How to Keep Dirt From Becoming Muddy

Set out stepping stones as a remedy for a patch of soil that tends to get muddy. Without the foot traffic, the moisture slowly drains away, leaving a clean patch of soil. Use any solid material, from concrete to brick or slate, placed close enough together for easy walking. An elevated walkway made of wood keeps foot traffic out of areas where consistent moisture might keep the soil damp and reduces the impaction of the area.

Add organic materials like shredded peat moss, ground root mulch, composted leaves and grass clippings to help aerate the top 6 to 12 inches of soil and reduce the level of clay. This might take a few years of amendments before the clay ratio reduces enough to no longer create a muddy surface when it rains.

Cover the surface of the soil with mulch to stop the water from splattering by absorbing some of the water and then allowing it to slowly drain into the soil. Wood chips, ground root mulch, hay or straw, even grass clippings spread over the surface of the soil will lessen the mud on the surface of the soil.

Redirect the surface water so that it does not puddle in one area, to reduce the amount of mud created. Grade the soil around your home so that water flows 20 feet or more from the foundation. Build French drains, which are simply hollow trenches filled with gravel that allow the water to drain away from the low-lying area. Lay underground drain pipes for a more complicated but efficient solution to drying out the surface of the soil.