Geoff went to Writtle Agricultural College in Essex, in 1959 he passed the National Diploma in Horticulture, with distinction.
After graduating from agricultural college he became a nurseryman and self-employed landscape gardener, then opened his own garden centre ("The Hamilton Garden Centre") on the outskirts of Kettering in Northants.
He began writing a column for Garden News in 1970, and in 1975 became a full-time journalist when he took over as editor of Practical Gardening magazine, where he began his crusade to inform everybody about the joys and benefits of organic gardening.
You may be thinking of Monty Don, who doesn't have any horticultural qualification.....and it shows!
David, I used to get that Magazine as you got a lot of freebies with it and remember Geoff was castigated for his organic garden theories. Us older gardeners (yes even then) saw sense in it as we had been brought up in an organic era, everything went into the midden and as we kept animals that was a lot of stuff. The hot beds were made up from the midden with masses of free straw from the farms, no free straw these days and no midden either. People ask for the young crowd back, the ones who caused a big turn off from GW, my take on it is over hundreds of years our kin found the best way to grow stuff and a modern college degree does not replace years of experience. Gardening for me these days is little and often not the get stuck in and move half an acre it once was., I also find that Dad's advice, grow what you can eat, enjoy what you grow and a garden is also a place to rest and contemplate, I do more of that now. The joy is in the Grandchildren eating peas and beans off the stem, Strawberries sun warm and Tomato's sweet and tasty off the vine, letting them cut the fresh lettuce pull a carrot wash it under the hose and eat it. I hope I am showing them the way forward.
And as gluts come in, a bit on preserving - chutneys, jams, freezing, drying...
How to do it properly without running the risk of poisoning yourself or your family you can read all the books you like but a practical TV program would be a step in the right direction
I still love GW - but given that it seems clear that a 30 minute slot has such limitations, and must in itself be a bit of a nightmare for the presenters - I'm imagining particularly that they don't have control over the final editing - and I wonder if some of the stuff the presenters would like to emphasise is just chopped out to make the programme fit the timing. Monty, Carol and Joe often look as if they're having to rush through things and maybe they don't personally get much choice in the content. Somebody maybe edits out a great deal and splice it together to' present' what the programme controllers decide fits their' idea' of what the public want. Somebody must have decided that every Spring what the public needs is to watch someone put compost in a pot, press in three sweet-pea seeds, take them over to the greenhouse, water them and leave them be. This is no criticism of Monty doing it in this programme at all - it's just that yes, most people will be growing sweet-peas - but could somebody show something additional rather than always this beginning stage - here's how you take seeds out the packet, here's how you put compost in a pot, here's how you press down the seeds and here's how to walk to the greenhouse and water them. I love sweet-peas and I know there are people who would be encouraged to grow them seeing how easy this is and how little time it takes. Usually the next stage we see is planting them out round an obelisk or a quick view of the cordon system. If they start with sweet peas - I'd love to see some detail when they're half-way through growth, what experienced growers do to get the best blooms.
I have nothing against Rachel de T. and it was nice to see the winter garden place - but if you think about timing of the programme, I'd rather have the gardener at the site they visit talking about the type of plants rather than someone using time describing how they personally are impressed with the colours, the fragrances - I want to see the camera on the plants - not on someone describing the fragrance of this or that. I want to see plants and see their names come up on the screen - not an arty farty camera angle on something which isn't named with a nice photographers background blur. But - again, I can understand why they do this.
The little item on Hevers hundreds of roses in the walled area was great to see - but again, the gardener was given the time to talk briefly and noticeably encouraging people to get into roses emphasising the attraction of fragrances. I looked at that view of hundreds of those roses and was desperate to hear the gardener say 'Now I'll tell you what we do to the soil to make it fit for all these brilliant roses, here's what we find is the best thing to feed them with and here's how we keep all these roses healthy". Gardening stuff. We get tantalising views of amazing gardens where they specialise or have a specific astonishing section filled with specific plants - it just comes over to me that the gardeners tips or info which could come out from these gardeners or experts doesn't materialise - which is such a pity. I suppose part of this section is to drum up visitors - which is absolutely right and fair - but the nitty gritty 'gardener' aspect of it is thin air. I get the impression too often that there's more advertising places for the public to visit (which of course all gardeners want these amazing places supported - of course we do) - but is the programme scripted to include more pointers to places to visit rather than actual gardening. It puzzles me sometimes how the time in the programme is used. I like Monty, Carol and Joe - but feel it must be hard for them to really present at their best with time limitations.
I looked at that view of hundreds of those roses and was desperate to hear the gardener say 'Now I'll tell you what we do to the soil to make it fit for all these brilliant roses, here's what we find is the best thing to feed them with and here's how we keep all these roses healthy".
That is exactly what went through my mind, Yarrow. I agree with everything you said. I wonder if it would help if you emailed your comment to the BBC?
You are right Yarrow having experienced the BBC system where five hours of film came down to twenty minutes shown, the same shot different angles, can you describe that again emphasise such and such, can we do that walk again and again and again"Agh" Monty is very patient. One gardener describing the filming said they landed early worked all day and got half an hour on screen after edit. Each time he put a spade in the ground it was four or five times from different angles and then he did it again to talk. If it was a horrible day it still went ahead with probably some inside shots, Monty could have done with that for Fridays programme. When the young ones were on we were all raging at hazy long distance through shrubbery shots, that would be the crew not the presenters, they do not have much say. At least we get some gardening, it did look like vanishing at one time I suppose we have to be grateful.
