Is it time that the BBC aired a prog. that took us step by step with an
idiot guide to growing veg. in our gardens, season by season?
Not only sowing and harvesting, but a reliable prog that can run 52 weeks
to be comprehensive if that is the right word, to air out the many problems
we come across.
Some in depth topics I would like in a TV prog.
Composting.
Manure, and how to get it. And be safe.
All year round crops.(spring cabbage, summer, winter as an example)
PESTS and DISEASES.(urrggh)
Pruning of fruit trees.
Instruction of all types ie: Brassicas, alliums, legumes etc.

I am sure that I am not the only beginner who has failed because of the
lack of experience and knowledge.
There are of course some things in the garden I am confident with but that
is by the by.

On the other hand it might be just me who just havn't got the green fingers
despite the effort and money I put in.
Baz

On Jan 10, 4:30*pm, Baz wrote:
Is it time that the BBC aired a prog. that took us step by step with an
idiot guide to growing veg. in our gardens, season by season?
Not only sowing and harvesting, but a reliable prog that can run 52 weeks
to be comprehensive if that is the right word, to air out the many problems
we come across.
Some in depth topics I would like in a TV prog.
Composting.
Manure, and how to get it. And be safe.
All year round crops.(spring cabbage, summer, winter as an example)
PESTS and DISEASES.(urrggh)
Pruning of fruit trees.
Instruction of all types ie: Brassicas, alliums, legumes etc.

I am sure that I am not the only beginner who has failed because of the
lack of experience and knowledge.
There are of course some things in the garden I am confident with but that
is by the by.

On the other hand it might be just me who just havn't got the green fingers
despite the effort and money I put in.
Baz

Gardening is a science. There's no such thing as "green fingers". You
need to go out and buy yourself/borrow from library a good book.
There's plenty of people here will advise you which one. Anything not
in the book someone here will help you out.

I started on my father's/grandfather's allotment when was about three
and I tend to take a lot for granted but it's a lot to try and get
your head round at once. One good bit of advice is to see what's
going on next door and pick local brains. Go for the easy stuff
first, don't get too ambitious right away.
It's easy to be discouraged by failure so the best thing is not to
fail. ;-)

harry wrote in
:


Gardening is a science. There's no such thing as "green fingers". You
need to go out and buy yourself/borrow from library a good book.
There's plenty of people here will advise you which one. Anything not
in the book someone here will help you out.

I started on my father's/grandfather's allotment when was about three
and I tend to take a lot for granted but it's a lot to try and get
your head round at once. One good bit of advice is to see what's
going on next door and pick local brains. Go for the easy stuff
first, don't get too ambitious right away.
It's easy to be discouraged by failure so the best thing is not to
fail. ;-)

Reading a book is not for me ATM., But trying hard.
Baz

On Mon, 10 Jan 2011 16:30:39 GMT, Baz wrote:

Is it time that the BBC aired a prog. that took us step by step with an
idiot guide to growing veg. in our gardens, season by season?
Not only sowing and harvesting, but a reliable prog that can run 52 weeks
to be comprehensive if that is the right word, to air out the many problems
we come across.
Some in depth topics I would like in a TV prog.
Composting.
Manure, and how to get it. And be safe.
All year round crops.(spring cabbage, summer, winter as an example)
PESTS and DISEASES.(urrggh)
Pruning of fruit trees.
Instruction of all types ie: Brassicas, alliums, legumes etc.

I am sure that I am not the only beginner who has failed because of the
lack of experience and knowledge.
There are of course some things in the garden I am confident with but that
is by the by.

On the other hand it might be just me who just havn't got the green fingers
despite the effort and money I put in.
Baz

I've never thought of you as a "rookie" or "beginner" (though we were
all one of those once); a lot of the things you say (write) are worth
listening to (reading). None of us knows everything, none of us has a
guaranteed recipe for success but we learn as we go along. We learn by
asking questions, reading, watching whatever the telly chooses to
throw our way but most of all we learn by making mistakes and having
failures. Nothing can beat experience.

The chances of the BBC (or any TV channel for that matter) granting
your wish are very remote. But that's not the end of the world. There
are lots of "heavy" books out there but if you don't have the
patience, try something like the "Expert" books by Dr D G Hessayon -
they're good basic "manuals" and an easy, light read. There's one on
veg and another on fruit as well as a range on other gardening
subjects.

