That bloody programme - again

[philcooper]

I've just watched Joe Swift, on Gardeners' World, explain how (NOT) to plant spuds in containers.

He said it was ESSENTIAL to have 45cm of soil and then put the single seed tuber in a shallow scrape in the top of the soil.

As potatoes form on roots that grow out from the stems of potatoes that grow above the seed tuber there would be minimum space for tubers to form, and those that do will probably break through the surface and go green - there is no chance of earthing up to cover them as the compost is level with the top of the container!

For anyone growing in containers (which is a great way to grow spuds) all you need is around 10cm of compost on which to place the seed tubers, in a tyre width container, at least 3 tubers could be planted.

Cover with a further 10cm of compost and then treat as if they were in the garden - every time there is 15cm of stem/leaf showing add about 10cm of compost. This will keep the plant producing stem, from which tubers will form. Potatoes, being not very intelligent, will continue striving for the surface and increasing their stem's length for a long time and hence can produce very large crops in containers.

I have sent a similar note to GW and suggested that they speak to some one who knows about the subject (not a garden designer) before pontificating to the nation.

Phil

Blood pressure and heart rate almost back to normal!

[philcooper]

[DenBee]

Thanks for that post Phil.  I watched that too and thought "Surely I haven't got it that wrong", because I've done exactly how you describe it should be done in my potato bins, which seemed to be completely opposite to what he was saying.

Having said that, I must admit I immediately wiped what he'd said out of my mind and carried on in my own sweet way.  ;)

[Merry Tiller]

Haven't watched that rubbish (without falling asleep) for years

[busy_lizzie]

Pretty duff sort of advice from Joe Swift, Phil, you would think they would know better.  It will be interesting to see how those potatoes do. busy_lizzie

[Growbe]

Philcooper let us know if your get a reply.

I wish they would get a few more plantsmen/women on the show.

Chris Beardshaw I do hope one day GW's is yours :)

[Motherwoman]

I haven't watched GW for years,I got fed up with journalists telling me how to garden.

[MrsKP]

i enjoy watching it because it's a programme about what i currently enjoy doing i.e. growing things but even i fell asleep on Friday night.

i prefer Beechgrove however.

i would always come back here for points of reference though, whatever programme it was.

edited to include link:  http://www.beechgrove.co.uk/home/.  cheers jockthebear, i should have done that first time round really.   :P

[Jockthebear.]

Talking of Beechgrove, take a look at their site- a fund of info: even if you're south of the border, I'd imagine. All their factsheets are available online.

[MollyBloom]

Ah, much is explained. Watching Joe & Monty having a conversation which went (more or less):
Joe: Don't know nuffin about this veg growing lark but I'll give it a go.
Monty: Just stick with me son and I'll teach you all you need to know...
I turned to my husband and said, "Surely Joe Swift has been to agricultural college, so he should at least know the basics of veg growing?" But now here it is for all to see - he really don't know nuffin. (She walks away scratching her head...)

[Mrs Ava]

I watched it on Friday for the first time in yonks and time and time again I chuckled.  What a load of tosh they were talking!!  Couple of times Monty started explaining something (can't for the life of me remember what now, it as that gripping  ::)) and I turned to my better half and said  I wish someone would tell the plants that's how they are supposed to behave!  As for the spuds, really that was the final straw.

[the_snail]

I used to be a big gardeners world fan when the late and great Geoff Hamilton used to present it. He gave real good gardening advice in my opinion and used to recycle and imprevise alot. A true gardener!

The_Snail

[deboydoyd]

I thought it was great-- in fact i've collected half a ton of old wood and covered half my allotment with it just in case there is a stag beetle passing my way.

[windygale]

Hi all, i agree BRING BACK ALAN and get rid of that bunch,
i rather watch the reruns on Sky-- UK style Gardening of Geoff Hamiltom and Alan than watch Monty anyday,
when Geoff done his videos the Cottage Gardens and Ornamental Kitchen Garden he showed how to turn a small area into a productive site, and Alan told you even if things when wrong.
I even use Alan's books for advise and infomation on my RHS course and get good marks for adding it for a reference, so it goes to show it's correct what he tell's us.

windy

[Merry Tiller]

Titchmarsh would be OK if he stopped acting like a tv celebrity and went back to gardening
Fewer poetic phrases would be good too

Anyway, there's nothing the GW lot know about veg growing that I don't know already, thanks to Mr Hamilton

[Merlins Mum]

Chris Beardshaw I do hope one day GW's is yours :)

So do I Growbe, so do I

MM

[Robert_Brenchley]

I wonder how much really comes from the TV gardeners themselves, and how much is imposed on them by the producer. It could be that they're just presented with a script. Maybe Joe Swift had the role of village idiot forced upon him by the powers that be.

[kitty]

I thought it was great-- in fact i've collected half a ton of old wood and covered half my allotment with it just in case there is a stag beetle passing my way

aaaaaargh!thats decking isnt it???????
i wojder if the local stag beetles know where they are supposed to live...

[Robert_Brenchley]

Decking's a disaster in our climate, but it was something that could be conveniently done for a makeover programme. Downright irresponsible of them.

[DenBee]

Maybe Joe Swift had the role of village idiot forced upon him by the powers that be.

He was very good at it though.  ;D

[Jockthebear.]

I'm surprised that it's taken so long for somebody to say that they don't learn anything about veg. growing from GW that they didn't know before. I'm sure most of us could claim that. But what surprises me even more is the number of knowledgeable (and,BTW, lovely) people on the KG and GYO forums who can't wait for this month's mag. to drop through their letterboxes. If anything, these mags are, I think, even more superficial in their treatment of the subject than is GW. It seems to me that both GW and the popular gardening magazines have in common that they're basically evangelical i.e. their target population are casual gardeners, newbies, and downright non-gardeners. Their aim is recruitment; they seek, in the case of the mags, to add to the numbers of consumers who support a huge, multi-million pound industry. Hence repetitive, superficial articles with much plugging of things for sale. In the case of the popular TV progs. this is reflected in aspects of style such as what I think are called sound bites, and rapidfire sequences of random pictures taken from odd angles.(What ABOUT the Beeb's treatment of the Chelsea Flower Show?) This is accompanied by glib, fast-talking, modern young men such as Swift and Beardshaw, and it all adds up to an attempt to lure younger viewers by suggesting that gardening is somehow "cool".It also accounts for the plethora of instant, designer gardening programmes which treat plants as things to be exploited rather than objects of wonder.  Is there really no profit to be made in a magazine that treats the subject in some depth? Or in a similar TV programme, even at an odd hour? But, then again, maybe I shouldn't have stopped the pills.