Outdoor drainage question

I'm growing in LA County. For all practical purposes it only rains here in winter, and when it finally starts it comes down pretty hard and creates a big puddle right in the middle of my grow area.

The soil is actually pretty loose in this patch. Some of the local dirt is clay and can be really hard to work, but I think my garden plot has a lot of sand in it.

Last winter the puddles did drain fairly quickly. If the rain stopped, they would be gone within a day or so. But I am wondering if it would help to treat the ground with "soil penetrant." I just looked up E-Z Wet and according to the ad copy it "reduces ponding," so that sounds like what I am trying to do.

I don't know what else I can do to make the puddles go away faster. The grow area is a suburban back yard, so digging a drainage ditch is not really an option.

If it matters, the plot I'm growing in is only about 100 square feet.

See what you really have, then amend if you can with more sand.

Try adding straw or hay or just more organic material. It will abosorb water.

Raised beds.

If the low area is a bother to walk in when it's wet you could have a load of dirt hauled in and bring it up to grade such that the water runs off instead of puddling up. Then toss some raised beds in and fill them with quality soil.