boggy bottoms

Bea

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Premium Member
Joined
Nov 23, 2017
Messages
70
Climate
Sub-Tropical
meaning a patch of ground that gets boggy during a rainstorm.
This question is really for those of you who live in sub-tropical areas.
What do you think I can plant in an area outside my door and along the tiled sidewalk that gets huge amounts of roof runoff during a rainstorm. Keep in mind that it never gets cold here. I always watch the water level in case someday it really will run up and over the sidewalk. (As is during some storms, depending on the wind direction, water comes into my hallway and even bedroom windows and the whole yard looks like a bog) In over a year here this patch has never flooded over the sidewalk, and that tells me it has great drainage. Whew. The patch I am thinking of is just dirt and bordered by concrete walkways in an L shape, the clothelisne area (on which I laid a few layers of heavy box-like cardboard then covered with gravel, turning into a walkway from my washing machine to the clothesline - washing machine sits outside on the walk - not unusual here). It is framed by rocks, sedum and part of the sidewalk. This is all against the East wall of the house. The overall shape is a rectangle of dirt that has only been amended with debris from leaves, kitchen sweeping, and weeding. My calendula grows OK in this area as does plantain but needs heavy watering during the dry season. So, I am thinking that some greens: lettuces, parsley, coriander, kale, mizuna, spinach, etc., might do well in this patch, and because it is rarely dry, the west sun, over a high wall wont have too bad an effect on the lettuces. What about root vegies grown just for the greens? beets, turnips? I would appreciate opinions here, and what is a good time of year to plants any of these? thank you in advance.
 

ClissAT

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Sep 27, 2015
Messages
1,842
Location
Pomona, Qld
Climate
Sub-Tropical
Do I read you right that you are wanting to grow short term crops to take advantage of the extra amount of moisture?
And that at least for part of the year this area is quite dry?
Cress would love the water, most lettuces might not handle sitting in water & rot off.
I just lost all of my ice berg lettuces about a week or so out from picking due to 2 days of intermittent rain & humidity. Great disappointment as they were huge.
Some strange plants don't mind wet feet. Tomatoes will use lots of water so long as the above ground part of the plant is up on a trellis with good air flow. They will send out a massive volume of white roots to soak up all that water.
Silver beet & chard like very moist soil.
 

Bea

Active Member
Premium Member
Joined
Nov 23, 2017
Messages
70
Climate
Sub-Tropical
Do I read you right that you are wanting to grow short term crops to take advantage of the extra amount of moisture?
And that at least for part of the year this area is quite dry?
Cress would love the water, most lettuces might not handle sitting in water & rot off.
I just lost all of my ice berg lettuces about a week or so out from picking due to 2 days of intermittent rain & humidity. Great disappointment as they were huge.
Some strange plants don't mind wet feet. Tomatoes will use lots of water so long as the above ground part of the plant is up on a trellis with good air flow. They will send out a massive volume of white roots to soak up all that water.
Silver beet & chard like very moist soil.
that's why i am thinking about deep root types like parsley. but, tomatoes? wow. would never have considered them.
 

DarrenP

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Joined
Nov 24, 2017
Messages
153
Location
Mid North SA
Climate
Temperate (all seasons)
Just a suggestion for the soggy soil. Why not make the whole area a raised garden bed? You could put a thick layer of gravel in the bottom to help with drainage, and the bed soil might not get as sodden.
Of course this is from someone with no experience of the tropics, lol.
 
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