and looking at the rain radar, more rain.

We were going to visit Poole on Sunday but it turned out to be an Olympic
Poole so we gave up.

Good for the compost heap though. Had a look in there yesterday and more
worms than you can shake a garden for at!

Mike
On the Wet South East Coast of the Isle of Wight

---------------------------------------------------------------
www.hmscollingwoodassociation.com
www.rneba.org.uk

On 22/10/2013 08:38, 'Mike' wrote:
and looking at the rain radar, more rain.

We were going to visit Poole on Sunday but it turned out to be an Olympic
Poole so we gave up.

Good for the compost heap though. Had a look in there yesterday and more
worms than you can shake a garden for at!

But how much is penetrating the soil, and to what depth? I checked
yesterday, and some of the new borders which had grass removed on 1
August are still dry. In some places the soil is nice and crumbly down
to about 10 cm, then it is bone dry. In other places, particularly
those with shelter (eg by a hedge), only the top cm or two is damp. I
have been waiting 11 weeks to get some topsoil and have it forked in,
but it's just been too dry to even attempt it. I'm on the mainland, I
reckon about 30 km north or so of you.

Last week we had one day with more than 10 mm rain. That was on the
16th. Before that, the last time we had more than 10 mm in one day was
23 July!

--

Jeff

"Jeff Layman" wrote in message ...

On 22/10/2013 08:38, 'Mike' wrote:
and looking at the rain radar, more rain.

We were going to visit Poole on Sunday but it turned out to be an Olympic
Poole so we gave up.

Good for the compost heap though. Had a look in there yesterday and more
worms than you can shake a garden for at!

But how much is penetrating the soil, and to what depth? I checked
yesterday, and some of the new borders which had grass removed on 1
August are still dry. In some places the soil is nice and crumbly down
to about 10 cm, then it is bone dry. In other places, particularly
those with shelter (eg by a hedge), only the top cm or two is damp. I
have been waiting 11 weeks to get some topsoil and have it forked in,
but it's just been too dry to even attempt it. I'm on the mainland, I
reckon about 30 km north or so of you.

Last week we had one day with more than 10 mm rain. That was on the
16th. Before that, the last time we had more than 10 mm in one day was
23 July!

--

Jeff

.................................................. ......................

Very interesting question Jeff, so I went and had a dig. Had a poke in a
couple of places with a graduated trowel and went into the soil at least 10
centimetres and met wet all the way, BUT, it is a very lightweight soil with
layers and layers of home made sifted compost as a mulch on all the beds.

But we have had a lot of rain lately. We have a flat roof on an extension
and it has been nothing but trouble for years. We are having it re-done with
a 15 year guarantee next week ............... if it stops raining.

Mike

---------------------------------------------------------------
www.hmscollingwoodassociation.com
www.rneba.org.uk

On 22/10/2013 12:23, 'Mike' wrote:
Had a poke in a couple of places with a graduated trowel and went into
the soil at least 10 centimetres and met wet all the way,

You need to dig down 12 to 18 inches not just 4 inches.