On 24/08/2012 23:06, Christina Websell wrote:
"Martin Brown" wrote in message
...
On 23/08/2012 01:22, Christina Websell wrote:
"Sacha" wrote in message
...
On 2012-08-22 19:14:55 +0100, "Christina Websell"
said:

My brother has obviously been down to the plot and dug up most of the
early
potatoes (when I went there today)
What he hasn't done is weeding. For weeks or months even.
Yes, I know he works hard and for long hours but he expects me to do
it,
and
I cannot cope with such a large plot without his help.
I weed as much as I can, but my health is precarious and he knows it.
I am so annoyed that I was almost thinking of changing the padlock on
the
gate (we both have keys)

I picked some runner beans today and put them on his doorstep along
with
carrots which he has not thinned so I did.
When I went there I saw in his plastic compost bin the lettuce I took
him
last week and half of the large courgettes.
FGS, what's the point of growing things if you cannot be bothered to
eat
them?
To say I am annoyed is an understatement.

Slow down a bit, Christina. I do understand your annoyance but look at
it
another way, if I may suggest that. He may be trying to do what he can
to
help you but without being able to use all the produce, so he's trying
to
hide that from you to be polite, or kind. If, as you say, he works long
hours, it may be that he'll weed when he can but it won't be as often as
you like. Is the plot as useful to him as it is to you, if maintained,
may be the question, do you think? Give him a break for a while because
I
suspect he's a bit over-stretched rather than unwilliing. If you change
the lock on the gate then a family breach is inevitable. It really
isn't
worth that over a few veg, imo.


I won't really change the lock, was just annoyed and venting.
He does work terrible hours but he expects me to do more than I can.

Before you come to blows I think you should seriously consider using
glyphosate for spot weeding and give up on this Organic(TM) fetish.

We won't come to blows. I'll just remind him about when I changed his nappy
;-)
We don't have an organic fetish, we are trying it this year as no chemicals
have been spilled on the land for the last 20+ years.
We'd prefer to keep it like that if we can.

Get real! Overcome your irrational fear of synthetic chemicals.

There are far more dangerous chemicals in the parts of food crops that
you don't eat like potato, tomato and rhubarb. Celery is a borderline
dermatitis sensitiser and by normal heuristics lettuce with it's milky
sap unsafe to eat. Organic (TM) peanut butter is about the most deadly
thing offered on public sale these days. The slightest error in storage
and the stuff is laden with highly carcinogenic fungal toxins. The
prerservatives by comparison are benign. The dose makes the poison.

You don't have time to mess about with Organic (TM) fetish gardening.
Minimum inputs growing is entirely rational and very cheap to do.
A small bottle of generic glyphosate lasts me about 3 years.

--
Regards,
Martin Brown