Thank goodness Gardeners World has started again lifting the gloom of the worst winter for years.
Some of the irritating things have gone, like the session at the end, but sadly Alys and Carol remain- if they are so good why can't they have a programme to themselves and leave the produce section to take over?
The figures that I have recorded for the last 4 years here by the relatively mild conditions by the Mersey make interesting reading.
Winter 2006-7 - 19 days Frost
Winter 2007-8 - 31 days Frost
Winter 2008-9 - 53 days Frost
Winter 2090-10- 64 days Frost (and counting)
Clear evidence of global warming.
I have sown Pumpkins, Squash, Tomatoes, Chillies, Peppers, Onions, Leeks, and Brassicas this week in a propagator.
I am probably mad!
http://allaboutallotments.com/index.html
The ground in Glasgow is still frozen, as it has been most days since mid December with snow on the surrounding hills. The greenhouse was -6c two nights ago, so too early to sow in there!
I have sown peppers, alliums, peas, broad beans in the house, but certainly not sowing pumpkins this month.
Glad to see that you are still around as I have not seen you posting for some time.
Quote from: allaboutliverpool on March 05, 2010, 22:54:53
The figures that I have recorded for the last 4 years here by the relatively mild conditions by the Mersey make interesting reading.
Winter 2006-7 - 19 days Frost
Winter 2007-8 - 31 days Frost
Winter 2008-9 - 53 days Frost
Winter 2090-10- 64 days Frost (and counting)
Clear evidence of global warming.
I think you're confusing global climate with local weather. We've had a cold winter just here; planty of other regions have been unusualy warm. If the weather patterns which produced the very cold weather recur in July or August, we'll be complaining about the heat.
Nothing planted yet, there's plenty of time. I gave up on GW a long time ago.
Didnt watch gw at all last series, just too irritating. Good to see it back tonight in the old format wall to wall planting and sowing. No gimmicky projects, wobbly cameras, or whats in and out. They just need to dump tb now and it will be back to what it should be.
Started watching it to see about raspberries my sister turns up with her family just at the wrong time >:(!!!!!! not gardeners
Maybe, sometimes, it's more about letting go than taking sides...
I have followed the "Global Warming" debate from the beginning and have books about it.
It seems that the glum prophets want to have their cake and eat it. The climate v weather debate always crops up, however the predictions have always been that global warming will cause Northern Europe to have warmer weather, ie mild Winters and warmer Summers, which for a few years appeared to be the case.
The last four years have seen the opposite and extrapolating the frost figures (in the same way that Al Gore and others do) indicates that there will be 365 days frost per annum, ie an ice age within 30 years.
Thank goodness I have a small property in Nice where I and my family can escape the advancing ice sheets and celebrate my 94th birthday in 2040, although the recent closure of Nice airport, due to 6 inches of snow and causing my plane to be diverted, means that even that is not certain!
http://allaboutallotments.com/index.html
thanks for mentioning, will watch on iplayer later.
I'd look at those figures and say that the winters of 2006-2008 were the years that are greater deviations from the norm.
We wont nec get warmer anyway just wetter more stormy and with a sea level rise of around 1.9m by 2080 retreating from many areas of coastline.
Sea level rise in blackpool not far from you is currently 5mm per year set to accelerate.
x sunloving
I think you need to revisit your books and look at the effect that global warming is directly having eg the melting of the Russian permafrost and the Northern Ice sheet resulting in a 3 fold increase in the volume of fresh water entering the North Atlantic in the last 10 years alone.
One side effect of this is the re-appearnce of all the "swirly patterns" featured on the old 17thC Naval maps, that people previous thought were artistic licence. The winters of the mid 17thC are refered to as the mini ice age btw.
The effect of the increse in fresh water flow is the reduction in the salinity of the North Atlantic which if it continues unchecked will switch off the North Atlantic conveyer within 30-70 years.
No Atlantic conveyer = No Gulf stream = Continental Arctic winters making the winter we've just had look like chicken feed.
The upside is we also get Mediteranean summers.
Quote from: allaboutliverpool on March 06, 2010, 05:09:46
I have followed the "Global Warming" debate from the beginning and have books about it.
It seems that the glum prophets want to have their cake and eat it. The climate v weather debate always crops up, however the predictions have always been that global warming will cause Northern Europe to have warmer weather, ie mild Winters and warmer Summers, which for a few years appeared to be the case.
