Gardeners world or beechgrove

[Containergardener]

Same here snadger, I find their timings like mine.

I record on a Sunday morning Dannyk.

[JanieB]

I like both but have to admit to turning the sound off when Carol Kline is on as she irritates me.

[DannyK]

Thanks Alison. Didn't look at early morning progs. GW was 07:30 and BG 08:30 this week.

Have set PVR.

[Lumpy]

Carol Kline is very knowledgeable but always refers to plants by their latin name rather than their common one.

I have more chance of remembering the common one so I skip through her sections.

I do miss Alys Fowler as she dealt with the smaller garden (like many of us who don't have a MD estate) but was informative about recycling bits and bobs for the garden.

Beechgrove has been dealing with square metre and square foot growing whilst Monty is about to turn another field sized space into another veggie patch.

[ESBkevin]

I'll watch either if I have the time but find Jim on Beechgrove irritates me in his slightly patronising and clunky presenting style. Still better a real gardener that a fake tanned slick presenter.

[Kirk]

Don't watch either of them.
Just seems to be something absent in more or less all gardening programs these days. None of the presenters seem to make the programs appealing either. Give Titmarch his due (in my view) he managed to get the points across at most levels and also impart some knowledge.

Also it seems too unrealistic. I reckon you could dig their soils happily with a childs plastic fork. I have managed to break the prongs of 3 stainless steel ones in my soil.

[KittyColdNose]

I like both but tend to prefer Jack & Victor on Beechgrove. Not far from me too so I find it a bit more relevant.

[JanieB]

To be quite honest I watch both but don't take much notice of what they do. I've been a gardener for over 50 years and have realised that if you plant seeds in the right environment and at the right time they will grow and produce food/flowers.

There is no magic, it's what has happened for millions of years. The only difference is that we now choose what to grow and where.

I'm still fascinated and still wait to see the first sprouts of seeds and still treat them like my babies.

[plam]

I watch both, but we do have a love/hate relationship with Monty. Whatever I have done that week he will have done it bigger or better! And agree with the comment above about how frustrating it is to see his perfect soil. But he does have this genuine love of gardening and that at the end of the day makes it very watchable. Also the dogs! I agree Beechgrove is more informative.

[ESBkevin]

About Monty's soil, he started with a field and by applying lots of muck and organic material year after year has created the fine tilth we get to see now. Even he has areas under trees that are a bit clay or wet (which he uses for the right plants).
I dug a neighbours front bed about 6 years ago and it was thin turf over clay and building rubble. I took out the rubble and added as much organic as possible leaves, compost, cardboard, newspapers whatever. It was hard back breaking work, but when I came to fork it over the next year it was much better and with the addition of an inch or so of homemade compost each year it just got better and better. It now resembles something as good if not better than anything Monty has.
If the digging is too much for you, cover the area with a thick mulch every year and let the worms dig it for you. The effect is just as good but the time scale a little longer.

[ChrissieG]

I watch both programmes, each brings a different slant on things. GW is enjoyable, although it doesn't cater for small gardens, but I enjoy seeing other gardens and what people achieve.Last nights programme, with the tulip man was very colourful, must have cost a fortune!

Beechgrove on the other hand is more practical, but being so much further north is behind with sowing/planting times to me.but good practical advice.

[WPG]

I like and watch both, but if I had to choose between them it'd be Gardeners World for me. I'm a firm Monty fan, and the dogs (and now a lamb) are an extra bonus.
I also much prefer Monty's approach to flowers, with his jewel garden, writing garden, wildflower patch, etc etc. Beechgrove seem to rely more on blocks of annual flowers, which I don't find so interesting.