Grow your own veg!
 

"Alan Holmes" wrote in message
...

There is a programme currently on TV about growing your own veg and it is
claimed that a plot 3 metres (10 feet) square can provide you with veg all
years round.

Is that really possible?

Alan

and what about the stuff that dies, do you stop eating for a month waiting
for replacements to grow? What about crop rotation, companion planting etc.
It takes a while for new gardeners to catch on to skills around rotation,
inter cropping and the like. What if you put down a crop of potatos, where
else do you plant whilst they grow?

I have several garden wider than 1m and longer than 3 m (ie, each more than
3m square). 1 is 2/3 full of potatos, which take months to grow, and 1/3
with peas which mildew has just got. Another is 2/3 full of tomato plants
(which blight is having a merry time with) and the rest of the area broccoli
and beetroot. If the tomatos follow the peas I am supposed to stop eating
veges for a while.

If you are new to gardening unless you constantly watch for disease and
pests the crop may go west, by the time you figure out what the disease is
it is to late.

Only way I can see it working really successfully is if you resort to things
like green leaf veges like lettuce, carrots and continually plant, keep the
soil working 365 days, keep things growing with artificial fertilisers, use
sprays and buy young plants from a nursery ready propogated on an ongoing
basis.

rob

Grow your own veg!
 

There is a programme currently on TV about growing your own veg and it is
claimed that a plot 3 metres (10 feet) square can provide you with veg all
years round.

Is that really possible?

Alan

Grow your own veg!
 

In article , Alan Holmes
writes

There is a programme currently on TV about growing your own veg and it is
claimed that a plot 3 metres (10 feet) square can provide you with veg all
years round.

Is that really possible?

Alan



Do you really think that programme is any good Alan, I found it silly
and frivolous. some good moments but generally a lot of faffing about
with the camera, with music and pictures of happy families digging in
their soil etc.
Didn't show putting up bean supports or pea supports. Not at all what I
was expecting ...........
I cannot believe that Carol Klein didn't realise that sowing seeds under
a magnolia tree wouldn't incur some drawbacks! She seemed surprised that
the roots had stopped her crops from growing full size !

One of those good ideas that have been hi jacked by the "meeja" types
again ... sigh

--
Janet Tweedy
Dalmatian Telegraph
http://www.lancedal.demon.co.uk

Grow your own veg!
 

"Janet Tweedy" wrote

There is a programme currently on TV about growing your own veg .

Do you really think that programme is any good Alan, I found it silly and
frivolous. Didn't show putting up bean supports or pea supports. Not at
all what I was expecting ...........

I agree. I was extremely disappointed because the programme taught me
nothing. I want to see a normal (non-celebrity), but experienced person
tackling an abandoned council allotment from scratch, and follow them
in-depth throughout the growing year. I want to see digging, tilling,
sowing, planting, putting up supports, shovelling manure, making compost
heaps, fighting potato blight and carrot flies. I don't want to see fancy
camera angles or the family pussy cat. I don't want the person to have a
team of volunteer diggers from the local horticultural college. I don't
want the person to have bucket-loads of money to buy lovely paths and raised
beds. I want the person to use stuff raided from skips, second-hand
barrels, and old bits of wood. Basically, I want to see a real person on a
real allotment doing real things.

Grow your own veg!
 

"Mel" wrote in message
...
: "Janet Tweedy" wrote
:
: There is a programme currently on TV about growing your own veg .
:
: Do you really think that programme is any good Alan, I found it silly
and
: frivolous. Didn't show putting up bean supports or pea supports. Not at
: all what I was expecting ...........
:
: I agree. I was extremely disappointed because the programme taught me
: nothing. I want to see a normal (non-celebrity), but experienced person
: tackling an abandoned council allotment from scratch, and follow them
: in-depth throughout the growing year. I want to see digging, tilling,
: sowing, planting, putting up supports, shovelling manure, making compost
: heaps, fighting potato blight and carrot flies. I don't want to see fancy
: camera angles or the family pussy cat. I don't want the person to have a
: team of volunteer diggers from the local horticultural college. I don't
: want the person to have bucket-loads of money to buy lovely paths and
raised
: beds. I want the person to use stuff raided from skips, second-hand
: barrels, and old bits of wood. Basically, I want to see a real person on
a
: real allotment doing real things.
:
:You want to look out for a repeat of the 'Big Dig' that was a proper
gardening programme
:

Grow your own veg!
 

