What's your least favorite Garden chore?

16 years ago

So much gardening to do, so many gardening chores...and some are more fun than others.

My least favorite is mowing the lawn. Noisy, smelly, and tedious, although I do get a good workout with a regular old gasoline push mower. And I like the way the lawn looks when it's done.

Followed closely by weeding, which is also tedious and never-ending it seems!!

But I do kind of like digging the garden beds. Although I've started using lasagne gardening, so that should reduce the digging required on future beds. But sometimes I want an instant garden bed and it happens to be in the middle of Vinca minor, invasive shrubs and many roots. So it has to be dug.

So what's your least favorite garden chore??

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (15)

giboosi_alttara
16 years ago
Pruning barberry.
chelone
16 years ago
Staking the peonies.

I love mowing the lawn, but we have a totally "boss" mower!

I'm not really big on yanking errant dandilions!
Related Discussions
What's your favorite/leasts favorite seed to harvest?
Q
Comments (5)
I put moss rose in the zip lock bag, close it and give it a few shakes, seeds fall to the bottom. Milkweed can be tricky, I pick up the pod with seeds holding them both together, then place inside the baggie, hold the seeds and pull them off the "silky stuff" before it unfolds and flies all over. I used to open each of the white seed pods of Night Blooming Jasmine to get the black seeds , but have been told it is best to let the pods with seeds dry out naturally. Easy to germinate no matter. Trying to think if there are any sticky ouchy seeds to gather, nope...Guess I don't grow it if it isn't easy. later Bea
...See More
your favorite gardening chore to do with your grandchildren
Q
Comments (1)
How wonderful!! My kids (all teenagers now) HATE gardening with me. But when my mom was alive (she died almost four years ago) they loved going over to her house to help her in the garden. By far their favorite chore was PICKING! Especially when they could pop the produce in their mouths. It was so touching that during the year and a half that she was ill, they volunteered to do some of her gardening chores for her. Keep it up and enjoy her, Cindy!!
...See More
What are your favorite/ least favorite reseeding annuals?
Q
Comments (3)
Right now, tomatoes are my LEAST favorite reseeders! They grew everywhere this year, even more than last year. Must have been in the compost and not cooked enough. Hating goldenrod - it tries to take over and there are several different kinds here; I was coddling one thinking it was Balloon Flower. Love: Alyssum Petunias Forget me nots Cosmos Ageratum (they don't flower as fast as indoor starts) Violas, but they petered out this year after a 5 year run First year trial: blue woodruff - asperula - is supposed to reseed. I threw some seed on the ground just a few weeks ago and it is already blooming. Hope it comes back. It's a lovely delicate blue flower.
...See More
Concerts, your favorites, least favorites etc
Q
Comments (8)
I have been to 79 concerts so far. First real concert was Aerosmith, so freakin long ago. Favorites have been Jethro Tull. Joe Cocker, Fleetwood Mack. the Band, foreighner, Pink Floyd, Doobies, (so good). Saw Heart at a tiny Theatre in Aberdeen just a few days after Dreamboat Annie came out. No one had heard of them yet, so......we were in the front row. Such a lucky night. I can say that there are only 3 or so concerts I did not thoroughly love, and none I regret. Well, yes.....I regret Thorogood. He was f-ed up and slimy with women, just an aging cliche. Paul McCartney was a snooze fest for me, but I am glad I have seen him, and loved the drummer. Bands I was not expecting to love like I did were the Rolling Stones, Lyle Lovett was just something to do, but from the moment the Large Band and Lyle began playing, it was so so good, and a top 5. Elton John was amazing. The Steve Miller Band is the most authentic singer and group I have seen, sounding exactly like their albums. Three Dog Night sounded the same live as on the albums too. If you have been to a concert where you realize the singer can't really sing as well as you thought it's sort of a slap in the face. Buddy Guy, Etta James. Mellancamp, Love Dave Matthews and the fiddle player. Love Love Joe Walch and Neil Young. EAgles, Clapton concert had terrible sound for some reason. Bonnie Raitt is worth seeing. Susan Tadeschi is a cross between Raitt and Janis Joplin and still tours a lot. She would be an affordable and amazing night out. I was determined to see Petty before I die, and am sad as heck he beat me to it. Took both my sons and wives to see Greg Ahlman, a year ago. Really great. Will never see Ringo, or Sam Smith. No Katy Perry or pit bull, No Adell for me, either. I would love to hear from anyone who has seen anything new, and current. Would love to get opinions. Go see every one you can, as often as you can afford to, and buy full cd's so you really get to know what the band is really like. If you stop listening to the current stuff, you get stuck in your decade of favorite music. But this period for me, is one of the best periods for music I have seen in a long time. My Kids had the late 80's and the 90s. A lot of good, and a lot of crap too. LOL.
...See More
mad_gallica (z5 Eastern NY)
16 years ago
I hate to spray, so I don't do it.

