waterlogged ground

[spikejack]

can anybody please give me some advice on how to remedy this situation. i would love to start planting now but know it is futile.
can i plant some fruits in pots until i sort the ground out and if so which fruits are happy in pots. many thanks for this wonderful forum karl

[shirlthegirl43]

Hi and welcome to the vine. What fruit are you thinking of? Most currants are okay in containers and rasps will be fine in temporary containers till the ground dries out a bit.

[Nicos]

Have a look at some of the mail order companies to see what they sell in containers (rather than bare rooted).
That will give you an idea what will be happy in pots for a year at least.
I've kept gooseberries, rhubarb, raspberries ,blueberries, cranberries and blackcurrants in tubs for a year waiting to be transplanted from the lottie to the French garden.
All the fruit trees which I bought bare rooted were put into tubs for a few months too and all seem to have survived!
To be honest I can't think of any fruit trees or bushes which can't be grown in a container.
There are only a few more weeks of the cheaper bare rooted trees and bushes availability, so I'd go on a spending spree this weekend!!

Waterlogged ground still?....raised beds jump to mind!

[Paul Wagland]

I'm with Nicos - I've grown almost every kind of fruit in pots, although there is more maintenance involved (watering mostly!).

What's the problem with the ground? Just winter wetness or something more long term?

[Sue]

Spikejack
I've got the bottom quarter of my allotment, waterlogged every winter. So either it's got wetter in recent years or the ground's been neglected as there's a very old jostaberry there which seems to live through it all and rhubarb too.
I would just add if you put pots on waterlogged ground, remember to raise them up on bricks so they can drain properly. The first pot I put there got waterlogged and it weighed a ton to move.
Sue

[spikejack]

i have only recently moved into this house so dont know if its a long term problem or not. there is a peris bush there which seems in perfect order so thats not being affected by the wet soil. i think i will buy a few pots this weekend and put some fruit bushes in them. i dont have to put the pots in the waterlogged area as plenty of space elsewhere. what compost/mixture should i use for the pots and fertilizer id need to use. i fancy growing raspberries, blackberries, blueberries. also OH fancies miniature apple and pear tree. is it possible to get rid of the waterlogging, all your advice is greatly appreciated. karl

[Nicos]

I'd mix John Innes No 3 with a bit of your own soil for all but the blueberries- you'll need ericaceous compost for them.
Do keep the pots off the soil and paving slabs as the frost may crack them! ( a couple of bricks or something underneath to allow airflow should help solve that...or plastic pots!)
Remember that raspberries are shallow rooted, so don't plant them too deep in the pot.

[Paul Wagland]

Bonemeal is good for all freshly planted fruit trees and bushes. It helps root formation and 'opens up' damp soil at this time of year. I've always sworn by wood ash too - I used to have a woodburning stove which gave a good supply. I've read you shouldn't use ash from a coal fire (or mixed wood and coal) however, presumably because of chemical residues.... anyone know for sure?

EDIT: You only need a small handful of each for an average-sized pot

[Sue]

Paul
There is a temptingly large hill of soot besides our allotment gate and I did ask on here when I started if it was safe to use it. I was advised not to because of the chemicals in the coal residue. So now I only get the ash from burning any woody prunings.
I did read that soot was good to deter slugs and I have tried putting it round flower beds where nothing is growing, works after a fashion, I think.
Sue