Water, water everywhere? Why not put it to good use — right where it falls? Build yourself a rain garden. I am doing it, and you can too.

Here’s my problem. Maybe it sounds familiar. About 10% of my yard is frequently saturated with runoff from the properties behind me. For weeks at a time, I can’t mow the grass in that area or even walk through it without muck boots. One of the main culprits? My soil is heavy clay.

Luckily for me, I attended the April 2025 Ohio State University Extension Spring Garden Workshop and learned how a rain garden could be the solution to my problem.

Full disclosure: I have not yet developed mine, because, with all the rain we’ve been getting, it’s been too wet to dig. However, that does not stop me from sharing what I have learned and the great resources available to you. Plus, the timing of this article might be just right for you to take action and create a rain garden by this fall. I hope this article “wets” your appetite. Sorry, I couldn’t resist.

Simply stated, a rain garden is a depressed area developed to channel water for absorption into amended, permeable soil. The garden is enhanced with native plants that send deep, penetrating roots into the ground.

The end result? The otherwise puddled water on top of the clay soil dissipates into the ground, not only watering the garden, but beautifying the property and, most importantly, nurturing pollinators.

This article does not provide all the details you need, but my goal is to get you to the right resources. Trust me, there are many out there.

The first and best resource I recommend is the Mahoning County Soil & Water Conservation District. Go to mahoningsoilandwater.org and search “Backyard Conservation.” There you will find a number of key conservation practices — any number of which you will likely want to apply at home. When you select “Rain Gardens,” it will open a 24-page manual titled, “Rain Garden Manual for Homeowners.”

The manual explains the purpose and function of a rain garden. It will help you site the garden and calculate the size appropriate to address your problem.

It provides the “how to” in assessing the current soil as well as digging and amending the soil. Since it is indeed a garden, you will get reference material pointing you to native plants for our area and appropriate light conditions ranging from full sun to full shade.

This solution will be a bit of work, but the finished project should be a very rewarding garden experience.

Merva is an Ohio State University Extension Master Gardener Volunteer in Mahoning County.