The last four years have seen the opposite and extrapolating the frost figures (in the same way that Al Gore and others do) indicates that there will be 365 days frost per annum, ie an ice age within 30 years.
Thank goodness I have a small property in Nice where I and my family can escape the advancing ice sheets and celebrate my 94th birthday in 2040, although the recent closure of Nice airport, due to 6 inches of snow and causing my plane to be diverted, means that even that is not certain!
http://allaboutallotments.com/index.html
I'm with Vortex I'm afraid. It's far more likely that we will end up buried in ice and snow for half the year. Bear in mind that we're on a latitude with Hudson's Bay in Canada which freezes solid all winter. The only reason we don't have weather that harsh, or even as harsh as much of mainland Europe, is the gulf stream. In all probability this will head north and we'll have to learn how to cope with snow.
Having said all that, it is also worth bearing in mind that there have been all manner of climate fluctuations if you look back far enough. We really have no idea what is going to happen climate wise, or how long these changes will take. Anyone who says "this will happen" is at best only guessing. This may well end up being an anomalous (had to look up the spelling on that one!!) couple of years/decades and then things will go back to 'normal'.
Back on topic, I'm afraid I voted to watch QI last night instead of GW. Gave up on it several years ago. May give it a go next week just for the sake of comparison but not optimistic! Enjoy the presenters on their own, but put them all together and it just doesn't seem to work!
Last summer actually was warmer than average, it was also wetter. One possibility which was mooted long ago was that our climate might become more continental, with colder winters and warmer summers. It's unpredictable on the local scale, but last winter would fit this pattern. Last summer fitted the alternative pattern; warmer and wetter. But to get an idea of the effects, you have to look a lot wider than Northern europe.
The problem is that someone used the term "global warming" which is incorrect...climate change is more correct. Consider the climate as a system...when you make alterations to any system it fluxes erratically until it reaches a new equilibrium ...that is what we have. Actually we should be heading into the next ice age hence the misnomer 'Global warming'. There will be no pattern until some sort of stability is reached allowing an equilibrium.
We had a cold winter in 1962 when we thought we found a dead, frozen dog under the van at midnight. Called him Jan as found on Jan 1, he warmed up in front of the fire and I walked him to the police station (we had one then), off the lead as no cars and no traffic. he was never claimed so had him for 14 years, he also nearly drowned the next year chasing ducks on the pound and I had a baby in a pram so a man said you can't do anything, let him drown, but he managed to climb out of the ice. Also had a stray cat that used to sleep outside in the outside toilet and found it dead one day frozen, still feel guilty about that, but it wasn't my cat. We had no central heating then and went to bed with the window with ice on the insides, showing my age. Think this winter has been quite mild but then we have heating, when it works. Haven't seen Joe Swift at his lovely allotment for ages, so his raspberries that he was talking about are still there. If he doesn't do some work soon he will have to give it up. All done for the cameras I think.
Quote from: Kea on March 08, 2010, 18:05:12
The problem is that someone used the term "global warming" which is incorrect...climate change is more correct. Consider the climate as a system...when you make alterations to any system it fluxes erratically until it reaches a new equilibrium ...that is what we have. Actually we should be heading into the next ice age hence the misnomer 'Global warming'. There will be no pattern until some sort of stability is reached allowing an equilibrium.
It's not inaccurate when the change in question is an overall warming up! When I was at school they were speculating about why the current interglacial (the ice ages aren't over!) was lasting so long; it now looks like a small degree of human-induced warming was preventing another glaciation.
Quote from: Robert_Brenchley on March 08, 2010, 22:45:06
Quote from: Kea on March 08, 2010, 18:05:12
The problem is that someone used the term "global warming" which is incorrect...climate change is more correct. Consider the climate as a system...when you make alterations to any system it fluxes erratically until it reaches a new equilibrium ...that is what we have. Actually we should be heading into the next ice age hence the misnomer 'Global warming'. There will be no pattern until some sort of stability is reached allowing an equilibrium.
It's not inaccurate when the change in question is an overall warming up! When I was at school they were speculating about why the current interglacial (the ice ages aren't over!) was lasting so long; it now looks like a small degree of human-induced warming was preventing another glaciation.
