A new season starts....

....where was the introduction?

....where were the trailers for coming programmes, as in 'this season
we're going to....Toby will be doing this...Carol will be doing
that...Joe tries his hand at...??

Oh, and after 20 minutes, Alys turns up.

We had eight minutes of Toby and the Tomatoes: Toby cutting open seed
packets...Toby writing every label...Toby planting the seeds...

A short appearance by Carol hinted at something interesting, but that
soon faded back to Toby.

Twenty-three minutes in and there was a mention of the snowdrops being
late; why not mention that after the opening '46 frosts here' rather
than the plant that had suffered? The snowdrop article could have
kicked off the programme very well.

This was a very poor start. If this goes on, I won't be watching.

TF

Terry Fields wrote:
A new season starts...

Oh, and after 20 minutes, Alys turns up.

Erm... what time did you want her to turn up?


We had eight minutes of Toby and the Tomatoes: Toby cutting open seed
packets...Toby writing every label...Toby planting the seeds...

Toby explaining how to grow tomatoes...
Toby telling us about a new totally blight-resistant tomato...


A short appearance by Carol hinted at something interesting, but that
soon faded back to Toby.

Perhaps you fell asleep then? - she did a concise and interesting round
up of the ranunculaceae.


Twenty-three minutes in and there was a mention of the snowdrops being
late; why not mention that after the opening '46 frosts here' rather
than the plant that had suffered? The snowdrop article could have
kicked off the programme very well.

Are you for REAL???


This was a very poor start.

IYHO

If this goes on, I won't be watching.


There's just no pleasing some people
Half an hour packed with practical gardening information was what I saw

Jim
NE England

"Terry Fields" wrote...

A new season starts....

...where was the introduction?

...where were the trailers for coming programmes, as in 'this season
we're going to....Toby will be doing this...Carol will be doing
that...Joe tries his hand at...??

Oh, and after 20 minutes, Alys turns up.

We had eight minutes of Toby and the Tomatoes: Toby cutting open seed
packets...Toby writing every label...Toby planting the seeds...

A short appearance by Carol hinted at something interesting, but that
soon faded back to Toby.

Twenty-three minutes in and there was a mention of the snowdrops being
late; why not mention that after the opening '46 frosts here' rather
than the plant that had suffered? The snowdrop article could have
kicked off the programme very well.

This was a very poor start. If this goes on, I won't be watching.


I think you must have seen a different program to me, much better than
before, some practical tips some interesting but small bits on plants
(snowdrops and buttercups). Promising start, now the presenters need to
relax and let the plants do the talking.

--
Regards
Bob Hobden
W.of London. UK

"Martin" wrote ((Snip))
Terry is one of the three million who liked the previous version of GW.

I found the previous version rather like a lot of modern magazines, lots of
small bits all disjointed and nothing in depth.

--
Regards
Bob Hobden
W.of London. UK

Martin wrote:

On Fri, 5 Mar 2010 22:55:06 -0000, "Bob Hobden" wrote:

"Terry Fields" wrote...

Twenty-three minutes in and there was a mention of the snowdrops being
late; why not mention that after the opening '46 frosts here' rather
than the plant that had suffered? The snowdrop article could have
kicked off the programme very well.

This was a very poor start. If this goes on, I won't be watching.

I think you must have seen a different program to me, much better than
before, some practical tips some interesting but small bits on plants
(snowdrops and buttercups). Promising start, now the presenters need to
relax and let the plants do the talking.

Terry is one of the three million who liked the previous version of GW.

Thirty-odd years ago a GW programme by Geoff Hamilton inspired me - no
gardener then - to try my hand at growing sweetcorn. It was a roaring
success; I grew some beauties.

The interest in last night's programme faded when it became apparent
that there was no theme - other than 'gardening' - and that there was
to be no more than a show of random 'tips', slightly relieved by
Carol's relevant piece on the snowdrop family. Where was the
inspiration to try something new? Why show Buckland incessantly
writing labels? Once would have been enough.

Take the issue with the tomatoes that figured so prominently at the
beginning: anyone with arthritis is well advised to avoid eating
tomatoes and sweet peppers. Lots of people have arthritis, and some of
them garden. Why not deal with the subject of food allergies and
modern diets? What new things could be brought to GW on this topic?
What new fruits and vegetables could be introduced, and why?

