2023 - How's your Weather today?

Forecast is no rain or a torrential downpour. What is needed is steady rain for a couple of days. I hoed then watered a patch that was bone dry and thought it was well watered but was barely damp when I came to plant it out.

It can be hard to re-wet soil once it's dried out, water either runs off the surface or just stays in the top few millimetres of the soil while underneath is still dust. As you say, it needs steady watering over many days. Our link-a-bord raised beds dry out really quickly in weather like this, the plastic heats up in the sun and the soil just bakes solid. I've had to rub the water in to the top few inches of the soil by hand to get it wet again, then when it comes to planting I put quite a bit of water in the holes first.

We had the first rain for weeks last night, the water butts are full again and everything has had a nice drink. Thunderstorms again tonight and tomorrow supposedly, definitely fees like a hot and sticky storm day. Hopefully those without rain will get some soon.