. Connected the 4 drains to 2 discharge points into a creek on our property. Definitely was one of the best things I did years ago.

Have a neighbor who did something similar but had to connect his to a sump pump & pumps the water out to the road.