Vegetables in boggy ground

[zaxdog]

Hi all,

We moved last year to the Isle of Lismore and we are determined to put in a veggie garden. However the ground we have is quite boggy and squishy. We are between the base of a cliff and the sea so we get a fair amount of run off water. Any tips on what we can grow to eat in this kind of ground? There has been much joking about rice fields etc but I promise it isn't that wet!!!

All help thankfully received x

[sarahkeast]

Raised beds ? I am not as wet as you, but have a lot of rain and not great drainage but seem to have decent results from my scaffold plank edged beds.

Good luck.

[madabouthens]

I would agree with Sarah; we have high rainfall and poor drainage. Raised beds drain better and that allows the soil to warm up more quickly. Don't make the beds too wide, just wide enough to reach across, which means you are not tempted to stand on the beds which would compact the soil.
Tony

[oldjerry]

3rd response from the raised bed appreciation society.Perfect for all situations,but ESPECIALLY yours. Best Wishes.

[grahamhobbs]

celery

[zaxdog]

Thanks guys but the reason I was after plants to grow in boggy ground is that this is a rented house and while we are willing to do a fair bit I am not making the landlord free raised beds added to which it would be really hard to get the materials to build raised beds without a lot of fuss and expense!

I do like celery though

[Millymollymandy]

Watercress - I'm not kidding, you can buy seeds to grow in a pot which sits on a saucer full of water, so if your ground is always nice and moist it would be the right conditions.

[wulf]

You can create temporary structures. For example, given some support, you could probably press a bag of compost directly into use as a "bed". Pierce some holes in the lower part for drainage (and perhaps sit off the ground on some rubble if the ground underneath is really boggy), slice the top off and you've got an instant container for the price of a bag of compost.

You might want to buy one bag of compost and one of topsoil and fill both with a mixture of the two. I know buying in soil and compost isn't incredibly self-sufficient but, to be honest, you would probably be doing the same even if you built a more robust bed and at least this way you aren't discarding the sacks.

Wulf

[Odsox]

Do what the Irish did years ago.
Dig your soil and ridge it ... make long "hills" just like earthed up potato rows, and then plant your crops on the ridge top.
That way you can grow just about anything, onions, cauliflower, cabbages, lettuce etc, with the added benefit that the plant can extend it's roots into the boggy bit and get water anytime it wants (no drought worries).
Oh, and your soil could almost certainly do with some lime as I'm sure it's definitely on the acid side.

[bonniethomas06]

Hmm, nice moist soil....acidic....BLUEBERRIES!!!

[boboff]

Can you borrow some willow whips and plant them against the cliff, this will dry the ground out a bit.

Rhubarb should be ok I think

[fruitcake]

Being in not too dissimilar conditions I can feed back re my experiments of growing in boggy ground - my soft fruit seems to be fine - rasps, blackcurrants, redcurrants, blueberries, strawbs - all good, rhubarb - yep, cranberries - not doing much but i think were slightly strangled by overgrown grass so have moved them. Willow, alder, hazel, elder - all going great guns. I've put a mixed hedge on top of a bank so it's not nearly so wet there but i think it would be fine in the damper areas - includes hawthorn, blackthorn, rosa, elder etc. I find mulching really helps too.

Trying to plant veg straight into the ground - not so positive. I've resorted to building raised beds out of scrap wood left over from housebuilding - they're not posh and they certainly ain't fancy - only 2 planks high and defo makes a difference - oh and they're certainly not straight, lol. Lavender - pretty much rots off - I've moved it to a stony drier place - much better. All my herbs are in pots although lady's mantle, lemon balm and mints will grow anywhere - they are a bit thuggish tho so watch 'em. I've heardthe large lidl bags make good grow bags for spuds - I would defo grow your spubs in bags - the slugs are a pain in the *** here!

Windburn and salt air/spray is prob another joy you have to overcome as well in your location.

Good luck, let us know how you get on

[Tigerhair]

We're surrounded by water, and the river seems to "visit" a couple of times a year. So we have a pretty damp garden. However, I have grown a variety of stuff - rhubarb/courgettes/beans/peas - general stuff successfully. Give it a try and grow what you like to eat. I would invest in some grit or sand and mix it in and try not to walk on your ground. A lightness of touch is needed with the damp stuff. Good luck

[cocobelle]

I would definitely recommend having a go at growing watercress, I used to live in Hampshire which is where I believe the best watercress is farmed. Um watercress & cheese sardines :)