Have you checked to see if there is a gardening association or society
near where you live? if so, there's a ready source of advice and
experience.

Just remember that the first gardening expert had no-one to learn
anything from but he or she managed it somehow.

Jake

I would recommend that you visit the charity shops and browse their
gardening sections. For very little money, you can collect the best
gardening books for the last (what? 20? 30?) years. You'll then get:

(1) Advice that you can revisit at leisure.
(2) Your own reference library.
(3) Illustrations galore.
(4) *Differing opinions* on the same subject, which makes for a better
balance of advice.

TV's OK, but it's first and foremost entertainment, not tuition. It
doesn't tick any of the 4 boxes above (watching Monty Don dig a trench
for his leeks [as if he did anyway!] is by no means the same as seeing a
set of annotated illustrations).

You'll learn far more from a book than from a TV programme, *and* you
can listen to music while you're reading a book.

2p

Another John wrote in news:lalaw44-
lid:

I would recommend that you visit the charity shops and browse their
gardening sections. For very little money, you can collect the best
gardening books for the last (what? 20? 30?) years. You'll then get:

(1) Advice that you can revisit at leisure.
(2) Your own reference library.
(3) Illustrations galore.
(4) *Differing opinions* on the same subject, which makes for a better
balance of advice.

TV's OK, but it's first and foremost entertainment, not tuition. It
doesn't tick any of the 4 boxes above (watching Monty Don dig a trench
for his leeks [as if he did anyway!] is by no means the same as seeing a
set of annotated illustrations).

You'll learn far more from a book than from a TV programme, *and* you
can listen to music while you're reading a book.

2p

I could have said in my OP that I have difficulty with reading.
Should not have been neccessary though as I was trying to get through the
point that that there aren't any television/video/ viewing(get it now)
programmes on the BBC, for goodness sake. There is always one!
Makes me wonder how many people can read!
I think you have been listening to music and reading at the same time you
offered me the advice. Do one thing at once, please. Oh and the * you do
are so goooood. phff

Baz

In article ,
Baz wrote:

Another John:
I would recommend that you visit the charity shops and browse their
gardening sections....

I could have said in my OP that I have difficulty with reading.

You could, but you didn't.


Should not have been neccessary though as I was trying to get through the
point that that there aren't any television/video/ viewing(get it now)
programmes on the BBC, for goodness sake. There is always one!

Always one what? "Person who isn't telepathic"?

Sorry for upsetting you, my dear chap: I was only trying to be helpful!

Bye!

On Jan 10, 8:13*pm, Baz wrote:
Another John wrote in news:lalaw44-
:





I would recommend that you visit the charity shops and browse their
gardening sections. *For very little money, you can collect the best
gardening books for the last (what? 20? 30?) years. *You'll then get:

(1) Advice that you can revisit at leisure.
(2) Your own reference library.
(3) Illustrations galore.
(4) *Differing opinions* on the same subject, which makes for a better
balance of advice.

TV's OK, but it's first and foremost entertainment, not tuition. *It
doesn't tick any of the 4 boxes above (watching Monty Don dig a trench
for his leeks [as if he did anyway!] is by no means the same as seeing a
set of annotated illustrations). *

You'll learn far more from a book than from a TV programme, *and* you
can listen to music while you're reading a book.

2p

I could have said in my OP that I have difficulty with reading.
Should not have been neccessary though as I was trying to get through the
point that that there aren't any television/video/ viewing(get it now)
programmes on the BBC, for goodness sake. There is always one!
Makes me wonder how many people can read!
I think you have been listening to music and reading at the same time you
offered me the advice. Do one thing at once, please. Oh and the * you do
are so goooood. phff

Baz- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Come on, you write pretty good, you're reading can't be that bad :-)
You're posts are a lot better than some that appear here.

Someone mentioned the "Expert" books. That would be a good idea for
you, they're very informative and not heavy going at all. Well laid
out too, with lots of illustrations.
The one you want is the "The Vegetable Expert" by Dr Hessayon.
Virtually all garden centres have them, if not, W.H. Smiths will order
one.

The thing is to get in with some local people too. Go down to some
local allotments and pick a few brains about garden clubs etc.

