On Sun, 17 Dec 2006 22:59:01 +0000
Sacha wrote:

Certainly it's very wet there too, although perhaps not so much as here
in Normandy or in Devon.

Our part of Devon & Normandy always strike me as being very much alike,
though I know nothing of the construction of the soil. But both have lush
grass, rich pastureland and are excellent dairy farming country.

I think there are a lot of climatic similarities. Of course both are pretty
big -- Normandy would be the largest region in France, so Nappy split it
in two to keep it from being too powerful -- so there's quite a lot of variation.

In fact our part of Basse-Normandie is the poorest soil of the region, classed
as category IV by the government, which means "unsuitable for culture." This
is really a tax issue, and in our favour, more than anything else. We have acid
soil. about 1-3 ft depending on the spot, over a heavy clay substrate which my
children make into pots without additional processing. There are places where
if you dig a hole it will stay filled with water all winter, then dry and bake hard
in the summer. And, thankfully, other places a little less challenging. But everywhere,
huge amounts of rock. Big, square flint, and some granite. Makes digging a joy.

I had always thought most of the south west to be fairly alkaline, is it not?

-E

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Emery Davis
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