Veg-Gardening Show "Not in Current Strategy" for DIY Network

by Guest Ranter Joe Lamp'l

So I guess a how-to, home vegetable gardening series isn’t appealing enough to rebroadcast this year…the year that growing your own food is the hottest trend in gardening and a hot topic period. Never mind that the series already exists…in the can…paid for…and prime fodder for a hungry audience. A large audience mind you that is desperately seeking helpful advice specifically on this topic (many for the first time) and trying to do the right thing in a more local and sustainable world.

The series I refer to is Fresh from the Garden on the DIY Network. I am well acquainted with this unique and informative series, as I was its only host. It really was a brilliant concept. Each episode featured one or two different vegetables while demonstrating everything you needed to know to grow that particular plant, from seed to harvest in a single 30-minute episode. Never before or after have I seen such a series. We completed 52 informative and comprehensive episodes, covering just about every vegetable you could possibly grow over three years of taping the series around Atlanta, Georgia.

Since the production wrap in late 2005, it has aired every year since. That is until now. I had not seen anything on the DIY Network website or program schedule touting it’s return for 2009. So I sent an email to the VP of Programming. My inquiry was simple; “do you have plans to air Fresh from the Garden this year” I asked? After not getting a reply to my first inquiry, the response to my second inquiry was quick and to the point. “Thanks Joe- to my knowledge, we will not be airing the show”.

Well that was a shock! I had to know more and at the same time, state my case as to why of all years, when finally this series is primed for a bigger and more eager audience than ever, it wasn’t going to be out there. I replied to his response stating this point and more. Again, the reply was quick and succinct; “Thanks Joe-I hear you, but unfortunately, it doesn't fit our current programming strategy”. 

I passed the reply on to my producer of that series, also eager to hear what they had to say. She was not surprised. In her conversations with the DIY Network execs, they’re going for a much more edgy style these days. I guess the ancient series I did with them is so old style.

I needed to know more. Just to see if I could get a little insight for myself right from the source, I replied to this latest response with one last question; “could you briefly sum up the current programming strategy for me? It would be very helpful (in my role as gardening communicator) to have a sound bite from an authority so I'll be better equipped to answer when this question comes up again (as it does often!)”. Not surprisingly, this time there was no reply.

It was an honest question. What IS the programming strategy? If we can’t get an established network (part of the HGTV, Food Network, Fine Living family) to rebroadcast a show that is now more timely now than ever, on such an important and exploding topic and so pertinent to their audience and for no additional production cost, then I’m not holding out much hope for any new gardening shows any time soon folks. Either they’re not getting sponsors (very likely) or the execs that decide what makes it on the air, don’t see that gardening is important enough to get the coverage. Am I wrong here? I hope not but until someone tells me otherwise, (and I welcome a response from DIY or any network) I’ll stand my ground on this one.

What do you think? Is gardening, and vegetable gardening specifically, off the radar for “programming strategy” or is it just the lack of edginess and excitement of a four-year-old series? I don’t mind passing the baton to the 20 something hipster host, but is that all it’s about anymore? Seriously!

About the photo:  It happens to be the garden I started from scratch from bare ground just four months before this pic was taken and is also the very garden where we shot the last year of our series, Fresh from the Garden on DIY Network. It may look large but it is only 40 x 60 feet. I've had so many great emails and comments from viewers telling me how much they learned and enjoyed series. It's a shame I have to let them know it won't be coming back on this year!

Comments

[Theresa Loe/LivingHomegrown]

Very disappointing Joe! Of all the years to broadcast, this is it.

Obviously, the execs who make the decisions are not gardeners. They see no value in it. (Ironic that the people who make programing decisions don't have a clue about the material they broadcast.)They look at everything from a business standpoint, which I understand. But sadly they don't have a clue about what is happening right now and not one of them would do the research to see the new trend that is emerging.

That is why the GWA webseminar was so great the other day. It gave us the hard numbers about this trend. It armed us with statistics so that we can SHOW the non-gardening world what is happening.

Unfortunately, the TV execs won't "get" it for a few more years - Not until they start to see the veggie gardens in everyone's front yards.They don't know the new stats/trends. We as garden writers and communicators need to spread the word about what is happening so that the business world/TV/Radio can catch up and fund the right projects.

I have a similar problem with my newspaper column. It is locally syndicated in four Los Angeles newspapers, but it is the first column dropped if they get tight on space. Why? Because the editor (although very nice) is not a gardener. She sees no value in it. She is not aware of the new trends.

We need to spread the word so these people get a clue!