In article , Jake
writes

The chances of the BBC (or any TV channel for that matter) granting
your wish are very remote. But that's not the end of the world. There
are lots of "heavy" books out there but if you don't have the
patience, try something like the "Expert" books by Dr D G Hessayon -
they're good basic "manuals" and an easy, light read. There's one on
veg and another on fruit as well as a range on other gardening
subjects.


Some Kindles can read the book out loud using earphones - maybe that's
the way gardening books could go?


--
Janet Tweedy
Amersham Gardening Association
http://www.amersham-gardening.net

Another John wrote in

lid:

In article ,
Baz wrote:

Another John:
I would recommend that you visit the charity shops and browse their
gardening sections....

I could have said in my OP that I have difficulty with reading.

You could, but you didn't.


Should not have been neccessary though as I was trying to get through
the point that that there aren't any television/video/ viewing(get it
now) programmes on the BBC, for goodness sake. There is always one!

Always one what? "Person who isn't telepathic"?

Sorry for upsetting you, my dear chap: I was only trying to be
helpful!

Bye!

Another John, Sorry.
We had some bad luck very recently and I wrongly interpreted your helpful
reply, and anyway bad luck or not I should not have responded in that way.

A remorseful Baz.

Remorseful Baz: no problem. We all have bad days, more's the pity.
Helps us appreciate the good ones I suppose!

Cheers
John (Another)

Another John wrote in news:lalaw44-
lid:

Remorseful Baz: no problem. We all have bad days, more's the pity.
Helps us appreciate the good ones I suppose!

Cheers
John (Another)

John (Another),
Thankyou for your understanding words.

Baz

Jake wrote in
:


I've never thought of you as a "rookie" or "beginner" (though we were
all one of those once); a lot of the things you say (write) are worth
listening to (reading). None of us knows everything, none of us has a
guaranteed recipe for success but we learn as we go along. We learn by
asking questions, reading, watching whatever the telly chooses to
throw our way but most of all we learn by making mistakes and having
failures. Nothing can beat experience.

The chances of the BBC (or any TV channel for that matter) granting
your wish are very remote. But that's not the end of the world. There
are lots of "heavy" books out there but if you don't have the
patience, try something like the "Expert" books by Dr D G Hessayon -
they're good basic "manuals" and an easy, light read. There's one on
veg and another on fruit as well as a range on other gardening
subjects.

Have you checked to see if there is a gardening association or society
near where you live? if so, there's a ready source of advice and
experience.


Jake


Thanks Jake,for the kind words and advice.
I have had 3 full seasons since I started gardening but SO many failures
that outweigh the successes. Good example is the winter bressicas this
year, all went rotten with the frost, and I chose them for their
hardiness.
I could go on.
In my life I have found that mistakes or failures can sometimes be
avoided by going back to basics. Learning again, because of some
important items missed the first time.
If my dad was still around I would ask his advice, he was a very good
gardener and grew everything we needed when I was a kid. But he is no
longer with us, and if he was he would tell me there was no such thing as
carrot fly, cabbage root fly and the like. They did not exist.
The government, I beleive, will not allow us to have pesticides etc. as
mere home gardeners, we are not trustworthy.
So thats why I would like to delve further into the subject, and my
dyslexia holds me back as it always did.

Just remember that the first gardening expert had no-one to learn
anything from but he or she managed it somehow.

But this person today is not allowed to manage their own learning because
only the chosen few are legalally allowed to practice such things. In
other words we can't spray our crops with products the commercial grower
can, and therefore are bound to failure in the eradication of alien
species in our locale.
Going back to the roots(sorry about the pun) for me is the only way to
understand just what my garden needs and for me to provide it.

Baz

On Wed, 12 Jan 2011 15:28:46 GMT, Baz wrote:

[I've snipped my original posting and the start of yours - thanks for
*your* kind words]

I have had 3 full seasons since I started gardening but SO many failures
that outweigh the successes. Good example is the winter bressicas this
year, all went rotten with the frost, and I chose them for their
hardiness.

