Perched water-table?

I spent this afternoon at The Property. Most of the time was spent pruning and removing senile apple trees. Obviously, I end up with a lot of apple wood.

One of my neighbors likes smoking meat. He is currently struggling with some health issues. He got a gift today. I not only believe in Karma, I bank on it. (James 2:26)

This is a row of trees with kale, turnips and radishes planted within the area between the grassy aisle-ways. This is looking uphill from the mid-point.

This is the exact same row but the picture was taken looking downhill. Both photos were taken from the same spot. All I did was pivot.

This conflicts with my mental picture in which the fertile topsoil is washed downhill and the upper portions of the slope are droughty and infertile while the lower portions are rich, well-watered and fertile.

Perched water-tables

Picture in your head a layer-cake that is shaped like a cone or a Christmas tree. Now, picture in your head that the layer of frosting in the middle of the layer-cake is a disk of lard. What happens if the sprinklers turn-on at the party?

The water that falls on the top "cake" of the layer cake sinks in and percolates downward until it hits the layer of lard. Then it migrates to the edge where it weeps out and then sinks down, into the lower layer.

This is ALMOST right. The water disappears back into the more permeable ground below the layer of clay.

I THINK that I have a layer of clay about 1/3 the way down the slope that acts like the layer of lard in the middle of the layer cake. The difference in plant growth is striking.

Reality is what you see. Not what you expect.