Look what came in the mail today:
And here are the poor neglected plants
And found a few good links on the various types of soil moisture sensors I though I would share.
http://test.gardenology.org/wiki/Measure_Soil_Moisture#Soil_Electrolyte_Meters
and
http://micah.waldste.in/blog/2010/09/grow_with_arduino_far_too_much_on_moisture_sensing/
Next up need to experiment with some soil and probes.