The main problem with my bit of land is that come spring almost half of it is underwater. My dad planted an apple tree a few years back and the poor things base is in 2ft of water for over a month every spring.

The end result of all this water is that the cattail swamp in the corner of the property grows more and more every year.

Every fall my dad burns off the dead cattails and we scoop up a bunch of the ash for next years garden. Since I want to dig out part of the swamp to make a more permanent pond (and give some of the water a deeper place to pool) I wondered if this wonderful dark soil would be a good filler for my fruit trees when I plant them?

I must also note that once you go down six inches my property is a clay field meaning everything I plant has to have extra nourishment.

So, to get back to the original question:
Would dirt taken out of a cattail swamp be good starter soil for fruit trees?

(and for all those who wish to remind me of wetland preservation laws please note that the area I'm digging is less than half an acre and the water only stays about three months)

Generally I would say it is good for fruit trees but testing isn't a bad idea. Most likely it will just show you it is off the charts in various nutrients. However, fruit trees perform best in moderately rich soils and too much of a good thing leads to excessive vegetative growth.

If you are just trying to speed the establishment of young trees I agree with Drew. Either use it as a top dressing or if soil is poor you can work it into the top few inches of soil in 6' diameter circles to get young trees to plug in quickly.

Muck soil I've tested for pH has usually been close to neutral but that is something you should check on for sure.

Will the addition of the pond serve to keep the orchard dry during the spring flood?

From what I know wet feet are not happy fruity feet .

Mike

Rushes only will grow on constantly moist soil. This means the corner of your yard is much lower and already has a high water retention. Clay here will be a great help creating a natural seal and allowing the waters to slowly seep into the ground.

Wet lands are extremely productive ecosystems anyways. You can grow the cat tails as food as well as some lotus, cray fish or what floats your boat. You could also create mounds with the muck layering it with straw to create "finger beds" leading into the wetland. You can grow blue berries and cranberries on such mounds.

You could also try some big trees that love water. I dont know where youre located, but the first that comes to mind is the bald cyprus. Willow may also help pump out excess water...

You may also think about a contour swale. Basically its a 1 - 3 foot wide by 3 - 8 foot ditch on controur, which will hold and send water away. Even if its only filled in spring it should help move water away. Swales do much more if they are used in conjunction with a pond....

I used to mound up marsh muck regularly to grow herb and come back a couple weeks later to plant in the fertile black stuff. By then it would be very hard and dry but fairly easily broken up (unlike a pure clay soil). I could have grown fruit trees on those same mounds.

Mounded up, muck soil is very productive. Farmers here call it black dirt soil and drain fields of it to grow lettuce and onions. Of course, it is also often protected as wetland soil.