Allotments 4 All

our plot hadn't been used for two years. the site manager told us that the 7ft high row of 'weeds' was fennel. we got round to clearing that bit today only to find that the fennel was actually monster parsnips!
they've gone to seed (being over two years old) but we've collected loads of the seeds.
d'you reckon they'll grow?
Tara xx

Dunno, but hope you were careful of the sap when hacking them back as it can really burn the skin and has been the cause of me ending up in the doctors surgery getting burn cream and going on anti biotics!!!!!!!!!

That's interesting EJ........I have had 2 instances lately of nasty, but painless, blisters on the inside of my wrists. Looked just like burns, but obviously couldn't have been burns because I would have remembered the pain from these!!

I had no idea how I got them......but I have hand weeded the parsnips twice earlier this year?? Could that be it?

:o So how do you remove parsnips without holding the leaves? with gloves?. I had my hand  inside the leaves of marrows courgettes cucumbers and pumpkins a few days ago looking for produce and got pricked by one of them and in minutes got a blister on the back of my hand with puss oozing out :o :( :P

Me too  Roy.  I thought it must have been nettles but it wasn't it was the courgettes etc.  Comfrey is a bit prickly too and leaves your skin tingling a bit.  I went to shop and bought me self some of those long sleeved gloves  that are for cleaning t'oven  :)

our ground is so soft (is that a good thing?) that we grabbed the stalk at the bottom and pulled hard. the whole things came out complete with monster parsnips attached  ;D
the leaves started about three feet up on the seven foot stems so we were ok, but thanks for the warning,
i had no idea veg was so dangerous :o
dunno if i want to grow these seeds now ???
Tara xx

Oh veg are very dangerous.  I pulled so hard on a fennel it came up with a right jolt and I hit myself right into the mouth with it.  Felt a right berk  ;D

Nearly knocked me teeth out doing the same thing with a cork that was well and truly stuck  ;D

at least with a cork the contents of the bottle act as anaesthetic  ;D

Oh absolutely..  I had to drink every last drop to deaden the pain  ;D