Need advice, garden flooded

[mcsewnab]

This is our second year gardening. Last year we had a few tomatoes and cucumbers on the side of the house. This year we built a 16'x16' using 2x10's and 4x4 posts. We wrapped the frame in 3' garden fence to keep the rabbits out. We did not fill the frame, just tilled the dirt that was there. So at this point it's not a raised bed.

Well it seem I made a poor choice when choosing this location. We had a two day rain and now the garden has about 6 inches of standing water. All the plants are partially submerged and the lettuce and bean seeds which have not sprouted yet are under puddles of water.

I plan to buy top soil this weekend and fill the frame to make a raised bed. I also plan to mound the areas that will be planted. I am guessing this will give me 8-12" over the current ground level.

I need some advice on steps to takes to remove the plants and replant them. They were all purchased form a local nursery in pots and planted last weekend. Most of them appear to be healthy. I have a few heirloom tomatoes that I think have sold out locally.

Other than gently digging them up and setting them aside as I fill are there any other steps I should take?

Thanks in advance.

[rootsy]

Needs to dry out a bit before even attempting to dig as all you'll end up with are plants and dangling roots as the soil round them turns to mud and falls off at this point if you try to remove. Transplant them back into adequate pots once you can get them out of the ground with the roots intact in soil.

Until then drill a few drainage holes in the wood framing to get rid of the standing water. Mother nature will take care of the rest in a few days. But getting the standing water out of there is of utmost importance at the moment

[mcsewnab]

Thanks for the reply. I can drill some holes but I don't think it will help in my case. The standing water surrounds the frame a few feet on each side. I might just have to wait it out and replace the stuff that doesn't make it.

Does the plan to fill and mound sound like a good solution for this location? If I do have to move the garden it wont be this season.

[mcsewnab]

I wanted to update this thread in case anyone else has the same issues.

I tried to dig some trenches to redirect the water but we ended up losing all the plants. The next weekend we had 12 tons of black dirt delivered. We brought the level of the garden up 8 inches and then made mounds for the plants that are about 4-5 inches tall.

The plants are all growing great now. It was a learning experience for a second year gardener.

[pepper4]

That's great mcsewnab I think every year is a learning experience for us

[rainbowgardener]

YUP... we are always learning at this. I have 4X8' raised beds that are 2 feet deep and I never have any problem with water staying in them.