Kitchen Garden Forum

It was suppose to rain all day yesterday. I don't think we had more than 1/4".
We haven't had a good down pore for 3 weeks or more.

There's a hose pipe ban on the allotment, so watering cans only. I think a lot of people will install water tanks this year. And mulch more.

The water table here at the allotment is normally 3' down, at the moment it's at 5'.

Any of you up north know how to get some of your rain down here it would be much appreciated.

went to an annual machinary auction this week, most years u need four wheel drive to get into the muddy carpark field, this year we were choking on the dust!

You want our water you come and live under our rain . I got mud half way up my calves walking the dogs yesterday, the grass was so squelchy .

hmm, yes, still too wet to dig my plot!

Love and compost
Linda (in Lancaster)

We are supposed to have a very high water table in this area.

PT, as you mentioned it in your earlier postings, would it be too much trouble to ask you to explain what the 'water table' thing is all about.

thicko, valmarg

Valmarg, the simple explanation, it is the level below ground at which water is found.

If a hole is dug and without any rainfall fills with water then the water surface level on the side of the hole is the water table. It might be a pretty deep hole mind.

Rain soaks into the ground, it goes down until it hits a layer through which it can not pass (e.g. granite rock) and then starts to build up on top of that layer.
The buildup can ran off sideways underground, but eventually an equilibreum is reached, we used to be on the top edge of a valley side, but had a number of Elizabethan wells which all held water about tweny foot down.

The level of the water table varies over the year, low rainfall, trees & plants transpiring. water companies & farmers pumping out from boreholes will lower the water table. Rain will raise it.

If you have a high water table you might be able to construct a well, either traditionally or a modern green/bodgers version.

Hope that helps, Peter.

Thanks for that explanation, peter.

We get a lot of rain here, so I don't think we'll need to dig a well. We've only had two hosepipe bans in the 30-odd years we've lived here.

valmarg