"Martin" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 4 Feb 2007 15:51:42 +0000, Chris ] wrote:

In article , George.com
writes

"Alan Holmes" wrote in message
...

There is a programme currently on TV about growing your own veg and it
is
claimed that a plot 3 metres (10 feet) square can provide you with veg
all
years round.
Is that really possible?

I have several garden wider than 1m and longer than 3 m (ie, each more
than
3m square).

There is a confusion here between:

3 metres square
and
3 square metres.

The former means a square of side 3 metres.
Such a square has an area of 9 square metres.

It's clear on the RHS website. It is also clear what they are growing.

"At RHS Garden Harlow Carr they set up a 3x3m (10x10ft) veg plot

ok, if it is 3m x 3m then that is different from a total garden area of 3m.
3 square metres is small, 3 square metres is altogether a better growing
size.

rob

Grow your own veg!
 

"Mel" wrote in message
...
"Janet Tweedy" wrote

There is a programme currently on TV about growing your own veg .

Do you really think that programme is any good Alan, I found it silly and
frivolous. Didn't show putting up bean supports or pea supports. Not at
all what I was expecting ...........

I agree. I was extremely disappointed because the programme taught me
nothing. I want to see a normal (non-celebrity), but experienced person
tackling an abandoned council allotment from scratch, and follow them
in-depth throughout the growing year. I want to see digging, tilling,
sowing, planting, putting up supports, shovelling manure, making compost
heaps, fighting potato blight and carrot flies. I don't want to see fancy
camera angles or the family pussy cat. I don't want the person to have a
team of volunteer diggers from the local horticultural college. I don't
want the person to have bucket-loads of money to buy lovely paths and
raised beds. I want the person to use stuff raided from skips,
second-hand barrels, and old bits of wood. Basically, I want to see a
real person on a real allotment doing real things.

Bring back Bob Flowerdew ??
Jenny "~)

Grow your own veg!
 

On 4 Feb, 10:25, "JennyC" wrote:
"Mel" wrote in message

...





"Janet Tweedy" wrote

There is a programme currently on TV about growing your own veg .

Do you really think that programme is any good Alan, I found it silly and
frivolous. Didn't show putting up bean supports or pea supports. Not at
all what I was expecting ...........

I agree. I was extremely disappointed because the programme taught me
nothing. I want to see a normal (non-celebrity), but experienced person
tackling an abandoned council allotment from scratch, and follow them
in-depth throughout the growing year. I want to see digging, tilling,
sowing, planting, putting up supports, shovelling manure, making compost
heaps, fighting potato blight and carrot flies. I don't want to see fancy
camera angles or the family pussy cat. I don't want the person to have a
team of volunteer diggers from the local horticultural college. I don't
want the person to have bucket-loads of money to buy lovely paths and
raised beds. I want the person to use stuff raided from skips,
second-hand barrels, and old bits of wood. Basically, I want to see a
real person on a real allotment doing real things.

Bring back Bob Flowerdew ??
Jenny "~)- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

They could do worse than re-editing some of Geoff Hamilton's pieces
and make those into half hour programs.
Steve

Grow your own veg!
 

"80/20" wrote
"JennyC" wrote:

Bring back Bob Flowerdew ??
Jenny "~)- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

They could do worse than re-editing some of Geoff Hamilton's pieces
and make those into half hour programs.
Steve

Hope the BBC is watching this "~))
Jenny

Grow your own veg!
 

George.com wrote:
"Alan Holmes" wrote in message
...
There is a programme currently on TV about growing your own veg and it is
claimed that a plot 3 metres (10 feet) square can provide you with veg all
years round.

Is that really possible?

Alan

and what about the stuff that dies, do you stop eating for a month waiting
for replacements to grow? What about crop rotation, companion planting etc.
It takes a while for new gardeners to catch on to skills around rotation,
inter cropping and the like. What if you put down a crop of potatos, where
else do you plant whilst they grow?

I have several garden wider than 1m and longer than 3 m (ie, each more than
3m square). 1 is 2/3 full of potatos, which take months to grow, and 1/3
with peas which mildew has just got. Another is 2/3 full of tomato plants
(which blight is having a merry time with) and the rest of the area broccoli
and beetroot. If the tomatos follow the peas I am supposed to stop eating
veges for a while.

