Community garden - Advice greatly appreciated!

[Carolinamandolina]

Hello all, I'm applying for Climate Challenge funding to set up a community veg garden in Stirling. I've got some land, it's 47m by 23m, it's overgrown grasses, docks and stuff right now. It used to be used for keeping geese and its heavy clay. Thing is, I cant get any funding till January but I'd like to start improving the soil now. I can't really do any digging just now due to lack of time but I was thinking I could chuck a load of cardboard down on some of it, put organic matter on top and leave it till next year.

The question I have is, will the grass have rotted down by that time or will it just be a matted mess which roots cant get through? The other thing I could do is to completely leave it till I get funding and rotovate the whole lot. But that would use fossil fuels which defeats the point a bit! Or I could dig individual beds, which would take ages but then I am getting paid for it! What do you guys think?

Also part of the site is prone to flooding - I dont think it comes up as far as my bit but I'd like to put flood precautions in anyway. I was thinking to find the lowest point, dig a big hole and fill it with gravel. Will that work? I dont have any experience in this.

Thanks for any advice you can give!!!

Caroline

[happy place]

you say some of the site floods the fist thing you need to find out is what causes the flooding because if it is from a waterway rising above its usual level i doubt that a soak away drain will make any differance
if it is from rainwater run off a soak away may help but as the water is usually running across the ground because it cant soak in to it (so soak away probably no use)
i think i would look at the possibilty of ditching the site to divirt the water somewhere else but if you cause flooding to next door it may cause legal issues so id look in to it and ask advice from someone who knows more than me(thats most people)
any way the carboard idea sounds like it could work and its easier than digging so good luck and enjoy