Gardeners World last night

[womble]

So did no one see this last night then?

Was good, a whole hour devoted to veg showing at the highest level. Worth it just to see these peoples gardens.

[Alison]

I saw part of it and then got bored and turned over. Don't really like Joe and showing isn't my thing at all, I prefer to eat my veg and have no interest in growing the biggest / longest etc and quite like my lumpy and uneven veggies, seem more real to me - added to which, I think OH would have me certified if he caught me polishing carrots.....

[Ken the Chef]

half aa program

I only a few minutes of the program but the little I did see will find me looking for the red button soon. to replay the whole thing. Some of the competition stuff must be transferable to the real world of the veggie grower.

[Flummery]

Nah, went out for a meal with Himself instead!

[jojo2910]

We loved it, OH was thinking about showing next year, but didn't quite realise what was involved. I wonder if they eat the veg after showing or eat those which don't make the grade or just throw them?

[rogesse]

Oh groaned when I put it on but was totally engrossed half way through

[angie a]

Managed to stay awake for the whole programme - just!
I think it is very sad that some people have nothing better to do with their life than grow the biggest 'whatever', or grow hundreds of spuds just to find 5 the same size.
Do they really think anyone else cares !!! To be honest, if my hubby did that, I would probably have picked them for the pot long before a show date.

[FionaH]

Each to their own Angie A, each to their own.
I found it quite fascinating and the wesh guy helping Joe to grow his veg was a hoot. Personally I find it tough enough to grow veg for the kitchen without all the added faff of getting them perfect as well. I can see why some folk find it addictive though, search for perfection and all that.

[Bren In Pots]

I'm planning on watching it on iPlayer later on this evening.

[womble]

I thought the money spent was an eye opener in itself.

That Welsh guy was very funny, but seriously dedicated to the task as well. Really nice wasn't he.
But the celery guy must be the most annoying to live with. Talk about perfection needed.

You have to wonder about the first 4 blokes to sit down in a Alehouse with a jack of ale and go "so who's grown the best parsnip this year then" and then suddenly somehow we've got to the absolutely ridiculousness we have today
It's a bit like F1 racing, started off a good idea......... it's just carried on a bit too long.

That lady that grew hundreds of buckets of potatoes and ...... and (I had to repeat this several time to myself and the OH at the time) she grew 400 runner bean plants!

I don't think one mentioned eating them either.

[selfraising]

I watched it and enjoyed it. Actually admired the dedication that these people put into their growing. It's not for me because I don't think I would have the confidence to take my veg to a show like that but can see why it would become addictive.

[Florence Fennel]

I enjoyed the programme (it was about veg for a change, albeit specialised). When I was little and my uncle entered his veg at the local parish show, they used to auction off the veg afterwards for charity and any surplus grown but no good for the competition would be given to the church for Harvest Festival and then distributed among the elderly.

[Florence Fennel]

Oh and I particularly liked the excitement when they were pulling the carrots. I'm as excited as that when I pull mine, even though they're not for show and my grandchildren, well, their faces are a picture!

[womble]

I still have that expectant excitement, every carrot and parsnip I pull up.

And sometimes I even have something to be happy about, although only too often I wonder how I've managed to grow such a misshapen disaster of a root vegetable.

[Suky]

I still have that expectant excitement, every carrot and parsnip I pull up.

It always amazes me that there is a carrot there at all I got even more excited when I found there really was a parsnip under all that foliage. OH just sighed and said 'what did you expect - cauliflower?'
I did watch GW and enjoyed it, quite like the idea of growing some carrots for the show next year at my local HS. Well, a 1st and three 2nds for preserves and photos at my first 2 shows gave me the taste for it. Don't think I would quite go to the extremes they went to though. What was the secret ingredient in the feed that was so expensive, does anyone know?