No it isn't inaacurate but the media has seized on the term 'global warming' and miss used it. The overall trend is warming but as soon as you have a cold winter the media comes out and says 'see it's all wrong there is no warming we've had a very cold winter' and yes we have had a cold winter but Global warming is just that it's 'Global' our cold winter was 'Local'. The Southern hemisphere has just had an extremely hot summer.
The media and science don't mix...in fact neither the media or politicians have a clue how science works...which means the average person who gets all their info from the media doesn't have a chance of understanding science.
I've been getting quite irritated with the people saying that we've got cold weather so there's no climate change. They need to find out the difference between weather and climate.
yep, robert. GW - still rubbish!
Last night at 8pm I was in my 6X6 greenhouse at home pricking out seedlings by the light of an Ikea clip-on light and was thinking how much I would like a large greenhouse/orangery like the one on GW attached to the house so I could just wander in at any time and spend 30 minutes just pottering.
It did revert to irrelevance again last week at a time when many gardeners are anxious about the later season this year and they could have been reassured and given tips.
http://allaboutallotments.com/index.html
Quote from: Robert_Brenchley on March 17, 2010, 20:29:38
I've been getting quite irritated with the people saying that we've got cold weather so there's no climate change. They need to find out the difference between weather and climate.
Yes me too.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006mw1h
Links to watch the last few programs online, having never watched GW before, I must admit I liked it :P
Unbelievable. I have just watched the recording of last night's GW and the only bit dedicated to growing vegetables was 20 seconds at the end relating to sowing leeks.
Does this mean that we should all have this next week off (the first week of Spring) as there are obviously no other vegetable and fruit tasks?
Who is responsible for the balance of topics?
http://allaboutallotments.com/index.html
Watched it last night as we were hiding from sport relief & was actually pleasantly surprised. Seemed much more to do with horticulture than previously. Much less gimmicky. No, there wasn't much on veg, but they just can't cover everything in half an hour. Always going to be a problem. Did convince me that trying to get my mum to dig up a bit of her long established rhubarb patch may not be such a good idea. Didn't have a clue they were such monsters when you got them out!
Yes, I think you'd have to include the rhubarb bit as well- I found that useful as I have a patch of very old rhubarb and have always been scared of just chopping it so brutally- now I know I can!
I watched it as well... still not overly impressed, the sooner they ditch both Carol Klein and Joe Swift the better.
One thing that bugs me about last nights though was why wait till now to sow leeks? Most people would have sown them in January.
I sowed mine last weekend. ???
Just watched Friday's Gardeners world and yet again there was hardly any info on veg growing (except 30 seconds telling us to sow leeks when most of us have sowed them already). I think this should seriously be looked at by the BBC especially as the sale of veg seeds is now higher than the sale of flower seeds...this should tell them something.
I did enjoy the rhubarb item though and the part at the beginning about the insects/bees etc. However i feel that they use plants and features that are expensive that 'Mr and Mrs Average' would not buy.
I too loved Geoff Hamilton for the cheap things he made and his down to earth approach and i loved Alan Titchmarsh for his knowledge and enthusiasm in the garden. Unfortunately i think that the presenters now are the 'trendy posh gardeners' who have forgotten the 'down to earth' approach.
Pls don't shoot me down if you don't agree...this is just my opinion.
Quote from: caroline7758 on March 20, 2010, 18:12:07
I sowed mine last weekend. ???
Yet to sow mine.
GW.....boring :( get rid a Joe n Toby and give Carol and Alys the job as the two mane presenters.
Quote from: Vortex on March 20, 2010, 18:00:45
One thing that bugs me about last nights though was why wait till now to sow leeks? Most people would have sown them in January.
I wasn't planning on sowing them just yet, given the weather, but was prompted by the reminder.
Given his past articles in Kitchen Gardener, I'd say Toby has the potential to make stuff on the cheap a la Geoff Hamilton. I recall him building fruit cages and making his own apple press in the magazines in the past. I guess how much is the presenter and how much is the production? I'd be definitely switching off if Carol got the main job.
Quote from: kippers garden on March 21, 2010, 07:54:33
... most of us have sowed them already ...
I'm still waiting for my T&M order. The reminder on GW will make sure I sow them as soon as they arrive.
I enjoy GW. It should still be an hour, but in the current format. Get rid of Joe and his barmy design babble!
Toby is excellent, as is Alys.
A great improvement for allotmenteers this week with more emphasis on veg growing.
