Kitchen Garden Forum

I can never understand why one of the most popular leisure activities is only given one programme a week either.

Just imagine - one programme of sport a week! Gardening has lots of different audiences who are interested in different areas of horticulture just as sport does.

I watched the first one but not the second one, sky plussed it. All I have to do now is to find time to watch it. I thought it was slightly better but it is early days yet me thinks. My OH bleaches all our labels and swears it works everytime. Not done it this year so far so we shall see.

I watched this for the first time in a long while on Friday and one of them was planting sweet peas outside. Now, to my very amateur eye the ground looked rather sodden to be planting, but I could be wrong. It's still a poor show though. Only highlight for me was the fabulous Carol and her infectious enthusiasm

Well tonight's wasn't dumbing down but then again it was Carol Klein.

plumpudding, a little cream cleaner with wire wool does a good whitening job, and leaves a good surface for the marker pen..

Thanks NB, label cleaning sounds like an indoor job I could be doing now.

I thought last night's Gardener's World was excellent. It even jogged a few brain cells relating to O level biology and my RHS certificate in horticulture. Its nice to know the knowledge is still in there and able to surface from the depths when given a nudge! She mentioned one of my favourite gardening terms too - thigmomorphogenesis. Well done Carol.

Well, I have generally being enjoying the much improved Gardener's world. But much as I like Carol Klein, she almost put me to sleep on Friday. I did 'o'-level biology long ago and have to say it didn't interest me much then, or now. I'm not sure I learned much new which will help my gardening.

Although interesting to know that plants grow differently in a windy spot, what we really need to know is what plants will suit that position. Just like taking cuttings, Carol shows us a variety of techniques, but still I'm left not knowing how, presented with a plant, I know what technique to apply ?

I write all my labels with a graphite pencil and either a wet thumb or a rubber and they are ready to be reused and takes but seconds. Graphite never fades and I learned long ago that there is no such thing as a permenant ink marker pen.
JB.

And will it improve with the return of Monty Don? Probably not.

I never warmed to Monty Don at all I'm afraid. Seems the new programme will come from his garden as well

Well I'm pleased that Carol Klein will still be on the next series. I enjoyed her recent programme on Seed saving and Composting. At last the BBC seem to have acknowledged that the format with Toby Buckland and Alys Fowler didn't work. although it's sad that these two haven't received a very nice early Christmas present with their contracts being terminated.

I'd been under the impression that Alan Titchmarsh was returning to GW but obviously that was the other gardening programme he's recently been presenting on BBC2.

I certainly won't be watching it if Mr. Don returns. He's on my most irritating list along with nauseating Nigella.