Horticulture Teacher Question

Question from Judy:
I teach horticulture for a community college to men in a prison. We have been enjoying some of your old gardening videos. We were wondering what you were doing now? Are any new videos on dvd now? I have limited funds for new materials, but like your style and content. Thank you for your time

Answer from Pat:
Thanks so much for liking the style and content of my old videos. Here’s a recent video I made on artichokes: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNtP8HTUNfQ

I still make these short videos when I can find time to do so and would do TV too if it ever came along. I now am all organic in my gardening practices.

As for what I’m doing: I’m still writing books on gardening. I putter in my own garden since I can’t do the really hard work any more, but I am lifting weights twice a week and it is making me stronger again. (I have had 4 knee replacements since i made those videos…..Yes on only 2 knees! and 2 shoulder replacements. But the injuries that led to these came from riding and getting thrown from horses, not from gardening!) So what else do I do? I do all my own cooking and cook very healthy food, including veggies from my own raised bed. I lecture on gardening during two months of the year, one month in spring and one in fall. I write my blog answering people’s questions every day, usually in the evening. I paint for fun in oils and watercolor, and I travel whenever I can afford to do so. I’m also very involved with my large family and friends. (I have 2 daughters, 5 grandchildren, and 7 great-grandchildren. They are a great joy to me.

Would it help your teaching program if I sent you a copy of my most recent garden book?  Perhaps you and your students would really enjoy it. (Send me your address if so.) Where are you located? My books are mainly for Southern California.

Re: videos: Have you seen the 28 short videos on my website? Here is the link to my website http://patwelsh.com/wpmu/

Perhaps you are you still looking at my old videos made by Better Homes and Gardens? I made those ones in the 1980’s and they are somewhat out of date but still useful in some respects, so I have heard. Glad you like them. Do you have “Landscape Problems Solved” as well as the flower garden one? If you have not seen my shorter videos, please go to my website and click on videos on the right hand side. The artichoke one above is one of these, but there are a lot more and I think you will find them helpful and full of information. I will try to do more of them when I have time. I have not made any more up to date longer videos since no one has hired me to do so, but I might be able to find some DVD’s of talks I have given. Would these help?

Every once in a while more TV and video work comes along for me. I am willing to do more of it if ever the opportunity arises. I can still do TV in some ways just as well as I used to do it, but of course I can’t do the heavy work or get down on my knees as I once did.

All the best to you and your students and I hope that the garden brings some joy to all of you.