The format of this programme might be the result of a popular survey,
and good luck to it. IMO I found it lacking in 'engagement'.

TF

Martin wrote:

On Sat, 06 Mar 2010 09:10:35 +0000, Terry Fields
wrote:

Take the issue with the tomatoes that figured so prominently at the
beginning: anyone with arthritis is well advised to avoid eating
tomatoes and sweet peppers. Lots of people have arthritis, and some of
them garden. Why not deal with the subject of food allergies and
modern diets? What new things could be brought to GW on this topic?
What new fruits and vegetables could be introduced, and why?

It is aimed at gardeners, not at food allergy sufferers.

What makes you think that the two have no overlap, especially since so
much time on GW is dedicated to growing fruit and vegetables?

I guess that you see no connection at all between what you grow and
what you eat, and even less between what you eat and health issues..

The connection between arthritic pain and tomatoes (and the other
nightshade palnts) is not an allergic one, so your objection is
irrelevant to the point I made.

I guess this current format of GW suits you admirably.

TF

Sacha wrote:

We were out last night and didn't see GW but I have to agree with
Martin on this one. There are so many food allergies, or potential
skin allergies, etc. to plants, that if every one is to be named and
cautioned against on GW, it will be a health programme, not a gardening
one. They could perhaps do an episode just on that subject but I can't
really see that it works as a 'trickle through' feature at all times.
Introducing new varieties of foods is another topic altogether and of
course, it's appropriate to a gardening programme. It's the business
of GW to teach people how to garden and how to grow good plants,
whether they're ornamental or vegetable. But it's not its job to teach
them to manage their food allergies. One of the previous criticisms of
GW was that it jumped about too much and was too fragmented.
Introducing another topic seems to be a certain way to ensure a lack of
cohesion, IMO.

Good points, well made.

I hazard a guess that none of the presenters have arthritis, or have
other ways (medication or whatever) of dealing with it. I take your
point that this isn't a health programme, even though there is a close
relationship between food and health.

I didn't have in mind a continuous series on the topic, but it could
have enough in it to make a programme, and would be far more relevant
than one on garden gnomes, for example.

Another idea might be a programme aimed at first-time gardeners. Take
seed-planting, as it featured prominently last night. There may be all
sorts of ways of planting seeds, but if a newcomer had bought or been
given a clutch of seeds, what general-purpose seed-planting routine
(that could be easily remembered) would be adequate for most of them?
It seems to me that there is plenty of specific advice on GW, but what
general routine is there that would be recalled and used, and would
stand a chance of giving useful results?

After all, we all came to gardening one way or another, and it's the
newcomers that are the next generation - they need to be attracted in.

I really hope that GW doesn't continue in last night's vein.

TF

Martin wrote:

On Sat, 06 Mar 2010 10:16:08 +0000, Terry Fields
wrote:

The connection between arthritic pain and tomatoes (and the other
nightshade palnts) is not an allergic one, so your objection is
irrelevant to the point I made.

It was you who wrote " Why not deal with the subject of food allergies and
modern diets?"

I apologise for running two things together. It would have been
clearer to separate the issues of tomatoes and general allergies. This
is what I originally wrote, the sparation of my original point with a
development of that, made clearer with a paragraph spacing:

"Take the issue with the tomatoes that figured so prominently at the
beginning: anyone with arthritis is well advised to avoid eating
tomatoes and sweet peppers. Lots of people have arthritis, and some of
them garden.

Why not deal with the subject of food allergies and
modern diets? What new things could be brought to GW on this topic?
What new fruits and vegetables could be introduced, and why?"

I guess this current format of GW suits you admirably.

Of course. It is aimed at gardeners, who garden.

That, of course, doesn't preclude finding out more about what one is
growing and eating.

TF

On 5 Mar, 21:00, Terry Fields wrote:
A new season starts....

...where was the introduction?

...where were the trailers for coming programmes, as in 'this season
we're going to....Toby will be doing this...Carol will be doing
that...Joe tries his hand at...??

Oh, *and after 20 minutes, Alys turns up.

We had eight minutes of Toby and the Tomatoes: Toby cutting open seed
packets...Toby writing every label...Toby planting the seeds...

A short appearance by Carol hinted at something interesting, but that
soon faded back to Toby.

