North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Charles Paradise <machelp@attglobal.net>]

Mike,
Last year [2003] I began planting things onto extremely wet soil [e.g. a 
shovel stuck in produces a sucking
sound and a hole dug 2' deep fills with water in 10 minutes].  The land would 
probably most profitably be
turned into a cranberry bog.

Anyway, I started planting various things on it, just to see what would stick:
Bud-118 apple rootstock - just surviving
Prunus Salicina - dead or barely alive
Pear seedlings - dead
Prunus INSITITIA - the only plant that is thriving and seem to be happy with 
an excessive amount of water
available.

But these are only based on 1 year's observation.   The prunus institia if 
thriving continues will probably be
grafted with a prune, or damson plum.
Charlie Paradise
zone 5/Massachusetts

"Michael D. Bathrick" wrote:

> Finally, I have purchased enough land to plant a small orchard (about an
> acre).  Only problem is that there is a small spring on the property,
> and I am told the water table is quite high.  I walked the property in
> October, and didn't notice it as being swampy.