[JohnB47]

I was watching last nights episode of Gardeners World and I distinctly heard Monty Don say, as he tidied up his rhubarb patch, " and if there are any stalks left you can pick them and eat them". But this is November and I've always read that you shouldn't pick beyond, say, the end of August.

Has Monty gone a bit strange? Like when he showed us his tomato plants, some of which had fruit on and said " now's the time to start feeding them".

I'm not sure I trust Gardeners World any more. I usually watch to see if he says something about veg but I seem to be always disappointed. Any veg bits seem to be shoehorned in quickly near the end of the program.

Ho hum.

[Aunt Sally]

I question quite a lot of things MD says 

[NickoV]

I think the idea is that the plants need a good rest from being picked hard, so you let the plants grow without picking for a few months(same as asparagus).
By now though the plants are going dormant and removing the stalks left will do no harm.

I have also heard that the oxalic acid in ths stems increases as the year goes on, and that is why you should stop picking.

RHS say this
"The last harvest is usually in late summer, around July or August, though growth may have stopped before this if the weather is very hot. Concern is sometimes expressed over the concentrations of oxalic acid building up as the season progresses. However, this build-up is mostly in the leaves which are not eaten and the amount in the stems is not sufficient to have a toxic effect."

So I guess my first idea is more correct. We stop pulling because the plants stop growing, and removing the stems would harm the crowns.

Nick

[Nobbie]

I usually find his advice pretty reliable and he's right about the rhubarb. There's no benefit to the plant in leaving the leaves now as thry will just rot. I had a rhubarb crumble just the other week and it was yum  I take sticks thoughout the season, but make sure there's always plenty of spare foliage to absorb all the available sunlight.

[Totty]

I love watching Monty, and most of the time I like his no nonsense attitude, not too much faffing. But when it comes to veg, I'm afraid it does not seem to be his strong point.
As mentioned, his advice regarding tomatoes was simply wrong and other advice on numerous occasions has been dubious.

My advice is, if you have a question, ask people on here rather than listen to tv tips.
 
Usually, the advice given on here is spot on, in the end. 

Totty

[NickoV]

I am guessing that the show is researched and scripted, if so, not really his fault.

[Totty]

I know that if somebody asked me to give advice on tv, yet gave me a script with info that was not upto my standards, I wouldn't do it.
As the main presenter on GW, I would be surprised if Monty was told what to talk about and how to say it. He got the job because he has the horticultural knowledge to inform the nation on all things gardening, not because he is especially camera friendly and good at reading auto ques.

Totty

[Beetroot Queen]

Mine is mostly mushy already i wouldnt fancy eating that. 

[NickoV]

Your are probably right Totty. I just like the bloke and suppose I was trying to defend him.

Nick

 

[Totty]

I like him too, and would happily follow his advice on most things. Not veg though.

Totty

[Nikkithefoot]

My rhubarb struggles to make it past September in an 'edible state'. Was very hard pushed to find 3 sticks to put in a show at the beginning of Sept, no chance of finding any now!

[mumofstig]

He got the job because he has the horticultural knowledge to inform the nation on all things gardening, not because he is especially camera friendly and good at reading auto ques.

He has no Horticultural qualification or training - just his own ideas and experience.
So is no more likely to be right than us on here 

[Totty]

He got the job because he has the horticultural knowledge to inform the nation on all things gardening, not because he is especially camera friendly and good at reading auto ques.

He has no Horticultural qualification or training - just his own ideas and experience.
So is no more likely to be right than us on here 

Exactly mum, no qualifications, but he got the job because of his knowledge so it's doubtful that he gets told what to say, may have a bit of help in how he says things, and how to present things, but I think the know how comes from him. Nobody knows it all.
He has proven though, that you can make a good living out of horticulture, without having any qualifications in it.

Totty

[mumofstig]

My take is a little different..................

I think he has made a good living out of writing and appearing before a camera - rather than from horticulture, per se.

In the 1980s, Don and his wife formed a successful company that made and sold costume jewellery under the name Monty Don Jewellery. The collapse of the company in the early 1990s prompted him to embark on a career in writing and broadcasting.

He was lucky to be in the right place at the right time - already in the business with a good garden, just as AT finished his stint on GW.

wiki makes interesting reading
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monty_Don

[Trillium]

If I didn't have a ring of sticks around my rhubarb location, I'd be hard pressed to even find where they grew this year, let alone take some for eating. He must have a very sheltered garden.