Wet Feet?

We just bought some property and would like to start planning what types of fruit trees to plant. The area is zone 8, so the weather will allow many wonderful fruits and nuts. My concern is that the area is a little damp. (We saw the land in August, and the yard had frogs. No one had watered in months, and the grass was still green.) In winter, the place will be positively soggy. Groundwater level is high, particularly in winter and spring.

Blackberries abound!!! I'm hoping for some variety, though!

Are there any fruits we should just NOT try?

Thank you!



This message was edited Nov 15, 2005 7:01 PM

Our yard isn't as wet as that, but since we have clay soil that can stay pretty soggy, Stark Bros suggested we plant our fruit trees with a good 1/3 of the root ball above ground level. Just mound the dirt up around your planting hole so the rootball is covered. This keeps at least some of the roots out of the wettest stuff. I don't know if this would be sufficient for an area that produces frogs, however. You might need to figure out a drainage solution first. Or try plants that are similar to blackberries! :-)

I agree with critterologist. You need to set up some sort of drainage system first. Our house in San Jose was on a hillside and all the houses there were fitted with drainage systems that drained the backyards out onto the sidewalk. It worked quite well.

I love to landscape with fruit trees and shrubs. None like wet feet. Take time to get to know the soil, its pH, what the areas are like during each of the seasons and whether you have any microclimes. You also need to decide whether you want full sized trees or something smaller. Smaller trees are easier to care for and fruit easier to harvest. Some fruit trees need cross pollinators. Planning is such an exciting part of planting. There are so many possibilities.

One thing you need to do is to contact your local county extension agent to find out how many chill hours the area gets. Not all zone 8b's are the same. On average, our part of zone 8b gets 650 chill hours a year, but we were advised not to plant any trees that need more than 600 chill.
hours to be safe. What you plant will ultimately be dependent on the number of chill hours your property gets.
Veronica

Our water table is probably higher than yours. We grow Fuyu Persimmons, and Satsuma Oranges. Both are doing well. We planted on little hills, about 4 feet wide and 18 inches high. After a couple of years, the hills had disappeared. In the center of my small grove, I dug a pit 2 feet wide and 2 feet deep. I installed a float switch with a sump pump. It keeps the standing water out and all are doing well.