Gardeners World

Primrose

I am amazed at the phenomenon of raised beds. Everybody suddenly seems to be into them and if you consider that one of the prime reasons for growing your own vegetables is to save money, it could cost you a huge amount of money in timber before you save a penny cropping your first carrot. When I look at the huge deep timber beds built for this new Gardening Series, I would love to know how much they cost. I suspect Raised Beds will overtake Decking in becoming the next gardening white elephants. They are helpful for the elderly who cannot bend down so low, or when you have really poor soil or drainage, but you lose a large amount of growing space having pathways in between them. For those who have a limited amount of growing area and who want to maximise its use, I think they're a complete waste of time. Crop rotation between them is nice but not essential. I've gardened on the same small vegetable plot in our garden for thirty years. I'm able to practice very limited crop rotation yet by sensible manuring and digging in of humous to keep the soil in healthy condition, I usually manage to raise excellent crops. All this fancy theory is putting new inexperienced vegetable gardeners off. It's not necessary and you can garden equally well on a small patch of soil if it's kept in good condition. So if you're new to vegetable gardening, take some of the professionals' advice with a pinch of salt. Just do your best and enjoy the thrill and experience of growing your own. Good healthy soil is a hundred times better than the fancy technique of raised beds. . Rant over !

Lotus-eater

Primrose wrote: »

They are helpful for the elderly who cannot bend down so low, or when you have really poor soil or drainage, but you lose a large amount of growing space having pathways in between them.

You rant as much as you like.

I disagree with you though, raised beds are much easier than having a open plot. And you certainly don't lose any growing space. They are also a massive time saver once they are set up.
Of course they are not the only way to go and you get on fine with the way you do it and that's great.

A._Badger

Primrose makes a very valid point but gardening has long been as much about fashion as it has horticulture (sadly, in my opinion).

I use raised beds in my garden for valid, horticultural reasons but the promotion of them as a panacea for all growing ills is, frankly, silly. Unfortunately, raised beds are part of a package of all things supposedly 'Green'. Individually, there is nothing wrong with some of the ideas, in the right places at the right time, but when they become unthinking 'lifestyle statements' they move beyond gardening and into the realms of glossy magazines and trendy Zeitgeist.

Personally, I am waiting with weary resignation for the point when all these breathless young thngs who believe they can be self-sufficient for a few hours labour a month realise that gardening, for all that I believe it to be the greatest hobby there is, can be both back and heart-breaking at times.

Real gardeners get over those times. Those seduced by the dreams peddled by Harrod Horticultural catalogues and lifestyle features on the BBC, probably won't.

I wonder what the next fashion will be? Hydroponics?

A._Badger

Lotus-eater wrote: »

You rant as much as you like.

I disagree with you though, raised beds are much easier than having a open plot. And you certainly don't lose any growing space. They are also a massive time saver once they are set up.
Of course they are not the only way to go and you get on fine with the way you do it and that's great.

As I said, I use raised beds and I think, in certain situations, they make a lot of sense. But they aren't ideal for everything. They're less than perfect for peas, I find, which is a great pity, personally, as that's one of my favourite crops.

In a traditional cottage garden setting, for example, I think mixed planting works just as well as raised beds - probably better, in fact.

Lotus-eater

A._Badger wrote: »

Primrose makes a very valid point but gardening has long been as much about fashion as it has horticulture (sadly, in my opinion).

I was suprised to learn that green is the new "in" colour this year apparently :rotfl:

It's true, raised beds are fashionable at the moment. I normally run a mile from anything with the word fashionable attached to it, but I really do like raised beds, I'm not going to argue the toss about them, they have both good and bad things about them, to me the good outweigh the bad, but they are a different way of gardening to the old traditional row style and I can understand if you are skilled in the trad row way of doing it, why you would think it was better.

Truth is, neither is better, just better at different things.

I wonder when this crop of raised beds has rotted away, how many will still be growing their own food?

maypole

SEE wrote: »

Is it just me, or do others not like the new presenters on the programme?
I just don’t find them as comfortable as Geoff Hamilton, or Monty Don.

May be I’m just being silly, but I would have preferred Carol Kline who oozes genuine enthusiasm and knowledge. Gardeners World for me just isn’t as friendly as it was, and it makes me want to turn it off:o

I agree, they are nice enough people, but Carol hardly featured at all in the last programme and she is my favourite, she would have been an excellent presenter, she makes me want to get going in the garden.
I am not sure that I like the way it's going, I want to see more of the actual gardening rather than features on other people and the end part in the potting shed just takes up valuable gardening time.
Things change and not always for the better.

maypole

amcluesent wrote: »

Alys talks sense, and she's not such a fright to look at as Carol.

That is a childish comment.

Lotus-eater

A._Badger wrote: »

As I said, I use raised beds and I think, in certain situations, they make a lot of sense. But they aren't ideal for everything. They're less than perfect for peas, I find, which is a great pity, personally, as that's one of my favourite crops.

In a traditional cottage garden setting, for example, I think mixed planting works just as well as raised beds - probably better, in fact.

Really? I find peas do very well in mine. Last year when the famous local judge came round to judge my kitchen garden for the local show, he said I had the best peas he had seen that year and he sees alot of gardens. In fact he was quite vocal about it, which did surprise me a bit, I thought they were OK, not that special. Maybe I just grow very good peas?

I find brassicas difficult to grow in raised beds and for potatoes it's not really a great way of doing it. I do grow potatoes in them, but if I grew alot of them, it's not feasible.
Brassicas I grow in newly cultivated open ground, but I am fast running out of that

Traditional cottage gardens, never really existed of course, as I'm sure you know While I agree that it works very well with growing mixed flowers and fruit/veg together, (that's what I do in my raised beds anyway) I prefer having everything together so I can see what's going on.
Tbh I find this practice of having mixed cottage garden beds with the odd variety of nice looking kale dotted about, just as much as a fad as raised beds.

ecoelle

I used to find the programme dull, it was aimed at experienced gardeners, i like the new format, and as quite a new gardener i found the programme informative and accessible. I think part of the reason they have re formatted the show is that gardening used to be a part of all families lives, it then fell out of favour for food when the supermarkets hit the high street in the 60's and 70's, people are now wanting togo back to how we used to garden, more young people are getting interested, but who do they turn to for the skills which have unfortunately been lost by a generation. The problem is that there needs to be a programme to get people excited (i personally loved it's not easy being green) and i think the new gardeners wolrd is fresher, simpler and works for me.

As for the presenters i love Carol, she oozes enthusiasm. The new younger female, Alys, i find a little 'blue peter' but i think she's new to presenting and she knows her stuff, so lets give her a chance.

A._Badger

ecoelle wrote: »

I used to find the programme dull, it was aimed at experienced gardeners....

.

Strange. I don't think it has been aimed at experienced gardeners at any time I can recall.

It's worth remembering that for every year's infusion of new blood, the old hands don't dutifully shuffle off to the potting shed to die. Gardener's World (in true BBC fashion) seems only interested in those who are new to the craft.