[Steve]

I would suspect that lack of sponsor support is the most likely reason--an exec would need a pretty good excuse for not using material that's bought and paid for. In the 4th qtr last year, when DIY was (probably) trying to firm up advertiser contracts, the meltdown was just starting, and businesses naturally pulled back.

[Garden Keeper]

HGTV deserves some of the blame for the current economic status as a country. Their insistence on programming that focused on bigger homes, second (or third) homes, ludicrous "dream" homes and flipping homes helped to legitimize the burden of poorly-financed, ill-conceived properties. You can see that they re retrenching with the new ads about DIY in the "new" times. They have yet to recognize the role of gardening in all of that. It doesn't matter whether its your show or Crockett's old Victory Garden, they need to do much more to help change the conversation. They can run old TOH shows forever - old gardening shows are just as good.

[Tiffany N]

I just checked out the DIY network website and it lists your show as airing at 4am March 30, April 6, April 13, April 20 and April 27 - all at 4am Eastern. Perhaps they have added these shows in response to your (and other's) queries. I am going to be setting my VCR (still too cheap for dvr or tivo). Your garden looks gorgeous, and I can't wait to watch your show.

[lawremc]

The program strategy---as a former commercial news reporter---is to sell commercial time. If businesses are buying commercial time, networks create shows that businesses will buy time in---not necessarily something that people really want to see.

Just my cynical .02 for the day

[lawremc]

that should have read

" If businesses are NOT buying commercial time, networks create shows that businesses will buy time in---not necessarily something that people really want to see.

Just my cynical .02 for the day"

[Joe Lamp'l]

Since I wrote that rant just the other day, new information has been released by the National Gardening Association adding some teeth to substantiate this new boom in growing your own. On Wednesday, they released the findings from their GWA survey results. Some of the highlights include:

34.5% of households that garden stated their number one gardening related spending priority for 2009 is Fruit & Vegetable plants! That is an increase of 43.8% over 2008 and a 130% increase over 2006!!! I see a trend here!. For the first time in the past 6 years of data collection, fruits and vegetables have exceeded Lawn & Grass as the #1 spending priority by 5.5%!!!

And new numbers will come out from our GWA survey that is even more positive regarding these numbers. Those will be released shortly. If you want to see the rest of the NGA survey highlights, it's my current blog post. Thanks.

[Joe Lamp'l]

quick correction to the above...the latest public data is all from NGA (Nat'l Gardening Assoc), not GWA (Garden Writers Assoc). Those will be out shortly but nothing public yet.

[Kathryn Conant]

Not right, just not right at all! I will promise to inundate this station with emails demanding to put your show on! Is there no other station - PBS perhaps - that could pick it up? Shame on them! K

[TC]

Regardless of what garden communicators and those in our industry are aware of, I think the non-appearance of Joe's program has a lot to do with what network execs must consider as their #1 priority: entertainment value. Joe Lamp'l hit on that in a post here some time back when he mentioned something about the appeal of a young sexy host or hostess.

And I'm sure we all realize the major effect of Web communication. Information on everything is available everywhere anytime.

Lastly, I think there's a gardening paradigm shift that ties in with the increase in technology and this "Hot, Flat, and Crowded" planet.

[Hope]

"Edgy" gardening and DIY? No thank you! I would much prefer a vegetable gardening show.

[Chris Mousseau]

I've never heard of the DIY Network. Your show sounds great though - PBS broadcast would certainly provide a larger audience.

[Susan aka Miss R.]

Often what happens is the 'trendsetters' in their need to be 'edgy' miss what's really new right in front of them. The grow your own movement is probably viewed by the DYI network as another indication of the 'drab' economy and therefore not escapist enough to be entertaining. Think about the films people flocked to in the Great Depression...that's the type of programming strategy they are mired in.

[Theresa Loe/LivingHomegrown]

Oh and Joe? You ARE "hip"! LOL

[Theresa Loe/LivingHomegrown]

I agree Steve.

The show is done, paid for...They just need sponsors to air it. So the companies don't have the money to sponsor or THEY don't see the value. Frustrating for us!

[commonweeder]

The GWA webinar/teleconference the other day was terrific - and I can say that in my own area there has been a lot of interest in gardening from people who have not had a vegetable garden before. Fortunately for me, my editor at The Recorder has been very responsive and my column will regularly be slanted to new vegetable gardeners.

