"Stan The Man" wrote in message
...
Of course everyone has a story to tell and of course there will be
exceptions but in general I don't think that I can be swayed from my
view that those who communicate about gardening to millions of
viewers/readers should be a) as well qualified horticulturally as
possible; b) as experienced as possible; and c) as coherent as
possible.

Quite reasonable though fails to identify that "qualified" does not and
should not only mean via an acedemic course, leading to a piece of paper.
This applies especially in gardening because of its evolving, ever learning
nature.


In related areas, if someone is fixing my gas boiler, my teeth, my new
extension, my domestic wiring, my blood pressure, etc, I'm going to
find someone who, first and foremost, is properly qualified to do the
job. If they are also experienced, so much the better.

Simon

And there's the catch; "properly qualified" and how that is to be
interpreted. Many people start off as teachers for a course on a subject
that had seemed to be waiting for them to come along and open the door, yet
they themselves never become the course's post graduates in the real sense.

Would that make them unqualified?
And therefore not acceptable to you?

Patrick