Burl wrote:

Hey John,

The soil out here in Seattle drains fast so you shouldn't be out of
commision for too long. If it's just dirt I wouldn't worry about getting out
in it and messing it up - you can always rework it level before you start
planting.

Burl

Safe and Natural Gardening
http://www.emerysgardenstore.com

Hey Burl!

Since you appear to work for Emery's Gardens (nice nursery, btw) there's a
couple of things you should keep in mind.........first, it's not 'dirt' - it's
'soil' and second, some Seattle area soils are very heavy and do not drain well
at all and finally, if you work soil that is saturated with water you can
irreparably damage its structure.

John:

Not sure where you are located in the PNW that received 1.5 inches of rain this
weekend (nowhere close to that where I live in Shoreline), but you do need to
allow your soil to dry some before you start messing about with it trenching for
a sprinkler system. The good news is that construction of the rock walls should
encourage rapid draining - provided it doesn't continue to rain. You might want
to consider covering the area with a large plastic tarp to prevent further water
penetration to this area then wating for some drier weather to finish your
chores. Light rain - the occasional (okay, daily) PNW drizzle - should not be
much of a problem. It is working with saturated soil that poses difficulties.

Yesterday was pretty decent here and I managed to get quite a few garden chores
done, but my soil, which has excellent drainage due to years of amending, was
still pretty wet and heavy. I was careful to restrict my activities to what I
could reach from the edges of my planting beds so as not to compress and damage
the soil structure. Unless we get a good dumping of rain, your soil should be
workable soon.

pam - gardengal