Even Carol kept my attention with the lily scales in Vermiculite which I will try.
I understand that Alys has got her own programme, an idea that I facetiously suggested earlier in this post.
Trust Joe to come up with the idea of a box hedge with 'organic form', in other words unkempt!
8/10
http://allaboutallotments.com/index.html
still not impressed with it .
I've done the lily scales thing, and it worked well. I put them in compost, in plastic bags which I sealed up and put in the cupboard with the hot water tank for a few weeks.
Get rid of them all !! Change the theme music!! Bring in new producers!!Make it a five minute programme! :P
Thanks allaboutliverpool i wondered what the organic form was in box hedging!!! Does that mean my sons room is organic? ;D ;D
Havent sown any leeks yet either still eating last years!
Well said Bazzysbarn
Don't spread the term 'organic' or every kid will be claiming that as an excuse, we already have problems with plotholders, like the one whose plot is a mess, and he says he only likes to work on it in the Winter to avoid killing wildlife! Suffice to say that he has done nothing this Winter and has been served notice!
I am also still digging leeks, but have sowed mine.
I agree with Duke, maybe I have just been watching gardening programmes for too much of my life now but there wasn't really anything much to excite me in that programme and Toby is just so condescending, I think. I thought they were going to make this new series better! :( I wish Geoff Hamilton was still here!! :'(
They should have less flowers in the program, they seem to not have much mention of veg at all.
It should be based on what people should be doing in the garden at that time of year.
I think Toby is OK but change the producers. MInd you I did not notice so much of the silly shots with other presenters walking past in the background to make it look busy.
well I like the new show so much better than the terrible throw money at the job years of monty, chris, joe .
I think Toby and Alys and Carole are actually convincing gardeners and i like the much more down to earth approach.
used to be every program id be shouting at the tele in frustration not this season (except Tobys first day when he dug in wet mud!)
The magazine this month was so much more practical than normal to.
I've got high hopes.
Off to lay some bricks and get the greenhouse up at last!
x sunloving
All the presenters should be put onto the compost heap, what is needed is someone on the lines of Geoff Hamilton and/or Geoffery Smith both had great knowlege and stacks of get up and go. Good down to earth gardeners
Just watched the 4th program on the PC, I liked the bit he did with the raised beds, that was useful to me.
I also like lilies, so all that bulb separation stuff was interesting. (still need to get some lilies though)
They have to cater for everyone I suppose, that's why some things aren't as useful as others, I can totally disregard the stuff about hedges...no room for one.
Did quite enjoy most of it, but I'm afraid as a professional (should probably put that in ' ' as I've not been doing it that long!!) you do start picking up on stuff that they shouldn't really be advocating to potential complete novices. The hedge thing really got me going. For the sake of ten minutes putting in a string line you get a wonky hedge. If you want a curved hedge then fair enough, but make it into a proper curve or a proper shape. Don't just put them in higgeldy piggedly and then claim it's ok just because you can't be bothered. Also one of the basic rules is you never leave roots exposed to the air for longer than absolutely necessary. The idea of laying out fifty box plants like that while you mess about planting them is just plain wrong!
Despite all that, I probably will watch a bit more of this series. Haven't been a regular viewer for some time but much preferring this setup.
We did wonder where Alys had gone. Always had a feeling they were just trying her out for something else.
bazzysbarn - depending on how old your son is there might be a compost layer down there somewhere. My husband isn't much better in his study and he's supposedly fully grown ::) ;D
I might be missing out, but I can't even be bothered to look to see if it is better than the awful last series.
watched it on bbc iplayer...its ok but not great
there will never be another geoff hamilton...he certainly was the king, could watch him all day
at the end of the programme the bloke toby reminded us the clocks go forward on sunday
and to enjoy an extra hours gardening....id have thought it was an hour less though !!
It's an hour more this time of year, an hour less in the autumn.
That's right - when I help my daughter in winter with her London plot, I insist on setting off for 60 mile drive back home while still light, ie 4 -ish.
Today I couldn't get away until 6.30....
Still, we planted 10 asparagus crowns and some potatoes and artichokes, and cleared out round some young fruit trees, while 4 little boys ran around laughing and chasing each other, so the extra time was worth it.
Have tried watching GW and cannot last the course.
