"Nick Maclaren" wrote in message
...

In article ,
"Harold Walker" writes:
|
| Not entirely. My soil is 60% sand and 18% silt, and there have
| been periods where it has been effectively waterlogged because
| the rain simply didn't stop. If that is too bad, you can lose
| plants because of it (I have).
|
| Have you tried drainage pipes?

Unnecessary and futile. My soil drains perfectly - even in
the heaviest rain, it never has standing water. That isn't the
problem.

The problem is extended periods with continual, moderate to
heavy, rain, causing the effect of waterlogging on the soil that
it is passing through. There is effectively nothing that can
be done about that other than keeping the rain off (hence
orangeries).

I would think I had heaven if I had your soil....mine basically consists of
6 inches of dirt on top of pure sand....I grow some excellent crops but all
in raised beds...the rest consists of berry bearing shrubs for the birds for
which I have to dig out very large holes and baclfill with 'imported' soil
and free compost from the local tip....