Is our soil fixable?

[linzelu100]

I live on 9 acres of wooded mountain virginia land. It's beautiful- the problem is, this new home....errrr gets the swampiest, muckiest soil. We are kind of set down low in a "bowl" from our neighbors, next to a creek and natural springs. As an ameateur I thought that would be good for gardening. It rained for an hour today, and now the entire yard is a swamp. My foot gets stuck a foot deep down in the mud. My garden area has puddles everywhere. I have read that raised beds would fix this, but I am not sure and not sure it is worth the cost. We are renting this home for now, but are considering buying it; I am hesitant for this reason. I want my dream garden- I am not sure if this can be the place, but it is a lot of house for the money. A really nice deal.

Since I am so new at this I read a lot about gardening. I see farmers stick a shovel in the ground pull up soil and say if they can farm there or not. Name a weed and determine if the land is fertile. How can I be one of these people? What can I read to learn about this?

Our soil is heavy clay, but right now it is a swamp. Ultimately, I'd like to garden one acre in the future- raised beds don't seem likely at that large level.

Thanks for reading.