Underwater :(

[ctg492]

I put my small vegetable garden plot in last fall. Sat outside many time looking at the area. Watched the sun all day to see if it was the right spot. Tilled the area, put in back breaking loads of manure/peat and good soil. Installed a nice little fence. My strawberries, asparagus and rhubarb were to arrive yesterday. I went out to the area earlier this week and dug the holes and trenches and mounds. I went out to look at my masterpiece while waiting for the UPS to deliver my happy roots and what do I see, the holes are filled to the top with water, most the garden is under water:confused: I was heart broken, to say the least. We have had massive rain in S Michigan last week. The golf course down the road was closed all week. So perhaps this will pass. Today I trenched for two hours trying to get the water to leave. I have little hope that I can plant in there, but maybe? What do you think? I got the standing water to drain, the ground it soaked. I put in a few asparagus and a few rhubarb, what do you think? Everything else I am going to stager into the flower gardens in front where it is high and dry sort of.:

[Tussiemussies]

I put my small vegetable garden plot in last fall. Sat outside many time looking at the area. Watched the sun all day to see if it was the right spot. Tilled the area, put in back breaking loads of manure/peat and good soil. Installed a nice little fence. My strawberries, asparagus and rhubarb were to arrive yesterday. I went out to the area earlier this week and dug the holes and trenches and mounds. I went out to look at my masterpiece while waiting for the UPS to deliver my happy roots and what do I see, the holes are filled to the top with water, most the garden is under water:confused: I was heart broken, to say the least. We have had massive rain in S Michigan last week. The golf course down the road was closed all week. So perhaps this will pass. Today I trenched for two hours trying to get the water to leave. I have little hope that I can plant in there, but maybe? What do you think? I got the standing water to drain, the ground it soaked. I put in a few asparagus and a few rhubarb, what do you think? Everything else I am going to stager into the flower gardens in front where it is high and dry sort of.:


Sounds like the heavy rains were the culprit... Do you have clay type of soil? You might have to put in a higher raised garden bed to prevent this from happening again. Do you get heavy rains a lot? I would put your plants in just yet until the soil is just somewhat moist...sorry...sounds like you really put a lot of work into this....

[CathyA]

Don't worry......it will dry out. The end of my garden is in water too, but it will dry out.
Did you plant the rhubarb in the water? And the asparagus? its not good to plant anything in wet soil, since it gets compacted, and can't get enough oxygen. You could always plant those things in a pot to hold for awhile. Don't despair.......everything will be alright. Its still pretty early in MI to plant much of anything. You've got plenty of time for it to dry out.

[razz]

Don't worry about the excess rain, it will drain away and your garden will do fine.

[awakenedsoul]

Hmmm...can you put in some straw as mulch? Sometimes that acts as a sponge. Hopefully the water will drain so that there's some air in your soil. I don't have much experience with rain, since our issue in Spring is usually late frosts...

[ctg492]

Tussiemussies, I raised it higher then the ground with soil and manure/peat. I am just hoping this was freak with all the rain. I really did sit out there last year watching the tree shadows, sun shine. I even bought a tiller. I am hopeful it was not in vain.

[ctg492]

awakenedsoul, I trenched and got water running towards the woods. I hope this works if it happens again.

[ctg492]

Well it has all turned out great. I could have picked a better spot, but the water left and everything is doing great. The asparagus popped up this week YEAH! I did loose the tomato and pepper plants, we had freeze on mothers day :( Other then that it is now far to small! I started preparing to make it twice the size. I have the ground covered to kill the grass.

[ctg492]

Ok late June, I know I picked the wrong spot for my garden. It is wet all the time, we have had a good amount of rain. I have lost the peppers, onions, broccoli, carrots are dismal, tomatoes have few blossoms, the asparagus too early to tell and the strawberries are just so so. The rabbits can get under the fence which did not help. I went out one morning and it looked like I caged a couple rabbits!
So I will regroup and figure out where to move it in the fall. I will scoop and trailer the soil I brought in to a new location. Oh we'll live and learn.

[redfox]

Well, there are things you can raise in bog-like conditions! Rice paddy?

[ApatheticNoMore]

Well, there are things you can raise in bog-like conditions! Rice paddy?

watercress

[RosieTR]

I thought asparagus liked water? It grows wild here but only in drainages and along stream banks. So maybe you can have an asparagus garden there and the main garden elsewhere.

[Tussiemussies]

Ctg, any new developments on your garden situation?