Crockett's Victory Garden

Back in 1975 James Underwood Crockett hosted a gardening show on WGBH called "Crockett's Victory Garden". The show was extremely successful. It encouraged everyone in New England to plant a Victory Garden! Jim was down to earth and personable which is the main reason the show was so successful. In 1979 Jim died from cancer. Since then the show has steadily went down hill. This channel is designed to arouse enthusiasm in the show now collecting dust in WGBH's vaults. We must band together and force WGBH's hand to release the show at very least on DVD. The modern Victory Garden show has nothing to do with the original concept of the show. With food prices out of control never before has there been a need for a show such as Crockett's Victory Garden to encourage all to take up the spade and combat the high price of food.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Garden

[21beachhead]

Is the original series available anywhere? I would love to watch these.

[thevictorygarden]

@21beachhead So would I and so many others but WGBH wont release them. They have them. Fairly recently they showed one in public but they cite copyright, broadcast standards and other reasons for not showing them. I think it's ridiculous. Garden shows today are awful. So the show might appear a little lo-fi by today's "plastic standards" who cares? It was PBS(Public Broadcast). I also think the show is marketable that is unless you wait until everyone who viewed it is dead.

[SOLISDEUS]

Amen! This is a win win for the viewers and PBS. Bob Thompson held is own following Jim's death. Russell Morash was responsible for diverting the show's focus from agriculture/gardening to "cooking and off site excursions". Rusell forget the basic rule for maintaining audience: Keep it Simple. What a loss. I miss Bob and Jim. Let's hope Russell decides to run a "Victory Garden Classics" show featuring reruns from Jim Crockett.

[thevictorygarden]

One can only hope but I'm beginning to doubt it. The new "Victory Garden" deals with "landscaping". Landscaping has turned into a sport of sorts. In my area the same area the Crockett grew his garden we may have the dreaded blight after all the rain we've had. Some schmuck in Australia is going to know a lot about that? We are being cheated. Crockett would interfere with the modern garden that grows shrubs and medicated grass. Tell you the truth I'd like to punch the programming director.

[littlebunnya]

i just dusted off an old copy of this book i found in my mothers garage and am i ever glad i did! it is the most readable, practical gardening book i have ever read. i am just about to foray into my first urban garden and i was hoping to come across a few of the victory garden episodes here. so, cheers to your efforts to get pbs to rerun or release a dvd!

[thevictorygarden]

You said it..it's an easy read. That's not to mean Jim had nothing good to say. He had plenty of good and plenty of common sense.

I've been slacking a bit on here because I've been too busy working on my own garden. Planted Peas today. Package said thin to 6 inches a part and the only thing I could think of was Jim's advice i took long ago....plant peas close together.

I'm quite confident if people continue to talk about Jim Crockett and his "Victory Garden" PBS will release something.

[heartshape7]

What made Crockett's (+ Thompsons) Victory Garden show the best??

1: An honest to goodness REAL backyard master gardener...A real gardener who is NOT a garden show "TV Star".

2: An honest to goodness REAL backyard garden, leaf holes and all, with real help.

3: Frequent looks into other backyard gardens and regions.

4: Genuine invitations= viewer involvement and interaction.

This show has never been supPLANTED. It should have been upROOTED! "Please Bring back THIS kind of programing!!!"

[heartshape7]

This show has never been supPLANTED. It should have been upROOTED! What made Crockett's (+ Thompsons) Victory Garden show the best??

1: An honest to goodness REAL backyard master gardener...A real gardener who is NOT a garden show "TV Star".

2: An honest to goodness REAL backyard garden, leaf holes and all, with real help.

3: Frequent looks into other backyard gardens and regions.

4: Genuine invitations= viewer involvement and interaction.

"Please Bring back THIS kind of programing!!!"

[21beachhead]

Thanks for the response.

I think I may have to tell PBS that I am going to hold off on my yearly donation for public broadcasting this time around. Perhaps we can initiate an ePetition? I bet lots of people would join up on a facebook page for the cause! Heck I'm sure Jim would prefer that his work is available.

"May your garden, like mine, give you "Victory" over the high cost of fresh vegetables

as well as the joy and good health that come from living close to nature."

-Jim Crockett

[Hammerlix]

I was young when Jim Crockett inspired my first "Victory Garden" and his book has remained my second most prized referance manual.. Last winter my granddaughter was inspired by a children's show to start a vegatable garden and we had a blast! I felt like old Crockett, himself teaching her little tricks. Thanks for remembering this wonderful host and televison show.

[whatthedormousesaid]

@pal98111 The Bob Thompson & Roger Swain VGs were years before HGTV, which launched in the early 1990s. If anyone was copying anyone, it was HGTV copying PBS.

[MichaelSHartman]

The new version does not even come close. It is more of a Yuppie show, than practical information. They don't even show a food garden.

[toadpoker]

Funny how I recall the very first time I saw Jim Crockett's Victory Garden. I had just relocated to the SF Bay Area and caught him re-potting a Camellia. I was charmed by his easy manner which prompted me to watch his show thereafter. To this day I attribute my fondness for Camellias to him. I agree Bob Thompson did his best to keep the show as Crockett wanted it, but the Morashes mutated it into the joke you see today. Wasn't that Russell Morash's wife making those awful recipes on there?

[pal98111]

I recall fondly watching Jim Crockett's program. It did go to crap after he died. I think the problem is that Russell morash the producer is interested copying HGTV and making money than in showing anyone how to actually grow something. Plus the sponsors products are more important than the simple advice the Jim Crockett gave. It's no different than the cooking shows. Julia Childs wasn't try to sell gizmos. Everyone now is cooking the sponsors products and grinding up in their machine. Money m