If you are new to gardening unless you constantly watch for disease and
pests the crop may go west, by the time you figure out what the disease is
it is to late.

Only way I can see it working really successfully is if you resort to things
like green leaf veges like lettuce, carrots and continually plant, keep the
soil working 365 days, keep things growing with artificial fertilisers, use
sprays and buy young plants from a nursery ready propogated on an ongoing
basis.

rob


I admit to watching it and finding it better that the garden "hardware"
programmes we had. One plus is at least it shows failures, knock it
though you may, most programmes show only unrealistic super crops. I
quite like CQ, however I found her very repetitive smacking her lips
over salad crops!

Grow your own veg!
 

"Broadback" wrote

I admit to watching it and finding it better that the garden "hardware"
programmes we had. One plus is at least it shows failures, knock it though
you may, most programmes show only unrealistic super crops. I quite like
CQ, however I found her very repetitive smacking her lips over salad
crops!

The smacking of the lips is probably a result of wanting to make clear how
delicious it all is. Trying to get taste across on screen is hard, and she
does indeed overdo it a bit.

I must say I do like the music thought!!
Jenny

Grow your own veg!
 

In message , JennyC
writes

"Mel" wrote in message
...
"Janet Tweedy" wrote

There is a programme currently on TV about growing your own veg .

Do you really think that programme is any good Alan, I found it silly and
frivolous. Didn't show putting up bean supports or pea supports. Not at
all what I was expecting ...........

I agree. I was extremely disappointed because the programme taught me
nothing. I want to see a normal (non-celebrity), but experienced person
tackling an abandoned council allotment from scratch, and follow them
in-depth throughout the growing year. I want to see digging, tilling,
sowing, planting, putting up supports, shovelling manure, making compost
heaps, fighting potato blight and carrot flies. I don't want to see fancy
camera angles or the family pussy cat. I don't want the person to have a
team of volunteer diggers from the local horticultural college. I don't
want the person to have bucket-loads of money to buy lovely paths and
raised beds. I want the person to use stuff raided from skips,
second-hand barrels, and old bits of wood. Basically, I want to see a
real person on a real allotment doing real things.

Bring back Bob Flowerdew ??
I thought he was still on Gardeners' Question Time? Much more
interesting than some of the stuff they call 'gardening' on the TV.
--
June Hughes

Grow your own veg!
 

"June Hughes" wrote JennyC
writes
Bring back Bob Flowerdew ??
I thought he was still on Gardeners' Question Time? Much more interesting
than some of the stuff they call 'gardening' on the TV.
--
June Hughes

Yep http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/gqt/panel/index.shtml
Jenny

Grow your own veg!
 

"Janet Tweedy" wrote in message
...
In article , Alan Holmes
writes

There is a programme currently on TV about growing your own veg and it is
claimed that a plot 3 metres (10 feet) square can provide you with veg all
years round.

Is that really possible?

Alan



Do you really think that programme is any good Alan, I found it silly and
frivolous. some good moments but generally a lot of faffing about with the
camera, with music and pictures of happy families digging in their soil
etc.

I don't think it is any good either, but I just HAD to watch it, just in
case there was someting interesting, fool that I am!

Didn't show putting up bean supports or pea supports. Not at all what I
was expecting ...........

I was expecting more as well!

I cannot believe that Carol Klein didn't realise that sowing seeds under a
magnolia tree wouldn't incur some drawbacks! She seemed surprised that the
roots had stopped her crops from growing full size !

I couldn't undersatnd that bit either, I would not have planted anything
that close to any tree

One of those good ideas that have been hi jacked by the "meeja" types
again ... sigh

--
Janet Tweedy
Dalmatian Telegraph
http://www.lancedal.demon.co.uk

Grow your own veg!
 

In article , George.com
writes

"Alan Holmes" wrote in message
...

There is a programme currently on TV about growing your own veg and it is
claimed that a plot 3 metres (10 feet) square can provide you with veg all
years round.
Is that really possible?

I have several garden wider than 1m and longer than 3 m (ie, each more than
3m square).

There is a confusion here between:

3 metres square
and
3 square metres.

The former means a square of side 3 metres.
Such a square has an area of 9 square metres.

--
Chris