When I tell people we are located in a swamp they look back with a sense of wonder, like “why would anyone live in such a place?”
I would admit that low land does come with a set of challenges and a few unexpected surprises. This property has become a positive place forcing me to think outside the box.
I have had to take my gardening experience and ideas to the next level. Or as we say, level up.
I am always moving dirt, some have asked, “what about a tractor?” That would be nice, but we are not extravagant people, so I normally respond, “maybe one day.”
The additional labor from using a shovel and wheelbarrow keeps us healthy and at the end of the day there is a sense of gratitude.
My grandmother was known for puttering in her garden day after day saying,
“Rome wasn’t built in day.” From moving dirt, planting and making everything outdoors beautiful, it paid off. She set the example to care for God's blessings.
So, while I am still young and have the ambition I will continue
to work as she did, find solutions and make improvements so that gardening in a swamp
becomes a bounty of goodness.
So far things are shaping up.
Starting with Raised Beds
Last fall we started our garden by building up the ground and adding raised
beds. Then I rearranged these same beds and
continued adding dirt because I did not want to garden on a slope.
That was an excellent idea and as I continued to move dirt while adding a few more raised beds. This project is a labor of love by first embracing our environment. I had to embrace if I were to grow a thriving garden, the ground needed to be higher.
We get a lot of rain; we also experience a lot of humidity and almost every morning we have moisture. Which means the ground and plants are always wet.
We also have the occasional snake, thousands of toads, lots of crawdads, dragonflies galore and every kind of buzzing bee. The honeybees are bountiful which is specular.
Butterflies are in abundance, spiders are present, and I
have finally seen worms. Just his morning there was a crane off the pond hunting for food.
By selecting a raised bed garden, I can run interference with a lot of these obstacles and allow the positive creatures a place to visit. We have what I call an amazing natural echo system.
But like I mentioned we have had a lot of rain this year, so the garden has been slow to grow. Very slow, but after a couple months things are looking up and offering some hope.
What I have Learned
What I have learned about this landscape is that starting seeds indoors isn't necessary. Direct seed has proven to be the best option even if it means I begin
later in the season.
At first, I felt defeated but after a few heavy rains and having to replant I rested in knowing we have a long growing season.
This attitude has forced me to relax, have patience and enjoy the journey more than normal. I reminded myself that it takes soil a good 3 to 5 years to perform. The exception would be if you are buying already prepped soil from a nursery.
Since I am not doing that, I have had to "chill out" and now that we have a "dog" direct composting has become more difficult. So, I built a compost bin.
Anyone reading this from my retired blog,
Garden Up Green knows that I always implemented direct composting. That was something I learned from years of gardening with my grandmother.
Here is your takeaway, do not let your climate determine your success. Sometimes all you must do is think outside the box and take your ideas to the next level.
Gardening in the swamp has taught me to level up.
Be the good,
Carole West
If you enjoyed this, then you will be interested in my new book, Garden Up Green.
This is an excellent resource on how to begin a garden with DIY projects to grow in raised beds.
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