Growing Vegetables In Wet Soil

Growing Vegetables In Wet Soil

Growing vegetables in wet soil invariably is not possible because wet soil causes root rot. However, you can do soil amendment to ensure that the wet soil is more conducive to vegetable gardening. One way of finding out whether the soil is too wet is by taking a handful and squeezing it. If the soil sticks together in ball, it means that the soil is too wet.

You can rectify the problem of wet soil by adding organic matter. Not only will the organic matter help to release nutrients like nitrogen and minerals, it will also help to reduce the wetness. You can also think about adding partially rotting straw or compost to ensure that the surface soil attains good condition. Remember this option is only for soil that is mildly wet and not soaking wet.

Wet soil delays the start of the growing season for vegetables in spring and then plays a big role in ending the growing season in autumn. So, look for vegetables that have short growing cycles like tomatoes, peas, radishes, potatoes, beans, carrots and the likes.

Another option for growing vegetables in wet soil is to go for raised vegetable beds. This way the beds will not have anything to do with the wet soil and you can grow whatever vegetables you like.

Generally a raised vegetable bed is around 3 to 4 feet wide and the length can be as long as you want. The width is fixed so that the person can tend to the center of the bed from both sides. A raised vegetable bed can be a square or a rectangle.

Even if the soil is wet, always opt for a location to have your raised vegetable in an area that receives plenty of sunlight. The frame should be a minimum of 6 inches deep but you can go as much as 12 inches.

Growing vegetables in wet soil is definitely challenging but you can overcome this problem by different methods. You can go for container vegetable gardening, hay bale vegetable gardening or raised bed vegetable gardening.

Vegetable Gardening :
Baby Corn Beans Beets Broccoli
Brussel Sprouts Cabbage Carrot Cassava
Cauliflower Celery Corn Cucumber
Eggplant Garden Peas Garlic Gourds
Holy Basil Kaffir Lime Lettuce Morning Glory
Mushroom Okra Onion Parsley
Peppermint Potato Pumpkin Radish
Rhubarb Shallot Spinach Squash
String Bean Sweet Pepper Sweet Potatoes Tomato

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Growing Vegetables In Wet Soil