hemic histosol

Well with the new road through the woods/swamp I'm trying to figure out more about how to use the hemic histosol that I have in that area (swamp muck).

I've been researching this slimy black dirt, and have even posted on the http://www.permies.com/ forum to see if I could get suggestions from there. In my research I have discovered that hemic histosol is low in potassium. We heat with wood and have a lot of wood ash on hand so I could spread that over the black slimy soil and add some potassium to it, thus it SHOULD be better at growing crops.

In my research I have learned that if properly cared for it will grow just about anything, although it has little oxygen cause of the high water table, so things that like a lot of water are the best choices. Also it is highly acidic, but with the wood ash it would sweeten it a lot. Blueberries and cranberries like the highly acidic soil, so I'm thinking that maybe I should be considering cuttings or plants of blueberries and cranberries, esp high bush, along the pathways. In some areas sweetened by the ash maybe I should consider elderberry cuttings, esp in the really damp areas.

"They say" that onions and potatoes and lettuces and coles do well in this soil, and celery and carrots are often planted in it..so that is a thought, maybe I'll pick up some spare seed packets and toss out seeds and see what I can come up with back there..I would love to have things self seed and go wild back in that area that would feed people.

I have rapsberry, blackberry, wild cherry and Jerusalem artichokes growing back there already but would like to add more variety, esp now that I have the new road that is open and gets more sun, that I can plant along the edges of.

Would love to grow fruits, like fruit trees, but thinking it might be too wet..in order to do that I might need to have a raised or drier area..and I'm not seeing any of those. There is one apple tree that is growing back there, probably in a drier area, so it is possible I suppose. I have alot of fruit trees on other areas of the property so I don't NEED to have any back there, but it would be nice to try a few and see how they work.

I also have nut trees on the borders of this area that are growing well, but they need longer root areas free of water than those areas allow.

Well off to do more research and make some decisions on what to try back in the new spot.