what don't you like about gardening

I love growing food, and I think its probably safe to say that everyone on here does as well. But sometimes parts of gardening are less than fun. Today, for instance I was halfway through ordering my seeds for the summer when my browser crashed and when i reloaded it, the site hadn't saved my shopping cart. I have to say that buying seeds, while exciting at first can turn into a chore pretty fast. To make myself feel a bit better, what is a chore for you in your garden?

Weeding is a pain in the in the in the lol.

Battling bugs!

Wishing i had a yard to grow more stuff.

I've always said the "hardest" job is picking green bush beans on a large scale. Its hard on my back and knees. Though the reward of a couple large buckets full of beans eases the pain.
Second would be turning the compost pile (when I do it).
Finally, after tilling for 2 weeks I realize its time to till the pumpkin patch.
I'm glad I can help send the chiropractors kids to college.

I eat most of the beans while Im picking them, 1 bucket is easier to carry LOL. How many plants do you have to get that many beans and how often do you get that many?

About 12 rows, 15+ feet long. Last summer was a great year with plenty of rain. We were picking every 6 days.

This message was edited Apr 5, 2012 9:49 AM

I absolutely detest grub worms. It took me years to get used to Harry Hornworm (now, I love him, long as I can move him to a safe place to munch), but I will NEVER get used to grub worms.

And, MOSQUITOES, THE STATE BIRD OF TEXAS!!! They will eat you alive!

The only thing I like about hornworms is watching the chickens chase each other after I throw it in the chicken yard

I love gardening, but preparing all that food for the freezer is a real chore!

Gymgirl - when I gave up eating all kinds of sugar, the mosquitoes stopped biting me!

Ants that bite your toes and poison ivy that creeps into the garden.. .other than that, only thing I can think of is that the days are not long enough, and the season is too short. I think I could live in the garden and be just happy as a clam!

You know what, Bee?

I've been hearing all the reports on the addictive properties of sugar, and the possibility of insulin receptors triggering cancer cell growth, and I'm about to make that move. I'll need some guidance from you, but, I"ll dmail you for further discussion, so we don't hijack this thread!

Thanks!

WHAT PEGGY SAID!

Weeds! I would say the mosquitoes, but I've been battling bahia with little progress. So weeks. I've mostly got the mosquitoes under some sort of control by welcoming Purple Martins and House/Tree Swallows into the yard and lane. They at least take care of things during the day.

1. The constant battle not to throw my back out.
2. The fact that I grow weeds better than anything else in my garden.
3. Squirrels, moles, mosquitos, and most recently rabbits.

I agree with Gymgirl, I am petrified with horn worms.

Once gardening starts I get spring fever so i am up very early waiting for daylight to do a little gardening before leaving for golf.

I have to plan my day well and also rest well for more golf!! LOL!!!

Happy gardening to all!!!

Belle

terri - from the literature I've read, Purple Martins eat very few (if any) mosquitoes.

http://purplemartin.org/update/MosCont.html

The best control is to use "Mosquito Dunks"

http://www.bing.com/shopping/search?q=mosquito+dunks&qpvt=mosquito+dunks&FORM=HURE

Well, I've read that study before and thank you for posting it again.

Part of the paper does state that Martins will eat mosquitoes if they are present at the same time as the Martins. And that is the case at my porperty. There have been times that I couldn't even mow as I was attacked repeatedly by swarms of these huge, black mosquitoes (they have striped legs). And they really hurt when they bite! I think someone mentioned they are the Texas state bird but I don't know what exact variety they are. Then the House Swallows moved in. As I mow the yard the Swallows swoop around me like my own electron field. They eat just about anything I stir up and I am now only very occasionally bitten by a mosquito while mowing. However, I could not mow the lane as the House Swallows would only follow me so far from the house. Then I put up the Purple Martin house near the bottom of the lane. Now the Martins pick up when the Swallows leave off. I do have two ponds/tanks on the property and the study did mention that the Martins will eat mosquitoes which habitate marshy or water areas. So mine is only an observational result, but given the topography of my property, and the fact that mosquitoes are still present in other areas of our pasture (and they are definitely out at night), I will say that my Martins are eating mosquitoes. But probably only when I am mowing and really attracting them for easy pickings. I'm not saying Martins always eat mosquitoes--and the paper carries that out. But I do think they eat mosquitoes at my house. And they probably learned the behaviour from the Swallows. There are now at least third generation Swallows at my house and they are starting to follow me around when I garden. Its kind of fun! Hmmmm....the paper states Martins will eat beetles. I wonder if there is a way to train them to eat Japanese Beetles?☺

