My sister in law. My brother told her to go down to the allotment with me
and hoe. She hoed up some of the paths. Bad idea.
She has no clue what the difference is between a weed and what we have
planted that is coming up.
So we did training today. You see those little grass-like thingies? they
are the spring onions coming up. The little red ones are beetroot.
a weed almost got away because it was red. Not a beetroot.

It's not easy having the children there either. They sulk if they cannot
do exactly what they want, there was almost a fight today about who would
water the potatoes and having a 7 y o in charge of the hose is not a good
thing.

On Sun, 13 May 2012 23:11:09 +0100, "Christina Websell"
wrote:

My sister in law. My brother told her to go down to the allotment with me
and hoe. She hoed up some of the paths. Bad idea.
She has no clue what the difference is between a weed and what we have
planted that is coming up.
So we did training today. You see those little grass-like thingies? they
are the spring onions coming up. The little red ones are beetroot.
a weed almost got away because it was red. Not a beetroot.

It's not easy having the children there either. They sulk if they cannot
do exactly what they want, there was almost a fight today about who would
water the potatoes and having a 7 y o in charge of the hose is not a good
thing.

The tribulations of the new allotmenteer (well, your plot is new!)

Training principles:

1) If whatever it is is growing in a straight line, it's not a weed
(weeds simply refuse to grow in lines)
2) If your pet tortoise likes it, it'll be a weed (tortoises make a
B-line for dandelions)
3) If what comes out of the ground is straight things without funny
shaped leaves then it's probably grass or onions.
4) If all else fails, Tina knows best. Bow down to superior intellect.
5) If you don't bow down to superior intellect, you may find a sudden
connection between your ear and a spade.

Cheers, Jake
=======================================
Urgling from the asylum formerly known as the
dry end of Swansea Bay.

Christina Websell wrote:
My sister in law. My brother told her to go down to the allotment with me
and hoe. She hoed up some of the paths. Bad idea.

Recoverable, though.

She has no clue what the difference is between a weed and what we have
planted that is coming up.

I once pulled up all of the fresias I'd planted the week before.

So we did training today. You see those little grass-like thingies? they
are the spring onions coming up. The little red ones are beetroot.
a weed almost got away because it was red. Not a beetroot.

I am very haphazard with my planting, but for things like this you may find
it's useful to run a planting line with twine, string or thread of some kind
and /leave/ it there so that it's a good hint that if things along that line
that all look the same may not be weeds.

It's not easy having the children there either. They sulk if they cannot
do exactly what they want, there was almost a fight today about who would
water the potatoes and having a 7 y o in charge of the hose is not a good
thing.

Heh. Benjamin likes making bogs. And calling it concrete. And dig holes
and say he's going to dig to New Zealand.

"Christina Websell" wrote in message
...
My sister in law. My brother told her to go down to the allotment with me
and hoe. She hoed up some of the paths. Bad idea.
She has no clue what the difference is between a weed and what we have
planted that is coming up.
So we did training today. You see those little grass-like thingies?
they are the spring onions coming up. The little red ones are beetroot.
a weed almost got away because it was red. Not a beetroot.

It's not easy having the children there either. They sulk if they cannot
do exactly what they want, there was almost a fight today about who would
water the potatoes and having a 7 y o in charge of the hose is not a good
thing.


Your weather has been so dry lately your spuds need watering? Whereabouts
are you?

Steve

"Jake" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 13 May 2012 23:11:09 +0100, "Christina Websell"
wrote:

My sister in law. My brother told her to go down to the allotment with me
and hoe. She hoed up some of the paths. Bad idea.
She has no clue what the difference is between a weed and what we have
planted that is coming up.
So we did training today. You see those little grass-like thingies?
they
are the spring onions coming up. The little red ones are beetroot.
a weed almost got away because it was red. Not a beetroot.

It's not easy having the children there either. They sulk if they cannot
do exactly what they want, there was almost a fight today about who would
water the potatoes and having a 7 y o in charge of the hose is not a good
thing.

The tribulations of the new allotmenteer (well, your plot is new!)

Training principles:

1) If whatever it is is growing in a straight line, it's not a weed
(weeds simply refuse to grow in lines)
2) If your pet tortoise likes it, it'll be a weed (tortoises make a
B-line for dandelions)
3) If what comes out of the ground is straight things without funny
shaped leaves then it's probably grass or onions.
4) If all else fails, Tina knows best. Bow down to superior intellect.
5) If you don't bow down to superior intellect, you may find a sudden
connection between your ear and a spade.

g
I seem to have known the difference between a plant and a weed since I was
very small and it's hard to have someone helping me who doesn't know
anything at all.
Having to point out the difference between twitch coming up and the onions.
This one is flat and the onion shoots are round.
It's a learning curve for her. I am very patient outwardly.
Tina

"shazzbat" wrote in message
...

"Christina Websell" wrote in message
...
My sister in law. My brother told her to go down to the allotment with
me and hoe. She hoed up some of the paths. Bad idea.
She has no clue what the difference is between a weed and what we have
planted that is coming up.
So we did training today. You see those little grass-like thingies?
they are the spring onions coming up. The little red ones are beetroot.
a weed almost got away because it was red. Not a beetroot.

It's not easy having the children there either. They sulk if they
cannot do exactly what they want, there was almost a fight today about
who would water the potatoes and having a 7 y o in charge of the hose is
not a good thing.


Your weather has been so dry lately your spuds need watering? Whereabouts
are you?


It was not really necessary to water the spuds but I let the children do it
with the hose set to mist to shut them up because they wanted to water
things.

wrote in message
...
Christina Websell wrote:
My sister in law. My brother told her to go down to the allotment with
me
and hoe. She hoed up some of the paths. Bad idea.

