In case this didn't make a lot of intuitive sense to you engineering/physics/landscaping/agriculture types: Mexico City's "Floating Gardens", chinampas, do not actually float, and never have. They're reclaimed land, or artificial islands, masses of compost & soil initially retained mostly by stockades of wooden stakes stuck into a shallow lakebed, then gradually filled.
I have no idea where this idea of chinampas as floating gardens came from but it’s an enduring myth. Floating gardens using soil are practically impossible - the displacement required to keep enough earth floating for a root system is massive.
The chinampas worked very well because the Aztecs had a large labor force cleaning their latrines into the lake where it would decompose into night soil and later be dredged up to refill the chinampas between growing seasons.
Once they were built up within the underwater stakes, they planted Ahuejote and Ācātzin trees along the edges and corners whose root systems kept the islands from eroding away.
But note the difference: they aren't floating gardens, they don't carry enough soil for the root systems of plants. They're large rafts that have houses/people on them.
Chinampas is not truly floating. But you can absolutely have a true floating garden, as long as the water is fertile and has enough oxygen in it. Plant roots can survive in water or in water-logged conditions, dissolved oxygen is often the limiting factor.
You can have a layer of soil in your floating garden too. You can mix in amendments that will make your soil very light and fluffy. A bunch of empty bottles/jars make a pretty good floating raft that can handle some weight. May not be the best if you have concerns about microplastics in your food, but that is what they've been using here in the Mekong Delta.
Here I was scanning the article for what they floated on. I had assumed it was a peat-bog type situation.
I guess the key benefit of this strategy is that the water level is high and the water is nutrient rich? Otherwise it's pretty similar to a standard canal irrigation setup.
They replenished the dirt on the islands with night soil dredged up from the bottom of the lake every year so it was basically a mound of fertilizer that’s always soaked through with water.
It’s as close to an ideal growing condition as pre-industrial societies had.
The secondary and tertiary canals take about an hour and a half to reach from the main landing. The larger boats can fit ok-ish in the secondary but not tertiary channels.
Also, there are boats selling wares to tourists that will attach to your boat with permission - often what they are selling is available in the long line of interesting shops by the main landing at a lower price. There are also boats selling just-cooked BBQ, as well as refreshments, and boats with a (totally authentic) mariachi band you can hire to come aboard for several songs.
I think this is the first time that I've seen someone actually recommend encouraging the mariachi band to approach. Usually people are trying to avoid eye contact so the don't approach.
Mariachi music might not be popular in the USA or Europe, but it's really popular in latin america. I'm from Chile and the father of a friend who visited Xochimilco was moved to tears by their performance. Not saying that it's for everyone, but it's meaningful to a lot of people.
Haha this made me chuckle. I'm a Mexican and couldn't agree more. It's one of those things you have to experience ONCE and that's all.
The cool thing is that if you pay them, you sometimes may be able to ask for a song that you actually like, and they might surprise you. A friend of mine was a mariachi violin player. He liked heavy metal music and played mariachi for money , but his band could cocee stuff like Run to the hills, ace of spades among others.
I moved the last sentence to a new paragraph so it is more easily understood I mean to recommend a visit to the chinampas in general.
However, my partner is mexican and was pretty moved particularly by their playing. I've heard a few performances and that one was played with particular investment. It is a different vibe when a full band boards your boat. Of course, YMMV.
I visited xochimilco a bunch of times during college, most people avoided them as they are expensive and you could bring your own music (using non smart phone during that time), but plenty of people did approach them. Is that not a thing anymore? I mean, I don't even like mariachi but I thought it was part of the experience.
If you go, and aren't interested in a big party boat, there are a few organizations that offer canoe rides to their farm, including educational tours and lunch. Plus you get to paddle the canoes. We found one on air b and b experiences but I'm sure they advertise in other places as well.
Getting to the canals is a bit difficult if you don't use uber/did or a taxi. We did take an uber down, because the adventure started early, to beat the mid-day heat, but we did manage to take a bus/train on the way back, and only got lost twice.
That website is super aggressive with the banners and popups. They were easier to close than many others, and the page was relatively light to navigate on my ancient phone, but... wow, that was an unpleasant experience.
It's on the edges. They don't actually float. It's not like the Intha of Burma who actually have floating gardens. These are terraces built in the shallows and in flood plains.
