TV: 'Grow Your Own Vegetables' is disappointing
Posted by DavidM in Gardening | 5 January 2007
The BBC's new gardening series 'Grow your own veg' kicked off tonight and, as it's the start of only my second season growing my own veg, I was looking forward to learning a lot from it.
Unfortunately it wasn't the program I'd hoped.
Following the success of It's not easy being green, the River Cottage programs and others, the BBC have fallen into the trap of making this another lifestyle, personality based program.
The presenter, Carole Klein, is obviously an experienced flower gardener. However, while I want to watch someone enthusiastic, there's too much of her gushing about how life-affirming growing veg is (note - digging out a new veg patch is not "a wonderful feeling", it's bloody hard work).
There were too many lingering shots of the featured family doing quaint family things and being jolly. There was even one dreamy shot where their children were stuffing seeds into a pot, but we were never told what seeds they were or why they were being potted.
And for a program aimed at getting beginners to grow their own veg why did they feature Jerusalem artichoke in the first program? Not exactly a priority on anyone's list to replace supermarket produce.
There was some information imparted but I found the content very light and the emphasis too much on these lifestyle shots and stylized camera shots. I felt I learnt snippets rather than a proper 'how to...'.
Maybe I'm starting to show my age but what I wanted was something more Alan Titchmarsh-ish. Practical, down to earth (pardon the pun) advice with clear guidance. I didn't want some over-exuberant presenter trying to make me feel like I'm part of some new age community.
I'll still watch it next week to see if it improves but otherwise, the BBC do a much better job with the gardening section of their website that has loads of useful info on growing your own veg.