I'll have to give it another try! havn't watched it since I decided I already knew how to replant a plant from a pot
marg
I tried watching it the other week as I'd high hopes that they'd listened to the complaints. Going back to 30 minute programmes was a step in the right direction as it removed padding but watching toby filmed in the greenhouse through glass with the sun shining on it, >:( , and then later on with Joe walking across the foreground shot did it for me. They still dont seem to understand how to frame a shot any longer. This happens on other programmes and it does my head in.
I now watch QI instead
QuoteWe did wonder where Alys had gone
She has got her own show called the Edible Garden. I think it is trying to bring the decorative aspect in with the edible. Not sure when it starts.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/tv/comingup/the-edible-garden/
I have tried GW but sorry to say Toby sends me nuts there is something about the way he talks that sends me straight for the off switch
"Toby sends me nuts there is something about the way he talks"
..That's it...you said it....!
He comes across as totally nice bloke...NICE..too much so...whimpish...goody goody...
He just irritates me...he's tone of voice is always same...
>:(...just having a grumpy morning.....I bet he's NICE chap.....
Don't like Alice neither...uni/student type...no, not for me....
Joe with his allotment thing spoiled the plot,,should have stayed with designing...
Now...Carol is ok...Monty was ok(recently has come across a bit odd through few artickles in papers)...Alan and Geoff. :) :)
What is it with garden designers that they think they are "the bees knees"..I know few of those and their knowlege of gardening and plants is crap..yet how can you design garden that works if you don't know the basics?...So many times designers(swear word) have looked at me down at their noses (gardener)and yet time and time again it's me who have to put right their mistakes...GRRR!
If you'e got a Sky box, have a look at 'The Beechgrove Garden'. Starts next Wednesday on BBC Scotland.
Jim McColl is from the same mould as Geoff Hamilton. A basic, down to earth gardener.
Previous series have lots of veg. gardening articles albeit you have to accomodate the fact that what they are doing will be some weeks behind the south of England.
Out of interest, I watched last weeks GW episode today. One thing that struck me was how Toby was speaking, has he been told to present differently or something? There was also a voice over by him obviously added on later explaining what he was doing when planting the container veg....it was a curious monotone and I found it very odd. Can't say it tempted me to continue watching really, Caroles bit propagating lillies bit was OK, at least she has a more natural presenting style even if she is a bit over effusive at times!
Inspired by the posting about 'The Beechgrove Garden' on BBC Scotland (which is now on my planner to set to record) I had a bit of a look around.
On S4C (Welsh national channel) on Sky, there is a programme called 'Bwy Yn Yr Ardd' on Wednesdays at 20:25.
I believe it translates as 'Living in the Garden'.
It'll be a cracking test of my school-level Welsh. It'll be interesting to see how much I can pick up from 'just' watching the pictures.
Let me see. I know that Moron is Carrot, Dwr is Water and Tomatos is self-explanatory.
Should be a piece of cake. Or Cacen for that matter :)
Just found Alys's new programme 'The Edible Garden'.
Starts 7th April, 20:00 on BBC 2.
First programme is Peas & Beans.
I'm looking forward to seeing what the new programme's like. It's funny how much we care about these programmes, isn't it? ;D
I agree that Toby's changed his presenting style. My family and I were saying, last Friday night, that he sounded almost hypnotic!
From my limited experience of TV work (being interviewed and presenting), I know it's tricky to strike the right note. You need to feel comfortable in your own skin while putting across a 'story' in a limited time and under direction.
We down-to-earth gardeners easily see through gimmicky approaches and any falseness. The presenter needs to be allowed to share his/her passion for gardening honestly, rather than attempting to 'sell' an idea. The production values need to let the presenter's personality shine through, without dazzling us with Personality with a capital P.
Geoff Hamilton is rightly remembered with great affection: a genuine bloke sharing a genuine passion. His sense of humour and sense of value for money worked great then and would work great now.
I also have great respect for Monty Don in his latest series on craftsmen - a highly appropriate choice of presenter for that particular programme (series just finished). And Titchy is very versatile, of course...
Well just watched the 5th program on the PC, not much about fruit n veg this time, but I still enjoyed it.
Unfortunately I am missing the second Gardeners World in a row whilst in Nice.
Thank goodness for my Sky Plus Box which is recording them for me.