Recoverable, though.

Except we now do not know where the beds are..


She has no clue what the difference is between a weed and what we have
planted that is coming up.

I once pulled up all of the fresias I'd planted the week before.

So we did training today. You see those little grass-like thingies?
they
are the spring onions coming up. The little red ones are beetroot.
a weed almost got away because it was red. Not a beetroot.

I am very haphazard with my planting, but for things like this you may
find
it's useful to run a planting line with twine, string or thread of some
kind
and /leave/ it there so that it's a good hint that if things along that
line
that all look the same may not be weeds.

It's not easy having the children there either. They sulk if they
cannot
do exactly what they want, there was almost a fight today about who would
water the potatoes and having a 7 y o in charge of the hose is not a good
thing.

Heh. Benjamin likes making bogs. And calling it concrete. And dig holes
and say he's going to dig to New Zealand.

These are not my children though. Children who are not your own can be
irritating.

Not half as irritating as children who *are* your own!

(and have had years to work out what irritates you most)

Christina Websell wrote:
Heh. Benjamin likes making bogs. And calling it concrete. And dig holes
and say he's going to dig to New Zealand.
These are not my children though. Children who are not your own can be
irritating.

Children that are your own are even more irritating, trust me.

"Jake" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 13 May 2012 23:11:09 +0100, "Christina Websell"
wrote:

My sister in law. My brother told her to go down to the allotment with me
and hoe. She hoed up some of the paths. Bad idea.
She has no clue what the difference is between a weed and what we have
planted that is coming up.
So we did training today. You see those little grass-like thingies?
they
are the spring onions coming up. The little red ones are beetroot.
a weed almost got away because it was red. Not a beetroot.

It's not easy having the children there either. They sulk if they cannot
do exactly what they want, there was almost a fight today about who would
water the potatoes and having a 7 y o in charge of the hose is not a good
thing.

The tribulations of the new allotmenteer (well, your plot is new!)

Training principles:

1) If whatever it is is growing in a straight line, it's not a weed
(weeds simply refuse to grow in lines)
2) If your pet tortoise likes it, it'll be a weed (tortoises make a
B-line for dandelions)
3) If what comes out of the ground is straight things without funny
shaped leaves then it's probably grass or onions.
4) If all else fails, Tina knows best. Bow down to superior intellect.
5) If you don't bow down to superior intellect, you may find a sudden
connection between your ear and a spade.

Cheers, Jake

It is really difficult to understand why my s i l thinks that if you sow
carrots (which she did) they will be up and big enough to eat in 3 weeks.
Some more training coming up.
I know it sounds hilarious that she would think that, but I suppose no-one
is born knowing about how to grow veggies. I do grit my teeth sometimes,
but hey, she is up for learning and I admire her for that.
I will turn her (eventually) into a vegetable grower, but it will be a long
haul.

Tina

Christina Websell wrote:
It is really difficult to understand why my s i l thinks that if you sow
carrots (which she did) they will be up and big enough to eat in 3 weeks.
Some more training coming up.

Give her some radish seed instead.

"Christina Websell" wrote in message
...

"Jake" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 13 May 2012 23:11:09 +0100, "Christina Websell"
wrote:

My sister in law. My brother told her to go down to the allotment with
me
and hoe. She hoed up some of the paths. Bad idea.
She has no clue what the difference is between a weed and what we have
planted that is coming up.
So we did training today. You see those little grass-like thingies?
they
are the spring onions coming up. The little red ones are beetroot.
a weed almost got away because it was red. Not a beetroot.

It's not easy having the children there either. They sulk if they
cannot
do exactly what they want, there was almost a fight today about who would
water the potatoes and having a 7 y o in charge of the hose is not a good
thing.

The tribulations of the new allotmenteer (well, your plot is new!)

Training principles:

1) If whatever it is is growing in a straight line, it's not a weed
(weeds simply refuse to grow in lines)
2) If your pet tortoise likes it, it'll be a weed (tortoises make a
B-line for dandelions)
3) If what comes out of the ground is straight things without funny
shaped leaves then it's probably grass or onions.
4) If all else fails, Tina knows best. Bow down to superior intellect.
5) If you don't bow down to superior intellect, you may find a sudden
connection between your ear and a spade.

g
I seem to have known the difference between a plant and a weed since I was
very small and it's hard to have someone helping me who doesn't know
anything at all.
Having to point out the difference between twitch coming up and the
onions. This one is flat and the onion shoots are round.
It's a learning curve for her. I am very patient outwardly.
Tina




You'll have to do what my Mum did with my Dad. She used to pick a weed,
give it to him and say "If it is not EXACTLY like this, leave it alone."
Seemed to work, though weeding took some time as he did it one weed at a
time.

--
Kathy

It's what I do. I never pull up a weed unless I can identify it. It's a great way to increase one's recognition of oth wild and garden flowers.

Kathy wrote:
You'll have to do what my Mum did with my Dad. She used to pick a weed,
give it to him and say "If it is not EXACTLY like this, leave it alone."
Seemed to work, though weeding took some time as he did it one weed at a
time.

Actually, I often weed like that even now, at least where the weeds are more
than a week or two old - due to the slightly different effective methods for
removal (ie, dandelions you need to go deep, straight down, twitch you need
to dig out gently and carefully to avoid snapping, creeping buttercup you
need to follow back to the source and remove the shallow-but-long roots out
of the main plant, etc)

wrote in message
...
Christina Websell wrote:
It is really difficult to understand why my s i l thinks that if you sow
carrots (which she did) they will be up and big enough to eat in 3
weeks.
Some more training coming up.

Give her some radish seed instead.

We have radishes. She wanted carrots.