Kitchen Garden Forum

Elaine wrote:
The chalk boards and animation? Straight out of a Jamie Oliver programme!

That's very apt as when watching Alys since she became a firm fixture on GW I felt that she had deveoped the school marm characteristics. She seemed to change.

Ibefore anyone else makes the connection I may be an ex teacher but I don't think I was ever a school marm!

Looks like I'm out on my own then..................I loved it! Probably because I think she is fab. I love her individual style of clothes and her odd specs, as well as her ability to explain things. Yes - it was a bit 'Jamie at Home' with the pencil drawings and the blackboard, and it wasn't very speedy, but I'll be watching it every week.

A bit risky though - wearing a short skirt and bending over in front of the camera!

I didn't notice that bit.

I did.

oldherbaceous wrote:I didn't notice that bit.

Oh dear OH you are slipping!

I've just broke the re-wind button through constant use.

oldherbaceous wrote:I've just broke the re-wind button through constant use.

and

now

OH

is

on

slow-motion !

So

as

not

to

miss

anything!

Morning Peter, the forum was trying to defend my human rights.

What about tonight then..................................................?

I'm not sure.............!

At least it had the reality of blight, showing that the job is not as easy as the producers would like people to think

Then they wheeled in George and his blight-free allotment tomatoes

It's OK and easily watchable but I most enjoy the dog
and it's obvious distain for gardening - such great
expressions!

Westi

Well, I've watched three episodes now and last night put the lid on it for me...I won't be watching it again.
The way Alys planted out those seedlings,with no soil preparation that I could see...it looked compacted and stony....finished me off. She plonked them in the soil and pushed a bit of soil loosely around them, although she did firm in the sprouts(?) plant!

Anyone new to gardening, either edibles or ornamentals, would be hard pressed to find anything informative from this. Indeed, I think it is very misleading, giving the impression that it's just a matter of...sow a few seeds, chuck the resulting plants into unprepared ground and hey presto.....instant lunch!

Instead of flitting around from one thing to another, and covering the entire season in an episode, the makers should have taken us through the year, showing preparation, seed sowing/pricking out and planting out, following the progress of the vegetables to harvest. The one realistic bit was the Hailstorm damage!

It's like a gardening Fairy story and such a waste of opportunity and the talents of Alys, both as a gardener and presenter.

Cheers.

One positive note...I love her garden, hens and the dog!

I agree that the programme flits too quickly from one topic to another, which must be especially irritating to new gardeners who were hoping to learn. I suppose we must blame the producers for the content but do we really need to see Alys cycling around from house to allotment? The time spent on that would have been better spent concentrating on the basics of sowing and growing.
One thing I have learned from watching this and other gardening programmes. If I were ever to feature in one I would demand total editorial control. It seems to be the only way that a gardener would be able to have time to devote the detail they need to the basics rather than all the poncy side-effects.