It is interesting that I have posted 4 replies in 15 mins with hardly anybody else posting!
http://allaboutallotments.com/index.html
settled down to watch GW but unfortunatly fell asleep after the first few minutes , it had just finished when I woke. was it any good? was it worth catching up on?
marg
I started recording Gw so I can fast forward through the boring bits - thats a lot of it to be honest! There are still a few tips I enjoyed, like the lily propagation. Watched the Edible garden and was quite impressed, more down to earth especially when the dog had a wee on the veg :D Planted pea shoots the next day.
I watched a program where Chris is planting roses...he mentions about soil and how it is sandy and putting compost will help...looks like clayish to me..and wasn't it last year they were talking about garden having a heavy soil?
Yesterday Aly was doing "heavy" work with her fancy wooly cloves on?? ::) ..spreading compost on surface and forking it in..."clearing roots and weeds as she goes on"..looked done job already..no weeds on site..new turf to stand on..IT IS ALL FAKE!!! >:( >:( ..and she was planting sorrel into that new border right close to the edge of the bed...doesn't she realise how big these plants grow!!!..nobody is going to eat that much sorrel that those plants will stay small.. In a bit there will have leaves on the lawn edge..which will start dying with lack of light and then they will have to repair the edges... ::)
OH..and the soil when she was moving the barrow was sooo...wet...
she shouldn't be anywhere near to that soil untill it has dried a bit..or she should have explained it to viewers and said "do not it like I have at home... ::)
.."do not do it like I have at home"...
AND another thing....with good gardening practice...
..as there is newly edged lawn where Aly was working...she should have had a boad over the area where she was working. If she were to do as much work like she was letting us believe,,,that lawn edge would be now totally ruined.. ::)
I agree Goodlife - Alys' gardening was all fake, disappointing. I was alarmed by the clambouring about and digging of wet earth too.
But most of all what annoyed me was that she said she had loadsa' produce and yet all you get it a close up of one plant. "I can't get enough peas to the kitchen" she said - I don't doubt it if you only grow a little clump like that.
..I'm so thoroughly work up today with bad gardening programs...other people...GRR.....I'm of to MY OWN garden now..to calm down and enjoy my day... ;D..and then later on tonight if I'm still in bad mood..I'll write letter to GW team and tell them what I think of their program..Would any body have any objections if I would borrow some opinions that has been said in this tread...?
And can I advertise A4all by pointing to our direction if they want to know more...?
I wouldn't waste your energy getting all wound up about it Goodlife. I suspect it's not aimed at gardeners with any experience.
But, I was an armchair gardener long before a real one on account of the lack of an actual garden and I remember there did used to be some great programmes: Is it Dan Pearson; ages ago designed some beautiful, long-term ones with plants not decking and a water feature.
Anyway, if you do complain, can you tell them I stopped watching after the bloke with the allotment called in an etymologist to identify the rare insect eating his cabbages (which were totally unprotected). First, I'd only been growing vegetables for two months and I was well aware of what a cabbage white was and secondly surely another plot-holder would've told him easily enough. Totally lacking credibility ???
I actually really appreciate the idea that Alys is trying to pull off and wanted to learn some tricks off it, but I suspect there are much better gardens already doing it and some of the owners may post here ;) Besides, I wish she would also stop saying how 'tiny' her garden is, because it clearly isn't - for London anyhow.
I would be interested to see some of the old GW programmes in black and white, with the early authoratative presenters, Percy Thrower and Arthur Billet spring to mind. There certainly were no fancy camera angles in those days.
I found this lovely clip of Arthur in the 70's on :-
http://www.bbc.co.uk/lifestyle/mediaplayer/consoles/gardeners_world/bb_rm_console.shtml?nbram=1&bbram=1&tab=5
Click onto classic clips and choose.
Watch it and tell me you learned nothing!
Just watched part 6, was ok, again not much focus on vegetables. :(
"I wouldn't waste your energy getting all wound up about it Goodlife"...
...I'm 8) now ;D..I have been like woman possessed with spade..there is absolutely no steam left in me...none.. ;D
I know many don't rate ground force programs..but you could see them working.."what ever the weather" ::)...it was honest and Tich said many times you should not do this at home....
If GW presenters would even once let us know, when they start new project, how many people were involved preparation...how long it took for them...etc.
It would open many wannabe gardeners eyes how long jobs take....it is not matter just pushing barrow a yard, forking few times and nice smile.....
Blood and sweat....that's what I want to see!!!! ;D