Well it’s been said many times before, but a seasonal hour-long magazine programme can’t cover everything and has to try and appeal to gardeners of all tastes, interests, ages and stages and armchair gardeners alike.
I get rather bored watching seeds being sown and think they do rather a lot of it, although I agree selecting a couple of different types of seeds and following their lifecycle from sowing to maturity is a really good idea. Even so, you may need to check certain aspects, such as timing of sowing and whether it’s feasible to grow outdoors in your particular climate and conditions - the whole gamut of which the programme couldn’t possibly hope to cover.
There are also thousands of ‘how to grow’ articles and videos on the main website. I looked up a popular topic ‘how to grow tomatoes’ as an example. There are 12 articles and several demonstration videos embedded within on that one subject They cover different types of tomatoes, sowing, pricking out, growing on, planting out, supporting, pinching out side shoots, feeding, harvesting.. how to grow in grow bags, the ground, hanging baskets… A simple ‘for more information and advice on growing tomatoes, check out our website’ at the end of a feature would suffice in most cases.
There are of course those curios called books - good enough for me when I started growing veg - and of course gazillions of articles and videos online.
And there is Beechgrove Garden.
Other gardening programmes on other channels are available.
And last but by no means least, there is this forum 😊
So in summary, a newbie is not short of help and advice!
Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
Funnily enough @Sheps - I was thinking about your thread with the lettuce seed when I wrote that, simply because it was current There's another one I've just posted on about when to sow to allow for last frost dates etc. That's exactly the sort of thing that people need, and want, help with.
@Fairygirl I was wondering if that might be the case when I was reading it.
Would be great if the program producers would listen to what you have said, but I think the current format is here to stay.
I like the sweeping shots of beautiful gardens, pictures of beautiful flowers *but only if labelled*, and Monty's dogs. Of the other presenters, I like Adam Frost and Carol.
Re usefulness of segments, not sure if that matters. I would like to be shown how to make trellis, or attach a waterbutt to a downpipe, but then there are a million youtube videos for these things... and this forum.
Unless I missed it, I don't think Monty gave any warnings about not sowing Cosmos too early. 4-6 weeks before the last frost in your area is ideal... mine won't be sown until April. We don't all have a warm place which is sufficiently well-lit to keep the seedlings growing well until it's safe to plant them out.
I agree its impossible to cover everybody's needs, but certain elementary things are important.
Since 2019 I've lived in east Clare, in the west of Ireland.
I think the how to do it things are covered so well on line, and that most people will get that information via that route. Most younger people don't watch it, and get all their information on line. That leaves GW to just be a gentle look around a garden, with a vague idea of what to do when, and then visits to other gardens, some fantastic, some otherwise, but everyone on here probably disagrees on which are which. I still thoroughly enjoy it, I watched it when I was a beginner, and I still watch it over 30 years later. I still find I learn things, I also find myself totally disagreeing with other things, but that is also true for books, and even more so for U-tube. He is not everyones cup of tea, but Monty is my favourite presenter, I just like the way he sees life.
How can you lie there and think of England When you don't even know who's in the team
I suppose we should be grateful for small mercies. At least we no longer have the annual segment of how to wrap/unwrap the banana plants or how to prune grapes. I wonder how many people have either.
The worst ever segment of GW was when they moved to the blank piece of land in Birmingham when Toy Buckland started presenting, and they tried to copy Top Gear by introducing a 'What's hot and what's not' section. Then Toby and Joe Swift had a set amount of time to make something useless.
Whilst I like Tony Buckland, that era of GW was appalling.
Regarding a small item showing the development of seeds, it would take up maybe 2 or 3 minutes per week. Far more time is wasted showing Monty walking down a path with a barrow, or cutting to the dogs.
I've been on this forum since October 2022, and in reading many threads, I've learned more in under six months (about the useful topics on gardening) than I have after watching many years of Gardeners World on TV, having the magazine for two years, and many years of trial (and often error) of my own.
Also, my parents are highly experienced gardeners, and other family members too.
But reading topics here has been enlightening, instructive, and at times, entertaining.
Posts
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
I get rather bored watching seeds being sown and think they do rather a lot of it, although I agree selecting a couple of different types of seeds and following their lifecycle from sowing to maturity is a really good idea. Even so, you may need to check certain aspects, such as timing of sowing and whether it’s feasible to grow outdoors in your particular climate and conditions - the whole gamut of which the programme couldn’t possibly hope to cover.
There are also thousands of ‘how to grow’ articles and videos on the main website. I looked up a popular topic ‘how to grow tomatoes’ as an example. There are 12 articles and several demonstration videos embedded within on that one subject They cover different types of tomatoes, sowing, pricking out, growing on, planting out, supporting, pinching out side shoots, feeding, harvesting.. how to grow in grow bags, the ground, hanging baskets… A simple ‘for more information and advice on growing tomatoes, check out our website’ at the end of a feature would suffice in most cases.
And there is Beechgrove Garden.
Other gardening programmes on other channels are available.
And last but by no means least, there is this forum 😊
So in summary, a newbie is not short of help and advice!
Would be great if the program producers would listen to what you have said, but I think the current format is here to stay.
Re usefulness of segments, not sure if that matters. I would like to be shown how to make trellis, or attach a waterbutt to a downpipe, but then there are a million youtube videos for these things... and this forum.
I agree its impossible to cover everybody's needs, but certain elementary things are important.
That leaves GW to just be a gentle look around a garden, with a vague idea of what to do when, and then visits to other gardens, some fantastic, some otherwise, but everyone on here probably disagrees on which are which.
I still thoroughly enjoy it, I watched it when I was a beginner, and I still watch it over 30 years later.
I still find I learn things, I also find myself totally disagreeing with other things, but that is also true for books, and even more so for U-tube.
He is not everyones cup of tea, but Monty is my favourite presenter, I just like the way he sees life.
When you don't even know who's in the team
S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
I do hope he is going to hire a botanist.
Luxembourg
Whilst I like Tony Buckland, that era of GW was appalling.
I've been on this forum since October 2022, and in reading many threads, I've learned more in under six months (about the useful topics on gardening) than I have after watching many years of Gardeners World on TV, having the magazine for two years, and many years of trial (and often error) of my own.
Also, my parents are highly experienced gardeners, and other family members too.
But reading topics here has been enlightening, instructive, and at times, entertaining.
Thank you!!!