I also need some creature to do the weeding for me. My kids are out of the house! Why can't voles eat the weed roots and leave the good plants alone?????

Tomato horn worms. ICK!

terri -

- Cabbage loopers, flea beetles, Japanese beetles and squash beetles are my biggest insect pests
- Purslane and stray grasses are my biggest weed issues
- Crows and raccoons eat my corn. Deer and coons ate my entire winter garden (carrots, kale and beets mostly)

It's really tough to keep things organic when bugs decimate so many of my crops. But in the end its worth it.

Root knot nematodes, white fly, leaf miners, mole crickets, crickets, aphids, ants, pill bugs, squash beetles, mosquitoes, all kinds of caterpillars, scale and weevils. I have them all and each week brings on a new pest in my yard. It's like they all come from my neighbors yards since I'm all organic....it's a constant battle in this climate.

Chipmunks, bunnies, Japanese beetles, hot humid weather, too much rain, too little rain, scale, mosquitos, seeds that won't germinate, rust, black spot, plant leaves mysteriously turning yellow/brown/black...

And yet, every spring, I'm chomping at the bit to get out there again!

Golden-are you sure you dont live in TX? lol

roflamo..having martins and mosquitoes present at the same time is SO NOT A PROBLEM! Last year, due to the lack of rain we had no bug problems..can't say the same for this year. It's already horrible and doesn't look to get much better. The DH cleared and trimmed most of the bushes and landscaping in the front to try to avoid breeding issues but the back is packed with EB's (a self watering container). For those of you familiar with them you know about the drain hole and the overflow, which I can't do anything about so I always have moisture.

The thing I dislike about gardening is the mess. I start my own seedlings so I transplant often = mess, I can and freeze which = mess. *G* but the husbands answer might be different as he's charged with the spraying, planting and such. I do disease id, and picking!

Hey ParmaJon, consider saving seeds from the previous year/crop. I love saving my favorite tomato seeds and pepper seeds. When you start so many seeds, you can give them to friends too! I think it is fun to save seeds and you save a little money too.

Dislikes:
Mysterious plant diseases, yellowing/wilting/browning- you name it!
Weeding - I can get carried away and throw my back out.
Cleaning my fingernails
Bugs - plain and simple
Sunburnt - ooooops!
Deer

Deer flies

For me, it would be removing the grass from the plot I plan on planting. Oh, the Louisiana heat can be added to mix, especially when I remove the top grass. Then, of course, after i am all sweaty and aggravated, the Louisiana Air Force attacks....the mosquito.

Synsfun,
Next time you're planning a plot, just cover it over in advance with some heavy dark garbage bags, followed by some thick cardboard, and a layer of weed cloth. These items will solarize the soil below, kill the weeds and grass, and save your back...

You can actually layer it all and plant right on top of it almost immediately. I've learned that grass and weeds need two things to live: water and light...take that away, and all you have left is the Louisiana Air Force! And, if you spread a couple crumpled up DUNKS around your place, the Air Force will be grounded...

Lessez les bon temps roulette, Mon Ami!

huh, that didnt cross my mind, thanks mon cherie'

We Louisianians have to stick together, Cher!

Now, go have a cup of CDM for me.