No Water

[Two_Sheds]

Also our soil dries out so, so quickly and then sets like concrete. I have to water to get the seedlings up, and then they're fine.

Our soil is very free-draining too, but underneath the hard crust it is still moist. If you water the soil, a lot of it just evaporates away. What I do now when sowing is make a drill, water the drill, sow the seed, then cover over with dry soil. No more water. The dry soil acts as a mulch, keeps the water in the soil. The top will look dry, sure, and cracked (mine is) but underneath all is dandy...my chard, calendula, beet and turnips have all come up this week with this method.

[Protea]

Our soil is very free-draining too, but underneath the hard crust it is still moist. If you water the soil, a lot of it just evaporates away. What I do now when sowing is make a drill, water the drill, sow the seed, then cover over with dry soil. No more water. The dry soil acts as a mulch, keeps the water in the soil. The top will look dry, sure, and cracked (mine is) but underneath all is dandy...my chard, calendula, beet and turnips have all come up this week with this method.

I agree, for most crops this is fine (and is what i do), but i'm trying to establish some mustard as a green manure and over a big area i broadcast sow on the surface and rake in a few millimeters. This is what dries out and causes a problem, last summer hardly any germinated because i didn't water it

[Waffler]

Re C130 Hercules. Good for jumping out of! Will land on rough ground but will make 1 heap mess. Try it, I for one would like to see the pictures.

I'll send the boys round! We're right next to RAF Lyneham and they come right over our garden (several times, following pretty much the same path) very low. Some days they'll circle about every 10-15 mins, so I'm sure I could 'catch' one for you!