So you are definitely not a rookie! This winter has been exceptional -
a lot of us have lost a lot of things. I've been gardening for over 30
years and I thought I knew all about protecting tender plants over
winter. I have a greenhouse full of mushy, mouldy, fungus covered
plants. I'm facing up to reality tomorrow and going in with a pile of
old compost bags to tip the lot out (gotta do that as every composter
I have is full to the brim). I've already dug up stuff in the garden
that is supposed to be hardy but clearly hasn't survived. Other plants
I'm leaving in and hoping; trouble is that if they don't pull through
I'll have lots of gaps to fill and will have to either leave them this
year or pay through the nose for larger plants from those garden
centres that I try to avoid.

In my early gardening days, I had a lot of failures - I still do!
There are some plants I love and I refuse to accept I cannot grow them
because my soil is wrong (Sacha loves eremurus but has accepted she
can't grow them - I'm still trying!).

I could go on.
In my life I have found that mistakes or failures can sometimes be
avoided by going back to basics. Learning again, because of some
important items missed the first time.

If you want to go back to basics with veg, you might want to try the
approach of taking a year to grow only the really easy stuff -
broad/French/runner beans, beetroot, parsnips, swede and turnip for
example. Carrots, brassicas, peas, on the other hand, take more
effort to grow successfully. If this winter is the exception, then
great but if it's going to become the norm then we're all going to
have to adapt and grow early cropping varieties of everything.

If my dad was still around I would ask his advice, he was a very good
gardener and grew everything we needed when I was a kid. But he is no
longer with us, and if he was he would tell me there was no such thing as
carrot fly, cabbage root fly and the like. They did not exist.
The government, I beleive, will not allow us to have pesticides etc. as
mere home gardeners, we are not trustworthy.

Remember that a lot of us either don't use chemicals at all or only
use them when there's absolutely no other way. For cabbage root fly,
you put felt discs around the base of the stems - that's always been
my method - it's not the cure, it's the prevention so you do it before
they attack. Carrot fly can be controlled by sowing thinly, thinning
out (however thinly I sow I need to thin out!) in the evening and then
burying the thinnings (not throwing on the compost heap). FWIW Maestro
F1 and Parano F1 (from Dobies) are carrot fly resistant.

So thats why I would like to delve further into the subject, and my
dyslexia holds me back as it always did.

I doubt anyone would have guessed! Your postings here don't give
anything like that away! Do you have a scanner attached to your
computer (hint, if not and you've got better things to spend money on,
look up your local Freecycle group. If it's anything like the one
here, you'll find several "multi function" printers (i.e with
scanners) on offer each week). Once you've got a scanner, you can use
it to scan book pages to your computer and then get the computer to
read them to you. Most recent Windows operating systems have a basic
text reader built in and you can find a load of free ones on the web.
Fiddly to set up but once done a boon. I regularly use a text reader
to listen to boring stuff whilst having a soak in the bath or potting
up in the shed.

Just remember that the first gardening expert had no-one to learn
anything from but he or she managed it somehow.

But this person today is not allowed to manage their own learning because
only the chosen few are legalally allowed to practice such things. In
other words we can't spray our crops with products the commercial grower
can, and therefore are bound to failure in the eradication of alien
species in our locale.

The first expert didn't have pesticies and other chemicals. They're a
comparatively recent development. One of the reasons a lot of us grow
our own veg is that we DON'T want something covered in sprays and
stuff. Demand for organic produce is growing. You don't need chemicals
most of the time. If slugs and snails are a problem, encourage birds
and hedgehogs into your garden.

Going back to the roots(sorry about the pun) for me is the only way to
understand just what my garden needs and for me to provide it.

Baz

Cheers

Jake

Jake wrote in
:

Once again, Jake thank you.

I do have a screen reader, but not use the built in one with Microsoft.
I am using "Windows Eyes" from a charity which realises my disability.
It still takes me an age to write a response to a topic with all the
spellchecks, halts and examination of content, and then go back re-examine
then finally send the text.
I also qualify for audio books, but they are out of date with our topic as
soon as they are published. ie: a new pest not covered within the book.

If I did not use the spellchecker you would not be able to read my posts,
and even when I do use it, it can nag me and give me an alternative but
sounds the same. so I have to use the photographic part of my mind to
figure out which one. eg: luck and look(2 completely different), band and
banned, if you see what I mean.

When I was at school we did not have this understanding or the technology
to do all of this. I was labelled a dunce and was too lazy to learn by my
teachers In fairness to them they had no idea of disability.

Cheers
Baz