convert moist grass to veggie garden

[out4trout]

I have a parcel of land that is currently in grass directly adjacent to my current veggie garden (all on a slight side hill). I want to expand the veggie garden this year. I need to move in the direction of some soggy ground that stays moist year round...there is some sort of underground spring through there or something.
So the question is, how do I get it dry enough to make it useable?
Should I make a "shallow well" so I can utilize the water that is there? How do you do that? Maybe by putting this shallow well above the wet area (there is a slight hill that all this located on) it will dry the area below it (the place I want the garden to expand to) and I can use the well to water the garden?
Should I just dig deep, put in a pipe, back fill and plant over the top? I don’t know what to do...thoughts? Suggestions?

[wogglebug]

Do you know where your septic leach field is?

[out4trout]

yep it is on the other side of the house...dug that up two years ago...not near it. when in the spring this wet spot is "flowing" over the surface of the ground...i dug a little couple inch deep ditch and a few feet long and it started to run. and i mean run. if i dug down a couple feet and streathed out a ditch, i am fully confident that it would run year round...might slow to a trickle in the summer, but it would go.
in the middle of summer the ground is squshy enough that when walking there, you have to be careful not to fill your shoe with mud and goo...

[littlebitfarm]

Put a field tile in. There is one under my garden area, left byu the former owner.

Kathie

[out4trout]

not to sounds stupid...but what is that? is that like a well tile? except in a field? what/how/where do you do that...

[chickenista]

Someone on the gardening threads maybe or here posted a question about how to tame a spring.. there were links to some great ways to turn it into a useful water source..
If it were my spring.. I would be the happiest gal in the world. I would dig it and shape it and form it into irrigation for my whole garden and a cool place for a drink and a splash to the back of the neck on a hot day.

[Dirtslinger]

French drain, I believe also known as tiles.
If its a spring or very high watertable why not dig a pond? Mud botom of course. You could raise certain food fish, watercrops etc. All the excavated soil could be used to raise the ground elsewhere.

[out4trout]

anyone know what the name of the post about taming the spring was?
i will search...
how do you dig a pond? i have access to a small backhoe...but dont you need to line the bottom with something special so the water does not seep out? wouldnt you need to put some sort of drain pipe or something in it so the water would not overflow? how is this done?

[Dirtslinger]

If you dig down 1-2' and that fills with water and stays, the water table is high enough for a pond that needs no inlet.

A pond like this is better without a liner, as water coming from below will continually refresh from below- you don't want to hold that back. I've done both and been happiest with the mud bottom which also has less (no) maintenance.

It will refresh to an extent. With no water coming in from a creek you will want to allow plenty of plants for natural filtration while being careful not to overstock the natural balance. Depending on the pond size I'd suggest no waterfowl, what a mess if it's small.

I don't know if you dug into a spring what would happen- someone will, but I'd wonder about if you had somewhere for it to run rather than to flood the whole area.

In my situation an excavator worked wonders.

[chickenista]

I found the thread, but I do not know how to move the link here.. it is called "how to develop a spring" As of now.. it is on the 8th page of Homesteading Questions.. I checked out the links when I first read it and some of them were good. I was soo sick with jealousy over a water source that I had to quit looking.

[out4trout]

hey i will tell you what...if you come and remove the spring, it is yours, free of charge!
hehehehehe
i am "blessed" with pleanty of water on this property and i know it is good to have water, but all things must be in moderation. in the spring...like right now, it is SO WET that my driveway (100' away) is swamped. my work truck sinks up tot he rims, when it is parked overnight, and you cannot walk or mow or garden approx .75 acres because of this spring...living in vermont with a short growing season, and only on 3.5-4 acres...losing finctionality of a .75 acre chunk is a real issue. even in the middle of the summer talking July20th, you mow at your own risk!
i would love to figure out a way to utilize this water in a productive way, that way i am not always fighting it and getting upset. whether i can build a pond, dig a shallow well and use it for house water or garden water (maybe that would relieve enough pressure to dry up the rest), or just dig it deep and put a pipe in adn let it run, i dont know....but i am resolved to come up with a solution that is workable so as to return this land to service.
thanks for the name of the thread! i found it and will be reading!

[MELOC]

it would seem to me that if you simply dug a hole in an area that was already wet, and you didn't actually seal the pond with clay or plastic, the water would just do what it has always done and just seep into the surrounding soil.

[themamahen]

Dirtslinger is correct if you dig down 2-3' with a shovel even, dig a big hole and see if your water stays, slot of things affect a pond, but with an incoming spring like you have, you will more than likely have an ideal spot for a pond.

the property i am looking at has a pond that overflows so I will put in a tile to direct the water to the ditch line.

[out4trout]

whne you say you will put in a tile to redirect...can you give more detail? i am curious how that works. thanks!

[themamahen]

well the pond overflows on the west side which slopes gently down so all the water slopes and runs down the hill. I will dig down about 3' away from the pond and install the tile. excavators are needed here or backhoe exc. then the runoff will go into the tile, underground. in whatever direction I put it in. this will have to be done beofre the driveway goes in as the pond runs about 1/4 mile down the property VERY Mucky.

[Gideon]

Water, like electricity follows the easiest route. Use a trencher to put in 2'-3' deep trenchs in a criss cross pattern or extended Y pattern(according to your needs and degree of grade). Place drain pipe(the 4" "holey" kind) in the bottom, drop some permeable cloth over a few inchs of "golf ball sized" rock and make sure the whole pipe system is in a constant grade so water will drain out. The land will dry because the water is escaping before surfacing. Would dig a retainer pond at the end of the pipes for irrigation water when needed. Toss in some catfish and you have a ready protein source that is easily trapped. wc

[out4trout]

i could then re soil, till and plant over the top of the trenches no problem right? well provided that i dont go too deep and hit the pipe/cloth....

[FarmboyBill]

This area might stay so wet you could not pl;ant seeds ther without them rotting in the soil anyhow, BUT it might grow melon, strawberry, tomato, corn, berry bushes and other plants successfully

[homebirtha]

Here's the thread on developing a spring. Good links.

How to develop a spring

[suitcase_sally]

I live in an area that has wet ground and I needed more space for a garden. DH built up the area with landscape stone about 2.5' then filled the first foot with sand and the other 1.5' with that good black muck soil we have. It is great! The veggie roots get plenty of moisture and the soil is firm enough to walk on.

I don't have a picture of it, but here is a picture of the driveway into our property that has a seasonal flow that made getting the equipment trailer in and out difficult. You can see he layed a culvert in so the water could continue to flow when necessary.