Joe Swift and his allotment

[piskieinboots]

I think that as I am on my third ( ) marriage one can safely assume I often get things wrong - but I can at least do a link ner ner ner

[Lady Jana Muck]

I think that as I am on my third ( ) marriage one can safely assume I often get things wrong - but I can at least do a link ner ner ner

I will rise above such remarks

Anyway back to Joe's crazy raised beds, could you imagine the old blokes on the Lottie when we were kids watching a whipper snapper like Joe making triangle shape beds!!!! Its enough to drive them back in their sheds for another glass of Black & Tan.

[valmarg]

It's irritating that there are no allotments in this area. Waiting lists - from here to eternity!!

The local council took the allotments away to build 'affordable housing'.

Not a snowball in hell's chance of getting an allotment, because the council, having taken the allotments for building land, cannot afford to provide replacement land.

An unamused valmarg!!

[dexterdoglancashire]

Just how do TV companies film these things? I was wondering the same about photos in the GYO mag. As we all know, these things take time.......how do they do it? Bernie aka DDL

[Teen]

I'm not sure if Joe Swift was the right person for the job really, he's more into his designing and decking than proper veg growing. At least with Monty he tells you when he's made a mistake or found a new way to do something, and shows us organic alternatives too. All I will learn from Joe is how to make my allotment look pretty, which is fair enough but I also want lots of room for all me veggies and to learn from his mistakes!!

I'm glad I'm not the only one to think it was weird that Joe was able to pick and choose which allotment on which site he could choose. I understood that you could be on the waiting list on some London sites for anything upto 10 years, so I would guess that there would not be any spare ones to go around as they'd be taken up pretty quickly. Also, and I understand different councils have different rules, when I asked to go on more than one allotment site waiting list the council wouldn't let me so I'm not sure how he managed to do all that he did.

I think it is a little unfair on all those waiting on waiting lists for years and years, if Joe just stomped to the top and got his plot straightaway too.

Not a Joe Swift fan, can you tell

[Gauckwin]

The plot he got was very overgrown and looked like it had not being used for some time, also the one next to him in much the same state.
Why is this happening when people are siting on waiting lists for years.

When a plot becomes vacant on our site should we be making more of a fuss about having it relet as soon as possible. The people on lists are but one voice, where as we are many.
Interested to know what everyone thinks.

[seasprout]

Joes (lost the )Plot.

Well i shall wait and see how all this develops, personally i think he has created a nightmare for the future.

Shed with questionable floor ventilation, triangle beds (dint he have a saw), and lots of lovley couch grass, not to mention all nice and compacted ground now.

But hey, as he pointed out, i'm near a water trough. Lets hope he produces something to water then.

Next episode, Joe employs child labour.

[carlseawolf]

I'm just glad my missis didn't see the show as i've spent 15 month of hard graft getting my plot only 2/3 done and i have mares tail and couch grass and he managed it in 10 days in cluding raised beds and shed.

I don't mind reality tv if it's real, but your plot scraped then rotivated and a major store throwing good wood away, then it seems to be alittle bit setup for my liking.

What was the point of bringing that plot of the year winner all the way down there just to ignore his advice and do completely the opposite and even the other plot holder where wondering why he was doing it that way as it wasted valuable growing space.

Yes free deliveries from councils are real but by the look on the other plot holders face that was not the normal dumping spot for the compost and a possible discontent for him been there is under the surface as that lady showed by talking to his friend not him.

I wonder how many years he plans on been there or is it just a makeover progect with bought plants and a quick fix then "see it was that easy" and leave .

I can not wait for the summer when all that mares tail comes to the surface .

[smallblueplanet]

I particularly disliked his patronising attitude to the 'old boys'. Whats the point of him being so obnoxious?

[SAFIA]

well i hate to admit it but i really enjoyed watching him do his allotment!! i didnt even find it strange that he got to chose his plot cos i had a massive choice so for those of you on waiting lists head for eastmoor allotments in wakefield there is about 20 spare!! nor did i find it strange that he got it cleared so quickly cos some of the new people at ours just seemed to clear theirs in a matter of days but i think they to used a rotivator so we will all have the last laugh when their plots are plagued with couch grass and mares tail knowing we all did the right thing digging it all out!!

[TPeers]

Can't stand Joe Swift or Monty Don so haven't seen the GW progs for years!

Are they pretending to garden again?

Rachel De Thame and Chris Beardshaw are far more my cup of tea - shame Alan gave it up.

[Lady Jana Muck]

I think the new GW programme is a big improvement on than the last two years. Monty has at long last got out of the ruddy long borders and doing more interesting things like veg beds and flowers etc in the greenhouse and Carol Kline doing the propagation bit is brilliant.
I have just had a quick look at the GW message boards and they are eating poor Joe Swift alive, poor thing he says hes no expert on allotments, mind you they eat anybody alive on that message board and they never stop moaning not like this site at least people are friendlier here . Mod brownie point here please The programme makers cant please every one

[piskieinboots]

.... The programme makers cant please every one

ain't that the truth!

The only bit I wasn't keen on was the 'arty' shots of him driving/turning engine off/getting out of car/etc - I thought he was good enough, but then I am in the 'I like JS* camp'

*but would pass him over for Chris B any day

[dandy]

well i hate to admit it but i really enjoyed watching him do his allotment!! i didnt even find it strange that he got to chose his plot cos i had a massive choice so for those of you on waiting lists head for eastmoor allotments in wakefield there is about 20 spare!! nor did i find it strange that he got it cleared so quickly cos some of the new people at ours just seemed to clear theirs in a matter of days but i think they to used a rotivator so we will all have the last laugh when their plots are plagued with couch grass and mares tail knowing we all did the right thing digging it all out!!

Hi Safia

I agree about the number of plots on the eastmoor allotments - but the thing that may put some people off in our area is that they have a bad reputation for drug users there (needles etc). I also have a problem with some of the attitudes of the "management" who are apparently giving good plots to their friends, relatives and associates and bad ones to those who aren't in their clique. This is one reason why I haven't applied yet despite being literally on the doorstep.

[Arachne]

I wasn't so keen on JS' attitude towards the old boys either - either do it the tried and trusted way and be happy with it, or do it your own and accept that people might be interested in what you're doing, and may just think you're a bit mad. Whining and b**ching about people who have a lot more experience than you sharing some wisdom with you just seems impolite and childish.

I'm a big fan of Monty Don though. Don't know enough to rate him as a gardener, I just want to make him a nice big mug of tea.