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Gardeners World Subscribers

Xander RanderXander Rander Posts: 70
in Fruit & veg
Hello,

I was after, if at all possible, some feedback from the people who have subscribed to Gardeners World Magazine.

I will be obtaining an allotment on the 1st October 2018 to grow fruits, roots and veg and was wondering if the GW magazine comes with a "what to do this month" section for things like planting, cropping etc every month of the year?

I've never actually seen the magazine in shops otherwise I would browse through. Also the reasoning for my questioning is because I would rather have a magazine in my hand to read than in a phone or tablet.

Also, are you happy with the content you get from being a subscriber? Do the pros weigh out the cons if there are any?

Many thanks in advance
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Posts

  • punkdocpunkdoc Posts: 13,716
    Yes it does.
    How can you lie there and think of England
    When you don't even know who's in the team

    S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
  • LynLyn Posts: 21,921
    Pages and pages of adverts, Monty and Tit March contradicting each other. I stopped buying it a few years ago.  Lots of lovely tubs to make up at a ridiculous cost.  Bargain ‘Free’ plants where you have to pay £6.00 postage. 
    The 2 for 1 card is good though. 
    There are other mags that deal with just vegetables, they are weekly, I think, may be best bet if you are not so interested in flowers. 
    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

  • Hostafan1Hostafan1 Posts: 34,053
    Lyn said:
    Pages and pages of adverts, Monty and Tit March contradicting each other. I stopped buying it a few years ago.  Lots of lovely tubs to make up at a ridiculous cost.  Bargain ‘Free’ plants where you have to pay £6.00 postage. 
    The 2 for 1 card is good though. 
    There are other mags that deal with just vegetables, they are weekly, I think, may be best bet if you are not so interested in flowers. 
    Ditto. 
    I gave up years ago too. 
    The trouble with " what to do " lists is that the UK has big climatic differences. 
    I'd google any queries you have, or buy second hand books online and use them. 

    Devon.
  • steephillsteephill Posts: 2,680
    For allotment stuff try Kitchen Garden magazine. Our library subscribes so I get it "for free" on my tablet along with a few others including GW.
  • wild edgeswild edges Posts: 9,369
    Hostafan1 said:
    The trouble with " what to do " lists is that the UK has big climatic differences. 

    This is the problem I have. The magazine comes a month in advance and my garden is 2-3 weeks behind the advice given. The Beechgrove garden section is quite relevant to me though.
    Tradition is just peer pressure from dead people
  • LG_LG_ Posts: 4,111
    As Steephill says, it's worth checking if your library service has any either in paper form or digital (if digital, it's probably RBdigital). I know you wanted paper format but you could have a look through all the digital options to inform your decision. Useful as I find GW mag, I agree that you might find something more focused on allotments / fruit & veg more suited to your needs.
    'If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.'
    - Cicero
  • LynLyn Posts: 21,921
    If you can pick up a set of these I don’t think you’ll go far wrong, everything you need to know, ok, old fashioned, they still knew how to grow veg in those days. 
    It will tell you what to put on your ground and when, which is the main starting point for any grower. 
    https://www.ebay.co.uk/p/The-Garden-Expert-by-D-G-Hessayon-Paperback-1990/87752236?iid=283025788251&chn=ps&ul_ref=https%253A%252F%252Frover.ebay.com%252Frover%252F1%252F710-134428-41853-0%252F2%253Fmpre%253Dhttps%25253A%25252F%25252Fwww.ebay.co.uk%25252Fp%25252FThe-Garden-Expert-by-D-G-Hessayon-Paperback-1990%25252F87752236%25253Fiid%25253D283025788251%252526chn%25253Dps%2526itemid%253D283025788251%2526targetid%253D401111597036%2526device%253Dt%2526adtype%253Dpla%2526googleloc%253D9045272%2526poi%253D%2526campaignid%253D1029939291%2526adgroupid%253D53392196831%2526rlsatarget%253Dpla-401111597036%2526abcId%253D1130086%2526merchantid%253D6995734%2526gclid%253DEAIaIQobChMIpb2Z_Iqm3AIVaLHtCh07Pw6vEAQYHCABEgKwt_D_BwE%2526srcrot%253D710-134428-41853-0%2526rvr_id%253D1600982135554%2526rvr_ts%253Da81d3c391640ac8931037a98ffef22f3
    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

  • VegplotmummyVegplotmummy Posts: 96
    I subscribe to GW however I wouldn't pay the amount they want for it!! I used my tesco vouchers £15 for a year, so I don't get duped into a rolling direct debit. 
    If it's just for allotment advice I would just get a book to refer to. I've got Allotment month by month by Alan Buckingham. 
  • NollieNollie Posts: 7,052
    I was bought a subscription as a gift. I would say less than a tenth of the magazine is devoted to fruit and veg and a specialist allotment mag or book would be more useful to you. The what to do when list is too generalised to be useful.

    There is simple info on when to sow under glass, sow directly, plant out, harvest etc. on the packets of Organic Gardening Catalogue seeds and that’s all I have ever used - gardening where I do, I start a month earlier than the stated dates.

    Your fellow alotmenteers may be your best source of what to do when, plus your own experiences, in time, will help you draw up your own yearly plan tailored to your conditions and what you actually want to grow/eat.

    Not a what to do when guide, but a book that really inspired me at the beginning of my allotment adventures was Bob Flowerdew’s Companion Planting - what to grow with what to get the best crops and how to attract pollinators, control predators organically, was a revelation. 

    Happy growing!
    Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
  • ChrisWMChrisWM Posts: 214
    Personally, I like it. Then again, I have a lot to learn about horticulture. 
    If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need. Cicero
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