Just organising myself to weigh out the Elektra seed for people who are doing a grow-along - don't get enthusiastic for planting though, as the soil isn't warm enough for sowing yet!
Biolin, being the good Canadians they are sell their seed by the Kg and give planting rates as 12g per square metre. Everyone who is doing a grow along seems to measure their plot in feet. Why is that?
Is that because we actually think 12 inches = 1 foot, 5280 feet = 1 mile is easier than our own metric system?
How come we measure the temperature in the garden in degrees Centigrade, but the temperature in our ovens in degrees Farenheit?
Is it because we're increasingly becoming American in our ways?
Do we really want to be one with the only country on the planet still using a system based on the arm length of Henry I a thousand years ago?
How come we measure the distances on our roads in Km and the distances in our gardens in feet?
Do we carry the conversion rates in our heads to make sense of it all? Clearly not, as American rocket scientists caused the crash of the 2009 Mars Orbiter by their inability to convert from the metric units that all the other collaborating countries were using.
For those of you who don't, the conversion is divide the square feet measurement by 10.764 to get square metres.
Seed will be weighed out at the beginning of April (at the rate of 12g per sq m). Watch this blog to see when you can collect it from the field house. I'll leave the labelled bags in there, in a mouse proof container.
Penny
My memory isn't accurate but I wanted to let you know that until the 1960s to 70s Canada was not using the metric system. Distance was measured in inches, feet and yards, weight was ounces and pounds, liquid measure was ounces, cups, pints, quarts and gallons. Square measure was in feet and yards, cubic measure was the same. Temperature was in farenheit. Whew, how did I ever learn it all. It became second nature and was learned and re-enforced, even imprinted, like language, by our everyday use. Change was tough. Some industries didn't change right away if they wanted to be understood by their customers.( Eggs are still sold by the dozen.) Well, you seemed like a very nice person who truly didn't understand our Canadian heritage so I thought I'd try to shed a little light on the subject. Hope this helps you to understand and not be confounded by the contrariness of people who were forced into a better way.
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