Topic: Disappointed in James Wong

[manicscousers]

Just watched sunday brunch which I had taped. He said it's very hard to grow tomatoes in this country without loads of fertiliser and cucumbers are also very hard to grow. Anyone agree with him, he was pushing 'cucamelons', aka melothrie

[BarriedaleNick]

Well a lot of folks on my site have given up with toms due to blight but I would strongly disagree with him.  I always get some sort of crop and don't go heavy on the ferts..

[manicscousers]

I know what you mean about the blight but there's nothing like the taste of a home grown tomato, had a look at his facebook page and he's pushing his seeds etc from suttons, enough said

[goodlife]

There is quite few things that I've started to disagree with James..and now this about toms and cucs. I really don't know where he gets his gardening knowledge from?!
Other year GJ and I, we saw him talking about kiwis...and he said we should grow kiwiberries instead of gooseberries.."he though gooseberries were 'horrid' and kiwiberries are so tasty and easy to grow"
Well...I can already tell that 'horrid' goosies are loooovely and yield many times more than kiwis....still waiting first kiwiberry to arrive...

James...you are giving us lots of WONG information 

[galina]

My personal beef with him is that he is renaming plants.  Like melothria, which has been available for years from Real Seed, Nicky's Seed and a few other sources and never under the name of 'cucamelon'.  Makes it sound brandnew, but isn't - just reinvented.  I love melothria as a niche crop, a greenhouse mini-cucumber that keeps going when the outdoor ones are getting mildewed and stop producing. 

It is good to learn about exotic and less well-known crops.  But I think it is good form to acknowledge that these have been distributed by seed sellers like Future Foods and Real Seed already.  Not really nice to brush all this away and re-invent these crops with a new name. 

No doubt money is earned by this dubious method, but I agree - it is W(r)ong!

[BarriedaleNick]

I hate the way he refers to " breaking free form the allotmenteers time warp" "ditch the ration book veg " as if he is some sort of crusader for "new fruit and veg".
Frankly it's insulting - people have been growing this stuff for years and most people grow what they want to eat not what is trendy or "now".

Frankly he is several years behind the curve

[goodlife]

People all over the world grow the similar 'ration book veg' as their stable diet...all his 'new' crops are just small part it...nobody can't live with those alone.
Wong should stick to his herbs that he is very good at...

[Jayb]

I hate the way he refers to " breaking free form the allotmenteers time warp" "ditch the ration book veg " as if he is some sort of crusader for "new fruit and veg".
Frankly it's insulting - people have been growing this stuff for years and most people grow what they want to eat not what is trendy or "now".

Frankly he is several years behind the curve

Irritated me too, although I do love growing unusual type fruits and veggies, some I would not want to be without.  But my mainstays are the time honoured "ditch the ration book veg ". As much as I love Oca, for me it is no substitute for the good ol' spud!

[chriscross1966]

There is quite few things that I've started to disagree with James..and now this about toms and cucs. I really don't know where he gets his gardening knowledge from?!
Other year GJ and I, we saw him talking about kiwis...and he said we should grow kiwiberries instead of gooseberries.."he though gooseberries were 'horrid' and kiwiberries are so tasty and easy to grow"
Well...I can already tell that 'horrid' goosies are loooovely and yield many times more than kiwis....still waiting first kiwiberry to arrive...

James...you are giving us lots of WONG information 

He might have tried to eat an underripe "cooking" gooseberry rather than a ripe "dessert" variety.... it'd turn you face inside out, similar to under-cooked, unsweetened rhubarb in that regard.... THat said I'm waiting all agog for my Hinnomaki Reds to crop this year.... the few I got last year were delicious, and this years crop looks so promising..... as does my blackcurrants adn raspberries..... another thing that just costs too much IMHO is British soft-fruit... but it doesn't ripen off the plant, is fragile when ripe and doesn't keep... no wonder the supermarkets would rather sell you blueberries....

[Digeroo]

I am also waiting with bated breath for my hinnomaki reds.  Good crop last year but this year several more bushes are coming on stream and the older ones are look very promising.  I like the occasional kiwi, but really love gooseberries.  And even more I like gooseberry and strawberry fool. 

I think also that some of the fruit and veg in the supermarkets do lack flavour.  Though I think that they are improving.  I certainly do not feel in a time warp.   They are breeding more tasty variety for me to grow.

I like what I grow and I grow what I like.   

[goodlife]

another thing that just costs too much IMHO is British soft-fruit... but it doesn't ripen off the plant, is fragile when ripe and doesn't keep... no wonder the supermarkets would rather sell you blueberries....

That is on thing that I miss from Finland..their fresh fruit and veg markets. All seasonal berries are piled up on their sale tables where market seller sells them by the 'litre' or half..he has these measure scoops..all scooped into bags..you take the produce with to deal with it sooner rather than later or eat while you walk around  http://publicmarkets.com/kauppatori/
Yes, some gets damaged and squashed, but that is nature of the stuff..we just used to get our fingers dirty with slightly mushy strawberries or bilberries and lick the juices off
Sadly everything in supermarkets have to be so 'clinical'..that is same Finland too, though they still sell everything..even the seasonal fragile apples that are ripe straight from the trees and won't keep for long. You just have to eat them quickly and enjoy while they are in offer and wait eagerly until the following year the supplies are available again.

[sunloving]

I'll never forgive him for copyrighting the name incredible edibles and making life so difficult for the wonderful Todmorden project who had the name long before he cooked up a tv program.
Shame on him and the bbc.

The best revenge is to save cucamelon seed this year and distribute them widely for free next year.
Obvs I wondnt maind helping you out there as a recipent!! as i cant afford the 2.99 per pack!

xSunloving

[squeezyjohn]

I dislike the man the more I hear about it.  I hate people coming up with a name and copyrighting it without checking if it's being used first.  He'd better not be enforcing it against a voluntary/charity organization ... I can see his career taking a nose-dive if his behaviour is anything less than polite.  In general - the community of growers don't like to see bad advice coupled with money-grabbing.