The Edible Gardener - New BBC2 Series with Alys Fowler, starts 7th April

midnightraven3

blight is airbourne
you cannot stop it

keeping her greenhouse shut wasnt good
but not in respect of the blight
opening it to water,
it would have gotten in

vish_2

Rummer wrote: »

Well I went out and bought me some dried peas today! Just about to plant them up so that I can have a steady supply of pea shoots!

Not sure what the pea shoots from the dried peas would taste like. As far as I know the pea shoots that are sold in supermarkets/chinese restaurants are snow pea shoots (mangetout) - they're a lot sweeter and looks a whole lot more delicate than the ones that she grew.

The only reason I know this is because my mum used to plant them to have on hand for stir fries if we ran out of food before grocery day Saturday. :P

Steel_2

Lotus-eater wrote: »

But I did get to the end of the program and find out I had liked it. Then I watched an episode of "The Victorian Kitchen Garden" and remembered what really good tv programs about growing your own are like.

I got the DVD set a few Christmas' ago and I love it! I sit and watch it with a notebook in hand.

I gave up with Gardener's World a while back as I felt patronised all the time. Beechgrove is fab though. I love the straight talking older bloke. No messin' with him

vish wrote: »

Not sure what the pea shoots from the dried peas would taste like. As far as I know the pea shoots that are sold in supermarkets/chinese restaurants are snow pea shoots (mangetout) - they're a lot sweeter and looks a whole lot more delicate than the ones that she grew.

The only reason I know this is because my mum used to plant them to have on hand for stir fries if we ran out of food before grocery day Saturday. :P

I grew mangetout last year for the first time and was amazed at how good they were and easy to grow. I don't think any pods made it back to the house for cooking...they were all scarfed on the spot.

Lotus-eater

Steel wrote: »

I got the DVD set a few Christmas' ago and I love it! I sit and watch it with a notebook in hand.

It's like having the granddad I never knew, showing me how to do it, how his dad did it.

I watched the bit about the story of Ne Plus Ultra pea last night, which I'd forgotten about, it's stories like that which I like. Because I can actually go and grow that pea now, indeed I have done.

Steel_2

Lotus-eater wrote: »

It's like having the granddad I never knew, showing me how to do it, how his dad did it.

I watched the bit about the story of Ne Plus Ultra pea last night, which I'd forgotten about, it's stories like that which I like. Because I can actually go and grow that pea now, indeed I have done.

I liked Harry's stories about when he was first getting into gardening and then being a journeyman. Being paid to remember all the complicated Latin plant names. All the rules for who sleeps where according to pecking order. Promotion = better rooms and beds.

And the photo of him when he was a young man sitting on the bench with his shirt unbuttoned and his quiff!! Phwoar. He was a corker when he was young.

Lotus-eater

It really made me want to do a hotbed now, although I may have left it too late this year.

Steel_2

Lotus-eater wrote: »

It really made me want to do a hotbed now, although I may have left it too late this year.

I always meant to do a mini hotbed in the greenhouse for the tomatoes using a straw bale but never got around to it. Now my greenhouse has gone [sob] to make way for a workshop but I'm promised a mini hexagonal one to replace it so I'll have a go then. Might just be able to get one in time for when the tomato seedlings are big enough to do the final potting on.

I loved all the stuff about peaches in the greenhouses. Amazing amount of work they went to for the perfect peach.

Optimisticpair

realfood wrote: »

I was very surprised that she got blight where the tomato was grown in her greenhouse. I have never had blight on my greenhouse tomatoes but I keep plenty of ventilation to prevent condensation on the tomato leaves. She said that she was keeping her greenhouse tightly shut and that is where she went wrong.

I think you are right. I was very surprised that she didn't ventilate to reduce the humidity. I'm not a tomato grower but everything I've read suggests that tomatoes are more susceptible to blight when leaves are wet.

Lotus-eater

Optimisticpair wrote: »

I think you are right. I was very surprised that she didn't ventilate to reduce the humidity. I'm not a tomato grower but everything I've read suggests that tomatoes are more susceptible to blight when leaves are wet.

There are two ways of looking at it, blight spores have to get into the greenhouse to start with and then they need a leaf, or stem with moisture on it to start working.
So if you keep all the vents shut, there is less chance of blight getting in, but by keeping all the vents shut, if a blight spore does get in, it has a better chance of getting away and starting blight.

I have a rear louvred window and my upper windows leak a little, if blight does come in, I can be sure it will be next to one of those. But if I don't open them, I open my tomatoes up to other diseases, not to mention being too hot, I did wonder how she kept her mini greenhouse cool.

I think I'm correct and that is from practice and book learning, but if there is another view I would be interested in hearing it.

Winged_one

I missed this week (and not living in UK but Ireland, can't watch it on iPlayer). Is it repeated on ANY bbc channel (I have them all on freesat)?

Also, programmes like the Victorian Kitchen Garden and so on, the good ones for veg growers, and I think I saw mention of a "Good Food Channel"?, where would one find those on a freesat box? Not the sky box, but taking the free channels from the Astra satellite (which is the one Sky uses I think)?

I do grow a fair bit of veg, but not enough and I want to make better use of my small allotment and the limited time I have there, and the space I have in our (pocket hankerchief but south facing) back garden.