Last year, a flurry of excitement greeted the news that a Great British Bake-Off take-off would appear this year, centred on growing veg.
Well, with a series queued up for spring 2014, I can report the engine is revving for another series. Davinia Richardson, of Silver River Productions has been in touch to ask for help in their search for contestants.
Do you fancy a go?
If so, you'll be given a patch in a walled garden in Oxfordshire and, over several months, plan, sow and grow your vegetables and flowers (the seeds are provided). Every week you'll visit your allotment and make sure all is OK. Filming starts when the growing gets going. Contestants will face challenges that test their creativity and culinary skills - jam-making and flower-arranging are mentioned - or they may, for example, have to produce their three best carrots to stay in the game.
The six-week series, fronted by Fern Britton features Jim Buttress, RHS judge (pictured, and tipped, according to the Daily Mail, as "the Paul Hollywood" of the series), floral designer Jonathan Moseley, and cookery writer Thane Prince. Each episode will, says the BBC, "reflect the growing season and what's ripe for picking at the time" and in each episode one team will "hang up their gardening gloves" and leave.
And, of course, there's a book. According to The Bookseller, The Patch: The Big Allotment Challenge, with A-Z of easy veg, fruit and flowers, as well as instructions for making jam, preserves and easy flower arrangements) is due for publication this April.
One of the scarier aspects, to me, is that they're currently looking for individuals (though all the talk is of teams and Davinia explained there is space on the application form to say who you'd like to bring with you if the opportunity arises).
I'm certainly not the only one who can see pitfalls looming large as sinkholes. Sue Garrett's post at Green Lane Allotments has gathered a chorus of experienced gardeners who admit to being too fearful to take part.
But we're all definitely looking forward to watching. Horticulture holds its breath. Editor of Horticulture Week, Matthew Appleby has been quoted as saying that the industry is hoping this will create a "boom time" for gardening in the manner of the industry-venerated Ground Force.
Complete novices need not apply. Everyone must be an amateur grower, says Davinia, but they do need to know what they're doing. (Which makes the ad's reference to a "window box" a bit whimsical.) If you have any questions, then Davinia is happy to help. Give her a ring on 0207 907 3401. Deadline for applications is 12pm, 13th March.
So, do you fancy being the next Ruby Tandoh? (She now writes regularly in The Guardian.) Is it going to be you? Oh, go on, aim for stardom and apply.
NB More comment can be found over at Garden Clickers.
...Landscape Juice Network
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