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Having a muddy lawn in winter can only make our winter doldrums worse.

We catch a break during a dry winter, which we can always hope for.

However, hope isn’t a plan.

Muddy lawn with rain coming down.

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How can we address the issue during wet winters?

In winter, we are often faced with heavy precipitation.

When the ground becomes frozen, that presents another barrier to the proper flow of water.

Only soils with superb drainage stand a chance of not becoming muddy.

But other factors can come into play as well.

If your lawn lies at the foot of a hill, runoff may be pooling on your lawn.

This is especially problematic when the snow starts to melt in late winter.

Even runoff from downspouts allowed to empty onto the lawn can saturate a lawn and cause a muddy mess.

In sum, the reason for your lawn being muddy in winter could be:

Want more gardening tips?

Properly built, a French drain diverts the flow of water away from the area you are protecting.

A French drain can be simple or more complex.

If you have an overly clayey soil pop in, it may have drainage problems.

But there are ways to improve soil drainage.

One way is towork compost into the soillittle by little, over time.

Dethatch Your Lawn

Thatch build-up in a lawn can also impede drainage.

Solve the problem bybuilding a stone walkwayin this area.

Fence it in to keep them confined and lay gravel down as a floor.