I have mentioned the ex Military guy in the village before, when we meet it is who can get the first quip in. From then on it is a quick fire leg pull session often.

Yesterday I missed a fine opportunity for a dig at his, wipe them all out mentality. Pointing to the roadside verges outside the estate which I was about to mow he said, you are growing weeds. Yes I said, they are growing well, so is the grass.

The subject then changed. It wasn't until this morning that I realised, he was trying to say that I should be treating the verge with selective weed killer.
Then I remembered his verge. When a pipe was laid, the verge made good and re-seeded, the new grass grew well with the odd weed. Soon of course he was out with his weapons of destruction, used without consulting the small print, his weed and feed killed the weeds, and the new grass.

Hang on, several times when he has passed by and seen me he has asked, "why are the leaves on my tomatoes curled lengthwise". Not having had selectives near for many years I didn't think. Next time I shall ask. "Where do you keep your weapons of mass destruction". In the green house maybe.
Oops, I am sure he talks about composting too, I bet he puts his 'radioactive'
grass cuttings on there.

Which brings me to another seminar and a rep from a famous compost manufacturer. They had big trouble with a large batch of compost which had brought complaints from widely spread users. Plants were twisted and stunted once planted into their stuff.
The quantity involved was consistent with it being one bulk batch of peat contaminated when tipped into a factory yard where they had nice weed free grass areas.

This was different to our usual complaint he said, where the contamination is traced back to one retailer. Then the compost is usually contaminated by being stood fully wrapped, next to a display of fully wrapped, selective weed killer.
A problem which escalated when the screwdriver shop and the bread shop started playing at being garden centres.