I hate to water, so I don't do that either.

I don't mind weeding, and I like mowing the lawn, so I do those.

I don't mind digging if the weather cooperates, so I do that.
ginny12
16 years ago
Weeding, staking, weeding, deadheading, weeding. My favorite is planting and just plain digging in the dirt.
PRO
Nancy Vargas Registered Architect
16 years ago
Mulching and weeding. My husband does the mowing (with a reel mower no less) If he doesn't get around to it, I don't let it bother me. Some things we are very flexible about!

For staking the peonies, I've put cages over mine and just leave them there year round. I haven't had to stake peonies in three years.
hipchick
16 years ago
I like it all, but in moderation. Unfortunately, the maple seedlings don't seem to understand that weeding loses its' calming zen quality after hours of yanking the buggers.

Same with watering, usually I love to walk around in twilight and check out everything, but right now there is the worst attachment on the hose, I can't get it off - so it takes twice as long as the mosquitos feast on me :(
Monique z6a CT
16 years ago
Mulching. We have a fairly long yard and the only place to drop the mulch pile is in the driveway. With 10 cubic yards, so many bucketloads of mulch has to be wheeled to the backyard. It takes forever, the temps are always hot and the mulch pile even hotter. Plus, I have to weed each bed first. Yuck.

My favorite "chores" are planning, buying and planting plants. Plus, I just have to take photos to remember when everything blooms. A visual record.
hostasz6a
16 years ago
I would say spring clean-up is my least favorite as I am anxious to get out there and get my hands in the soil, but NO all the old leaves and such have to be removed. Fall raking is okay as the leaves are all crinkly and crunchy and the weather is cool and dry.

Also, I dislike weeding in between my stone paths and my brick patio.
jackied164 z6 MA
16 years ago
Picking and squishing (or otherwise dispatching) slugs and lily beatles.
kathygreenfield
16 years ago
Ewwww anything have to do with bugs or deadness (the occasional dead bird/snake/chipmunk etc) Bleah! The rest is just fine with me.
runktrun
16 years ago
I am with you Kathy, dead critters turn me into a girly girl...shreaks and all. I don't know if I have one answer to this question, I suppose over all there is part of me that even enjoys weeding but when it becomes apparent that the weeds are winning I panic and start to grumble. My over all most favorite garden task is standing still staring at the garden, mumbling to myself a long list of notes... Now if this plant dies...I can always move a plant from the back garden...what was that I just read on GW?...I need some new trees...WOW where did that hour go? kt
chelone
16 years ago
I tried the peony cages and hoops. They were too friggin' short. And they don't guarantee support where it's needed. In MY experience, they're a complete waste of money... as are many of the tuteurs commercially available (right Monique?).

I just measured the "Festima Maxima" peonies on the south terrace. They're 45" tall! (I could stand naked behind them). I spent some "quality time" with them yesterday, and will fine-tune the exercise following the rains predeicted for the next few days. The buds are big, fat, and awaiting the next round of warmth and sunshine.
siennact
16 years ago
LOL! I have never thought to measure plants using my naked body. Will keep it in mind.

My least favorite chore is digging new beds, removing the sod. Ugh. Next is pulling Virginia creeper because it is neverending.
diggingthedirt
16 years ago
I love digging new beds - it's such an optimistic job. My *least* favorite chore is re-digging old beds, which I happen to be doing now, kicking myself all the while. Who knew that garden heliotrope, shasta daisies, campanula glomerata and siberian iris would all run amok in a mere 15 years. Toss in invading lawn grasses, annual weeds, and boisterous autumn clematis, compact firmly with carpenters' boots (while they are shingling the wall behind the garden), and you have a bona fide mess. No fun, no fun at all.

Oh, I almost forgot. My really, truly least favorite chore is opening and paying my credit card bill. Shocking how much you can spend without even noticing - and on nothing but annuals and perennials. Makes squishing bugs feel like a picnic by comparison.
dfaustclancy
16 years ago
Hey! Get away from Chelone's peonies!!!! What ARE you doing back there anyway? OH!

What's your least favorite Garden chore?

Comments (15)

giboosi_alttara

chelone

Related Discussions

mad_gallica (z5 Eastern NY)

ginny12

Nancy Vargas Registered Architect

hipchick

Monique z6a CT

hostasz6a

jackied164 z6 MA

kathygreenfield

runktrun

chelone

siennact

diggingthedirt

dfaustclancy

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US