Dealing with a swamp

[Jbro1984]

This is the first year I havent tilled my plot. Weve also go steady rain through the spring and summer so far. Lost four plants in spring rain and the ground seemed soggier than years past (heavy rains the week or so after transplanting). The rest started taking off but maybe stunted a little. Everything was going ok until this past week it rained enough there was a solid inch and a half of water pooling in my plot and everything is drooped and sad.

I need advice on saving my plants if I can. Drainage ditch? Pull everything and till/plant in planters? Adding more compost? Anything, please help!

[eyolf]

If you can, I would dig a circular moat, with one hole like 3 feet deep. Run a sump pump in a garbage can or plastic barrel in the deep hole to dewater.

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[Jbro1984]

Weather looks good until the weekend where this is only <50% chance of rain. So a little respite.

[PhilaGardener]

This has been a tough year but it seems heavy rains are increasing in their number and severity.


Perhaps raised beds might help in future years?

[Jbro1984]

Originally Posted by PhilaGardener

This has been a tough year but it seems heavy rains are increasing in their number and severity.


Perhaps raised beds might help in future years?

Yes raised beds are in the future. I think the duel stress of too much rain has given way to mid/late summer heat as well. The rain has been minimal the past week and a half but it has also been topping out around 90. Im thinking of getting a sun shade (something Ive considered for years to help with fruit set) to cool the patch off as well. Might save maybe 3-4 Brandywine plants for a single flush if Im lucky this year.

[Tracydr]

I’m going to try a small high tunnel next year. My soil drains well,it’s sandy loam and on a slight hill but this year I’ve lost dozens of tomato plants to a wilt. It seems to be happening after heavy rain followed by heat.
Hoping that I can keep the ground drier with a high tunnel, I’ll have to make sure to have the bed raised some to prevent tunnel runoff making the problem even worse.

[b54red]

Originally Posted by Tracydr

I’m going to try a small high tunnel next year. My soil drains well,it’s sandy loam and on a slight hill but this year I’ve lost dozens of tomato plants to a wilt. It seems to be happening after heavy rain followed by heat.
Hoping that I can keep the ground drier with a high tunnel, I’ll have to make sure to have the bed raised some to prevent tunnel runoff making the problem even worse.

The problem is Bacterial Wilt and it almost always happens after heavy rain in very hot humid weather. The only long term solution to the problem that I have found is grafting onto a root stock that is somewhat resistant to BW. I have had to graft for years to help me grow heirlooms despite the fusarium wilt in my soil and the nematodes. Even with most root stocks I have used cases of Bacterial Wilt would still strike down a number of large healthy loaded plants until I used one from NE Seeds called RST-04-106-T. I have not had a case of Bacterial Wilt in any of the plants that I have grafted using that rootstock and I have been using it exclusively for 5 or 6 years.

Bill

[JRinPA]

I can't see your pics anymore. But I'm pretty sure you had a square of cages in the middle of a field?


I can't say enough good things about broadforked raised rows, and covering with black mulch of some sort. I don't rototill, though.