[Elizabeth Stump]

I just learned about this series from this post. After being laid off last August, I now have the time and drive to fix up the yard to have a vegetable garden this year. Now when I have the time to watch T.V. to learn about vegetable gardening, the series won't be on? Man, I feel cheated! A few years back, I probably could have learned, before I did it, why you shouldn't grow corn and sunflower seeds in the same bed. I took a gardening friend to explain to me why I didn't even get one ear of corn from that crop. Yes, DIY is not keeping their ear to the ground and are trying to do something different (even though it may be a wrong stab in the dark) in hopes of garnering more audience, and therefore more advertising dollars from their sponsors. It sucks and hopefully they will wise up.

[commonweeder]

A question. How possible is it for a PBS station to get your show for broadcast. I don't get cable and I'd love to see it. PBS comes in great! And it might be a different audience.

[Shirley Bovshow]

Hey Joe,
You ARE sexy! And entertaining, and knowledgeable, so that can't be the reason your show is not going to air this year. Unfortunately, garden programing is not a priority for these networks.

Sorry to hear about the show- I will be in contact with you.
Shirley

[Joe Lamp'l]

It's possible but not likely. DIY is very protective of their assets but if they're just sitting on the shelf, what good is it? Unfortunately, PBS is not likely to fork over the money DIY would want to syndicate or license the series to PBS. But, I'll see what I can find out about this and report back when (rather IF) I hear back from DIY.

[ChristyACB]

Joe,

I think that, like others said, they jumped so hard on the bandwagon of debt to get more that we can't really be surprised at a continuing lack of realistic choices for programming.

Unfortunately, I never saw the series, but had just recently heard of it and was told, "dont worry, they show it every year so you can see it". Hmm..guess not!

Those people in suits who are still springing for bottle service and lap dances really don't have a clue about what DIY really is for us out there. Hopefully, enough folks will respond to help correct their executive viewpoint.

And yes, I'm so drooling over that garden I need to change my blouse. Can you post more of that lovely "garden porn" with details on everything you did and what all everything is made of and...well..you get the idea. Pretty please?

[IMQTPI]

I think it's a crime that all of the Gardening Shows have been pushed to the wayside. Paul James ("My Hero!") has been moved to the utterly ridiculous 4am PST timeslot (and yes, I record it!). But at the same time, I do agree that it's probably got more to do with $pon$or$hip than "What people want to see" (which bites!).

I would think, though, that with this "New Trend" in Vegetable Gardening, maybe this could be a "growth industry" (pardon the pun!) for manufacturers of gardening gadgets and organic fertilizers, etc. You really don't see a lot of adverts on TV for stuff like that (Interestingly, when Paul James shows off any cool new gizmos on his show, the manufacturer names are blacked-out - again, pointing to the idea of "lack of sponsorship").

So, the manufacturers either don't have the budgets to support sponsorship of DIY/HGTV Gardening Shows - orrrrr HGTV/DIY/Etc just doesn't appeal to them.

(Probably because they're not viewed as "Garden" networks - at all!)

I don't like it, but I think that whole theory has some merit...

* * *
Plus, the networks seem to aim to the young home-owner demographic - and there actually might be a bit of a "perception issue" about Veggie Gardening. Like it's "Something that Grandma did." I know when I first got back into it, I had the "Old ladies in Sensible Shoes and Big Floppy Hats" visual - and was almost hesitant to admit to colleagues that I was "into" gardening!

Maybe it *is* time for a Young/Hip (I'm rolling my eyes as I type this, BTW!) Host with perfect teeth, perfect hair and dirty fingernails who can lead the way for the "Next Generation of Gardeners" - AND appeal to the Networks and Advertisers...

:::shrug:::

Not sure what the answer is - but I really do wish there were more Gardening Shows!

[Mike]

I am sorry to hear that the show will not be on DIY Network, is there an online home for "Fresh from the Garden"? If not, this would be a great time to archive the shows on youtube or an equivalent. Most online video sites have a High Quality option nowadays, so besides getting to view on your own schedule, you can get near-TV quality, along with the ability to jump forward or back on command.

There is definitely a market for this show, if DIY's ad department can sell it or not. Hope to see new episodes soon!

[mss @ Zanthan Gardens]

Every local independent nurseryman I've talked to in Austin has told me that fruit, veggie, and herb sales are way up...2 to 5 times more than typical. Although I've always had a few vegetables and herbs in my garden, I've also felt a renewed interest in growing my own this year. I've been digging through old books that I haven't reread in years. I'm hungry for information and I bet a lot of other people are too.

[Tara Dillard]

Do you have any rights to the shows? Can the segments be repackaged for on-line viewing?

There are so many how-to sites desperate for content. Baby doll you've got content. Don't let it go to waste.

Good luck.

Garden & Be Well, XO Tara