Posts
I like G W its agood program. But a 2 to 3 foot path.I bet the Romans didnt go that deep when they built the Apian Way.Sorry Monty.
Verdun
Geoff went to Writtle Agricultural College in Essex, in 1959 he passed the National Diploma in Horticulture, with distinction.
After graduating from agricultural college he became a nurseryman and self-employed landscape gardener, then opened his own garden centre ("The Hamilton Garden Centre") on the outskirts of Kettering in Northants.
He began writing a column for Garden News in 1970, and in 1975 became a full-time journalist when he took over as editor of Practical Gardening magazine, where he began his crusade to inform everybody about the joys and benefits of organic gardening.
You may be thinking of Monty Don, who doesn't have any horticultural qualification.....and it shows!
David, I used to get that Magazine as you got a lot of freebies with it and remember Geoff was castigated for his organic garden theories.
Us older gardeners (yes even then) saw sense in it as we had been brought up in an organic era, everything went into the midden and as we kept animals that was a lot of stuff. The hot beds were made up from the midden with masses of free straw from the farms, no free straw these days and no midden either.
People ask for the young crowd back, the ones who caused a big turn off from GW, my take on it is over hundreds of years our kin found the best way to grow stuff and a modern college degree does not replace years of experience.
Gardening for me these days is little and often not the get stuck in and move half an acre it once was., I also find that Dad's advice, grow what you can eat, enjoy what you grow and a garden is also a place to rest and contemplate, I do more of that now. The joy is in the Grandchildren eating peas and beans off the stem, Strawberries sun warm and Tomato's sweet and tasty off the vine, letting them cut the fresh lettuce pull a carrot wash it under the hose and eat it. I hope I am showing them the way forward.
Frank.
How to do it properly without running the risk of poisoning yourself or your family you can read all the books you like but a practical TV program would be a step in the right direction
Derek
I still love GW - but given that it seems clear that a 30 minute slot has such limitations, and must in itself be a bit of a nightmare for the presenters - I'm imagining particularly that they don't have control over the final editing - and I wonder if some of the stuff the presenters would like to emphasise is just chopped out to make the programme fit the timing. Monty, Carol and Joe often look as if they're having to rush through things and maybe they don't personally get much choice in the content. Somebody maybe edits out a great deal and splice it together to' present' what the programme controllers decide fits their' idea' of what the public want. Somebody must have decided that every Spring what the public needs is to watch someone put compost in a pot, press in three sweet-pea seeds, take them over to the greenhouse, water them and leave them be. This is no criticism of Monty doing it in this programme at all - it's just that yes, most people will be growing sweet-peas - but could somebody show something additional rather than always this beginning stage - here's how you take seeds out the packet, here's how you put compost in a pot, here's how you press down the seeds and here's how to walk to the greenhouse and water them. I love sweet-peas and I know there are people who would be encouraged to grow them seeing how easy this is and how little time it takes. Usually the next stage we see is planting them out round an obelisk or a quick view of the cordon system. If they start with sweet peas - I'd love to see some detail when they're half-way through growth, what experienced growers do to get the best blooms.
I have nothing against Rachel de T. and it was nice to see the winter garden place - but if you think about timing of the programme, I'd rather have the gardener at the site they visit talking about the type of plants rather than someone using time describing how they personally are impressed with the colours, the fragrances - I want to see the camera on the plants - not on someone describing the fragrance of this or that. I want to see plants and see their names come up on the screen - not an arty farty camera angle on something which isn't named with a nice photographers background blur. But - again, I can understand why they do this.
The little item on Hevers hundreds of roses in the walled area was great to see - but again, the gardener was given the time to talk briefly and noticeably encouraging people to get into roses emphasising the attraction of fragrances. I looked at that view of hundreds of those roses and was desperate to hear the gardener say 'Now I'll tell you what we do to the soil to make it fit for all these brilliant roses, here's what we find is the best thing to feed them with and here's how we keep all these roses healthy". Gardening stuff. We get tantalising views of amazing gardens where they specialise or have a specific astonishing section filled with specific plants - it just comes over to me that the gardeners tips or info which could come out from these gardeners or experts doesn't materialise - which is such a pity. I suppose part of this section is to drum up visitors - which is absolutely right and fair - but the nitty gritty 'gardener' aspect of it is thin air. I get the impression too often that there's more advertising places for the public to visit (which of course all gardeners want these amazing places supported - of course we do) - but is the programme scripted to include more pointers to places to visit rather than actual gardening. It puzzles me sometimes how the time in the programme is used. I like Monty, Carol and Joe - but feel it must be hard for them to really present at their best with time limitations.
Yarrow2 wrote:
That is exactly what went through my mind, Yarrow. I agree with everything you said. I wonder if it would help if you emailed your comment to the BBC?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/commissioning/tv/pitching-ideas/ideas-from-the-public.shtml
Perhaps if they got a flood of input from all of us it would make a difference!
Hear, hear, Yarrow 2. You've explained my thoughts so well.
You are right Yarrow having experienced the BBC system where five hours of film came down to twenty minutes shown, the same shot different angles, can you describe that again emphasise such and such, can we do that walk again and again and again"Agh" Monty is very patient.
One gardener describing the filming said they landed early worked all day and got half an hour on screen after edit. Each time he put a spade in the ground it was four or five times from different angles and then he did it again to talk. If it was a horrible day it still went ahead with probably some inside shots, Monty could have done with that for Fridays programme.
When the young ones were on we were all raging at hazy long distance through shrubbery shots, that would be the crew not the presenters, they do not have much say.
At least we get some gardening, it did look like vanishing at one time I suppose we have to be grateful.
Frank.