An ideal soil for growing vegetable crops suppose to have a good water-holding and draining capacity, that is the soil should retain and drain water optimally. This allows plants to carry out respiration and other physiological activities normally.
But, what if you have a spot that is waterlogged, does that mean you should not cultivate the spot? Leaving the spot without cultivating it is never a good option. This is because there are ways to enhance the productivity of the soil and there are also some good vegetables that you can grow nicely in the wet soil.
In this article, I handpicked the 15 best and easy vegetables to grow in clay soil or wet soil.
These vegetables that can be grown easily in wet soil include cauliflowers, celery, spinach, groundnuts, Kang Kong, garden pea, arugula, watercress, asparagus, mint, taro, skirret, Butterbur, cabbage, black chokeberry, and so on.
Read on for a detailed step-by-step guide and tips on how to improve waterlogged soil.
Overview
Soil is one of the most important factors you need to look at (as a gardener) when you want to establish a vegetable garden. There are different types of soils such as loamy soil, clay soil, and sandy soil.
Loamy soil is considered the best soil for growing wide varieties of plant species. Sandy soil drains water and nutrients so easily and this makes it hard for plants to get water and nutrients.
On the other hand, clay soil does not drain or retain water for too long. This excess water affects the plants’ roots. Plants’ roots become submerged in water and rotten and then the plants eventually die up.
However, there are some plants that can also survive and do well in sandy or clay soil. Below are some of the best vegetables that you can grow in wet soil:
1. Cauliflower
Cauliflower is a vegetable plant that is similar to cabbage and Brussels sprouts. It is mostly cultivated as an annual vegetable for its edible head. The head of cauliflower is similar to that of broccoli.
Cauliflower is a good vegetable to be picked and cultivated if you have a waterlogged garden spot. The vegetable does tolerate a reasonable space of moisture or wet soil. Learn more about cauliflower.
Read also: 20 Best And Easy Vegetables To Grow In Sandy Soil
2. Garden Pea
Garden Pea is another vegetable that can be grown in wet soil. Garden pea is grown as an annual vegetable for its edible fruits. It is usually cultivated between winter through early summer. Learn more about the garden pea.
Read also: 21 Best Vegetables That Can Be Grown In Full Shade
3. Mint
Mint is also known as mentha is also a good vegetable crop to consider when struggling to find vegetables to plant on your waterlogged garden soil. Mint is an evergreen perennial vegetable crop that thrives near lakes, moist spots, and rivers. The vegetable is cultivated for its edible leaves, which are used in teas, beverages, jellies, ice creams, and syrups. Learn more about mint.
Read also: 12 Easy Vegetables To Grow In Full Sun
4. Celery
Celery is another wet soil-loving vegetable that you can consider growing in your waterlogged garden. Celery has long fibrous stalks or leaves, which are eaten as vegetables. In some parts of Europe, celery is usually grown around September to late April. Learn more about celery.
Read also: 14 Vegetables That Can Be Grown Well In Arizona Full Sun
5. Watercress
Watercress is a flowering plant that is similar to cabbage. It is a perennial vegetable, which is grown for its edible leaves. Watercress also thrives well in moist spots and near pools of water. And so growing celery alongside other waterlogged-loving vegetables such as climbing vines is a good choice. Learn more about watercress.
Read also: What Kind Of Soil Should I use For Container Vegetables Garden?
6. Asparagus
Asparagus or garden asparagus is also known as sparrow grass. It is one of the spring flowering plants and vegetables, which is cultivated for its young edible shoots. The vegetables can grow in both wet and sandy soils. Learn more about asparagus.
Read also: 12 Best Vegetables That Be Grown In Clay Soil
7. Kang Kong
Kang Kong commonly known as the Chinese PR river spinach is a semiaquatic flowering plant and vegetable, which is grown for its tender shoots. Kang Kong is also a good vegetable for those who are living in Asian and Australian countries. It thrives well in wet soil. Learn more about Kang Kong.
8. Cabbage
Cabbage is also a good option for those people who are living near riverine areas or an apartment that is waterlogged. It is a large green flowering and biennial vegetable, which is grown for its dense leaved heads. Learn more about Cabbage.
9. Skirret
Skirret is a perennial flowering plant, which is grown as a root vegetable. The roots of skirret are very sweet, which are aromatic, and delicious. Skirret also grows well in moist or wet soil. Consider growing skirret if you have a garden spot that is waterlogged. Learn more about Skirret.
10. American Groundnut
American groundnut is one of the olden vegetables of Americans that is widely enjoyed in many dishes. The vegetable is also a favorite Indian vegetable that found a place in many Indian soups and recipes.
American groundnut is a climbing vine, which is usually red, purple, or pink in color. American groundnut blooms in July through September and grows well in waterlogged or wet soil. Learn more about American Groundnut.
11. Taro
Taro is a tropical flowering plant, which is grown mainly for its root vegetable. It is one of the popular food crops among southern Asia and Africans. The vegetable can also be found in some parts of Australia such as the northern territory, Queensland, and New South Wales.
Taro is also a good vegetable that can be grown in paddy fields ( a place where there is abundant rainfall or constant moisture). Learn more about Taro.
12. Black Chokeberry
Black Chokeberry is a perennial shrub that is mostly cultivated for its edible berries. It is a branching vine, which produces dark green and glossy leaves. The leaves change to red color during autumn. Black chokeberry grows well from spring through September, which yields black fruits in September. The fruits produced are widely used in salad dressings, jams, jellies, and juices. Learn more about Black chokeberry.
13. Butterbur
Butterbur is a flowering perennial vegetable, which is widely enjoyed because of its medicinal benefits against seasonal allergies and migraines. Butterbur can also be called coltsfoots or Petasites.
The vegetable possesses a thick and creeping underground rhizome, which is similar to large rhubarb leaves. Butterbur can be in a damp moist environment with regular gardening maintenance. Learn more about Butterbur.
14. Argula
Arugula is also called Rucola. It is a vegetable that requires cool and moist conditions. Arugula can be grown as perennial and the green salad can be harvested from time to time for consumption. It grows well from spring through autumn. Learn more about Argula.
15. Tanier spinach
Tanker spinach is another great option that you can consider growing in your waterlogged garden spot. Tanier spinach is a great vegetable similar to taro, which is grown for its edible green leaves. Learn more about Tanier spinach.
How to improve Wet Soil
While planting friendly vegetables that love wet soil, you can also completely enhance the quality of the wet so that you can grow all types of vegetables you wanted to grow.
You can enhance the quality of waterlogged soil by creating a good water-draining system through the addition of humus and sandy soil. You can add sandy soil to increase the porosity of the soil so that water can drain optimally. Adding sand to the soil also helps increase aeration.
And adding humus or organic matters to the wet soil help introduce useful soil microflora such as bacteria, fungi, and earthworms. These are vital soil organisms that help increase nutrients and aeration in the soil.
However, this may be sometimes is costly or expensive especially if you are correcting a large acre of land. Another alternative is to use raised garden on the waterlogged spot.
Tip: Learn how to prepare a garden spot
Conclusion
Growing vegetables in wet soil can be very challenging especially when you don’t what vegetables prepare wet soil. In this article, I looked at the different issues regarding growing vegetables in waterlogged soil and handpicked the 15 best and easy vegetables to grow in clay soil or wet soil. I hope you will find the article useful. Let me know if you have any questions.