Twenty-three minutes in and there was a mention of the snowdrops being
late; why not mention that after the opening '46 frosts here' rather
than the plant that had suffered? The snowdrop article could have
kicked off *the programme very well.

This was a very poor start. If this goes on, I won't be watching.

TF

You know, I've got to agree with Terry's initial comments.

There seemed to be more excitement and enthusiasm for the new series
starting from the pre-programme announcer.

It's been a long, hard winter (some would say it's not over yet...),
but, as Terry says, there was no 'teasers' to not just the season, but
even that programme.

I think they should all start off by wishing us a happy new gardening
year, and giving us something to look forward to over the next 30
minutes, nay 30 episodes.

Indeed, it was almost as if it was a mid-season programme, with no
forethought in informing us what was coming up, and why.

Noticed that Toby cuts open his seeds, whereas Alys didn't. I'm sure
hers will grow just as well.

Liked the snowdrops piece, as we saw lots of different varities that
could inspire us to plant. It was also good to hear that Toby
recommends planting 6" deep, to ensure they don't bake in summer. It
wasn't all bad. In fact, I don't think there's anything wrong with the
presenters, just programme production.

Oh, and it could've done with more music at times, which certainly
helps to raise the gardening spirit !

"Take the issue with the tomatoes that figured so prominently at the
beginning: anyone with arthritis is well advised to avoid eating
tomatoes and sweet peppers. Lots of people have arthritis, and some of
them garden.

On this subject, You don't have to give up tomatoes, just grow Plumb
tomatoes as they are much lower in acid than the round kind.
David Hill

PS, if they start to warn about every possible allergy you might get
from gardening and handeling plants then this could be the gardening
get up of the future as aproved by Health and safty
http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/f...y4u2/suits.jpg

Dave Hill wrote:

PS, if they start to warn about every possible allergy you might get
from gardening and handeling plants then this could be the gardening
get up of the future as aproved by Health and safty

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/f...y4u2/suits.jpg

LOL

Roo wrote:

You know, I've got to agree with Terry's initial comments.

There seemed to be more excitement and enthusiasm for the new series
starting from the pre-programme announcer.

LOL

It's been a long, hard winter (some would say it's not over yet...),
but, as Terry says, there was no 'teasers' to not just the season, but
even that programme.

Indeed, it was almost as if it was a mid-season programme, with no
forethought in informing us what was coming up, and why.

That was my thinking. They did say that it had been a long winter, and
mentioned the 46 frosts they'd had. Since weather is so important to a
garden, more could have been made of this - it isn't as if they didn't
have any warning, after all. But we got shown one plant that had
suffered, and Carol's appropriate snowdrop piece.

Round here the fields (and gardens) are practically waterlogged, and a
few days of sun and wind have made little impact on that. It must be
the same over much of the country, but this just wasn't taken up by
the programme.

I think they should all start off by wishing us a happy new gardening
year, and giving us something to look forward to over the next 30
minutes, nay 30 episodes.

Oh, exactly my point. It just launched straight off, and we still have
no idea what's coming....but perhaps on looking back, they've done
that in order to keep the schedule 'flexible', while monitoring the
feedback. No hostages to fortune, perhaps.

Oh, and it could've done with more music at times, which certainly
helps to raise the gardening spirit !

Just so long as it isn't the "...what a wonderful world..." variety!

TF

"Terry Fields" wrote in message
...

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/f...y4u2/suits.jpg

LOL


As a tomato lover and grower and arthritis sufferer, I would be interested
to learn of your source
for the conflict between toms and arthritis.

Regards
Pete
www.thecanalshop.com

On 6 Mar, 14:50, "Pete" wrote:
"Terry Fields" wrote in message

...



http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/f...y4u2/suits.jpg

LOL

As a tomato lover and grower and arthritis sufferer, I would be interested
to learn of your source
for the conflict between *toms and arthritis.

Regards
Petewww.thecanalshop.com

http://www.tomatoesareevil.com/

Pete wrote:

As a tomato lover and grower and arthritis sufferer, I would be interested
to learn of your source for the conflict between toms and arthritis.

The nightshade family contains the alkaloid solanin; it's thought that
arthritis sufferers can't process this into something harmless, so it
winds up irritating the already-inflamed joints.

As a result, missing out tomatoes and sweet peppers is a good idea, as
is taking cod liver oil, which produces natural prostaglandin
anti-inflammatories.