How to build a Garden in a Marsh

Make use of “wasted” space

Have you ever thought of what use you could make of wetlands on your property?  Let me tell you how to build a garden in a marsh.

  Living on a narrow half-acre, I am always am looking for ways to get the most of my limited space and resources.  What if the sunniest spot on your property happens to lie on a swamp?  I saw this as an opportunity to try out something similar to the “chinampas” that I had read about in ancient Mesoamerica, where fertile garden plots were literally built out of a previously unproductive marshy area by steadily building up organic material over a spot.  

I started this project long before I had gotten back in the habit of taking photos again and at the time I would have laughed in my face, if I had told myself that one day I would document this project on a blog.  But the process is as simple as follows.  

Swamp to Garden

1.  I lay down brushwood, rotting logs, wood chipping, and of the like down first.  This serves as a platform upon which your soil will sit.  As the wood from this breaks down, it will also eventually add nutrients to the soil. 

2.  Start carting in whatever dirt and finer organic material you can find.  I took advantage of another landscaping project I had where I had to dig a swale around my house.  All the excess dirt I wheel-barrowed over and dumped on top of the brushwood.  I also bagged up grassclippings and leaves from my work and spread over my area to add bulk organic material. 

3.  I started dredging up sludge from the marsh and started piling and spreading this super nutrient-rich material onto the garden-to-be.  This opened up a ditch of open water along the edges of of the garden.

Every Spring, I dredge up more of the accumulated muck from this ditch to spread on the garden.  Along with adding fertility to the garden, this mud will further build up the humus layer of the new “land”.  It also ditch open for our ducks to enjoy. 

4.  Finally, I planted willow cuttings along the edges of the garden.  They would help stabilize the edges of the soil, as well as provide a source of withes for basketry and wicker-work projects.  

The beauty of willow is that you can cut a stick and stick it in the ground and it will start to grow relatively quickly into a new tree.  Read more about our experiences with willows and willowscaping here.

A diverse Variety of Resources

So, as you can see, figuring out how to build a garden in a marsh on our tiny property has  steadily become one of the most diverse and productive projects that goes beyond growing just vegetables.  Whilst simultaneously maintaining the wild presence of the marsh, I was able to carve out a tillable area, and start a coppice for fast-growing willow production. 

Additionally, I built a hutch and fenced in the rest of the wetland area for raising ducks, taking advantage of the open water I created from dredging out the mud to make an ideal duck pond.