Terrible gardening chores that I wish someone else would do

[Rockinruby]

It has been brought to my attention that I included an outside chore under the category of "household" chores on another thread. Clearly this needs to be rectified asap! This thread is for "terrible gardening chores that I wish someone else would take care of." Thank you to Monarch for the new thread idea.

I'll go first...

Mowing the yard of a neighbor in addition to mine each time it needs to be done.

I am not sure if this is a chore, but it certainly feels like one. I really hate picking Hornworms off any of my plants! I'm never sure whether to be offended or flattered when they come for my tomatoes. My husband is always too busy laughing at me to help pick any off. He thinks it's hysterical when he overhears me cursing out the blasted things. How dare they invade my plants!?!




What terrible garden or outdoor chores do you wish someone else would do?

 

[monarch64]

Re: Terrible gardening chores that I wish someone else would

RockinRuby, you are hilarious!

Sorry, I don't mean to down play R/R happenings! Amazing!

 

[Rockinruby]

Re: Terrible gardening chores that I wish someone else would

RockinRuby, you are hilarious!

Sorry, I don't mean to down play R/R happenings! Amazing!

I think I'm downright silly tonight! Thanks for putting up with me.

 

[sonnyjane]

Re: Terrible gardening chores that I wish someone else would

We have a giant freaking laurel hedge we inherited with the house. At its tallest it's 10 feet tall, which is technically larger than the HOA allows but they leave us alone it seems as long as we keep it well-groomed. The problem is it grows more than three feet a year, so every other week we have to attack that damn thing. We don't want it but it would be expensive to remove as well so we suffer along. We just moved here a few months ago. I fear seeing how fast it grows in summer! Before we moved here full-time we had landscapers, but at $200 a month and a 12-month requirement we are trying to save money so did not renew now that we live here full time.

 

[monarch64]

Re: Terrible gardening chores that I wish someone else would

We have a giant freaking laurel hedge we inherited with the house. At its tallest it's 10 feet tall, which is technically larger than the HOA allows but they leave us alone it seems as long as we keep it well-groomed. The problem is it grows more than three feet a year, so every other week we have to attack that damn thing. We don't want it but it would be expensive to remove as well so we suffer along. We just moved here a few months ago. I fear seeing how fast it grows in summer! Before we moved here full-time we had landscapers, but at $200 a month and a 12-month requirement we are trying to save money so did not renew now that we live here full time.

Solution: get rid of it, quickly, no matter the cost. That's literally all.

 

[sonnyjane]

Re: Terrible gardening chores that I wish someone else would

We have a giant freaking laurel hedge we inherited with the house. At its tallest it's 10 feet tall, which is technically larger than the HOA allows but they leave us alone it seems as long as we keep it well-groomed. The problem is it grows more than three feet a year, so every other week we have to attack that damn thing. We don't want it but it would be expensive to remove as well so we suffer along. We just moved here a few months ago. I fear seeing how fast it grows in summer! Before we moved here full-time we had landscapers, but at $200 a month and a 12-month requirement we are trying to save money so did not renew now that we live here full time.

Solution: get rid of it, quickly, no matter the cost. That's literally all.

We have gotten quotes for removal in the $5,000 range. Trust me, we want it gone, but can't afford that right now and it's too big to remove ourselves.

 

[monarch64]

Re: Terrible gardening chores that I wish someone else would

^Nevermind, then! $5k will buy you an actual fence here! Seriously though, that hedge is a beast and I do not envy you having to maintain it.

 

[House Cat]

Re: Terrible gardening chores that I wish someone else would

It has been brought to my attention that I included an outside chore under the category of "household" chores on another thread. Clearly this needs to be rectified asap! This thread is for "terrible gardening chores that I wish someone else would take care of." Thank you to Monarch for the new thread idea.

I'll go first...

Mowing the yard of a neighbor in addition to mine each time it needs to be done.

I am not sure if this is a chore, but it certainly feels like one. I really hate picking Hornworms off any of my plants! I'm never sure whether to be offended or flattered when they come for my tomatoes. My husband is always too busy laughing at me to help pick any off. He thinks it's hysterical when he overhears me cursing out the blasted things. How dare they invade my plants!?!




What terrible garden or outdoor chores do you wish someone else would do?

I love hornworms! I think they're cute with their fat squishy bodies! But I don't particularly like touching them. I can make a couple of suggestions if you really don't want to pick them. First, you can plant for loss. I do this with certain crops. What this means is that you plant extra plants and count on them getting a bit chewed up. Organic farmers do this too. Second, you can create an ecosystem that invites parasitoid wasps (which are teeny and don't sting you) by planting plants with an umbrella shape. The easiest way to do this is to allow carrots to go to flower, but there are also plants such as queen anne's lace (can be invasive) and yarrow, that these beneficials (and others) just LOVE. You can plant these plants in groups, but also in pots to move around to better serve your garden. These parasitoid wasps will lay their eggs in the poor hornworm and make their bodies the host. The hornworm will stop feeding. They also do this to aphids. Sometimes it takes a season or two for this to completely take off, but it does work. One warning though, don't allow any of the umbrella plants to go to seed or you will have them all over your garden.

Here is a web page that explains it better. It has links with further explanation:
http://www.grow-it-organically.com/natural-garden-pest-control.html

Garden chores I hate:

I hate harvesting vegetables and fruit. I get a rash each time. I have gauntlet length gloves, but the plants and my sensitive skin are a terrible match. I also hate picking up dog mess. Sometimes, I get a little frozen in the design process, like now, with a new house.

 

[VRBeauty]

Re: Terrible gardening chores that I wish someone else would

It's not so much a garden chore as an outdoor chore: I hate, hate, hate cleaning out the gutters!

ETA House Cat: I like your approach to hookworms! I haven't planted tomatoes in awhile, but when I did - I'd pull off the hookworms (EEEYUCK!) and put them in a large saucer-like thing for the scrub jays to find. Circle of life, and all that!

 

[packrat]

Re: Terrible gardening chores that I wish someone else would

Holy buckets, that much to remove that hedge? Is it a mile long or what???? JD and I'd come do it if'n we were closer.

I don't like to do anything outside if there's a wasp or a hornet or a yellowjacket or a spider.

The rest of it, I enjoy. I love to drain the stock tank, If we can keep up w/the weeding, I don't mind it. Deadheading is okay too.

My head is getting itchy to be back outside and feel the dirt.