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applestar
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Moan, Groan, and Whine about how hard it is to garden thread

Do you think we could use a place to complain and cry on shoulders? ...I’ll start —

I’m tired from just walking around and mentally assessing/prioritizing work needed to get the garden started.... O_o

Vanisle_BC
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Location: Port Alberni, B.C. Canada, Zone 7 (+?)

You started this just at the right time: Whine, whine!

I have permanently aching back & shoulders and exercise does NOT help. Whine.

Now I have 500 peas pre-soaking and I dread the thought of leaning over both sides of my raised beds to plant them in cross-wise double rows of 25: ten double rows, poking little holes 1.5 inches apart! I was awake half the night imagining ways to make it easier - stick them to masking tape first? No, they're wet. Somehow create newspaper tubes to bury & soak, with neatly spaced peas inside - how the heck could that work?

Sorry this was supposed to be just about whining - WHI-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-NE ! ..........

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applestar
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Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)

Was up on the garage roof fixing the exterior vent covers on the 2nd floor — found the flaps scattered everywhere this morning. :shock: ...could have been the gusty wind storm couple of nights ago, but suspect the mob of grackles, blackbirds, and starlings that flew in and have been screeching on the trees and pecking at the lawn since yesterday.

ALMOST got lured into cleaning the rain gutters, but talked myself out of it. Always scary-fun to be up on the roof, so I won’t complain much. :>

...but my back is KILLING me after uppotting a bunch of tomato seedlings and kale plants. :roll:

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digitS'
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Location: ID/WA! border

I have a bad leg ... with its wrecked sciatic nerve and foot drop.

Usually, I say that I have a "good" leg but it isn't really good, good. I've admitted to less than 100%. Wonder if it comes up to half of okay but, I try to make good use of it! Every old pair of shoes bares witness of that, and the difference between the two!

The bad leg might be counted as half but that's only if the lower half amounting to zero somehow multiples ... well, never mind :roll: .

Anyway. If I stand for a long while up-potting at the high bench in the greenhouse, the upper part of bad leg begins to go numb. Now, I'm in trouble! The entire leg begins to move into negative percentages, threatening to crumble beneath me ...

Steve

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Gary350
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Location: TN. 50 years of gardening experience.

My only complaint is I can barely walk before lunch and I can't remember anything these days. If I plant seeds I need to put a marker there or write it down on paper tomorrow I won't even remember planting seeds or what type seeds I planted. I drew a garden map, so far I planted, potatoes & tomatoes in row 1, 2, 3. 40 years ago garden was an every day battle but there days garden is a piece of cake nothing much to do I learned how. When you have trouble walking it is harder to get out the ladder & chain saw than it is to cut off that tree limb that needs to be gone. Last week I rented a 40 ft lift bucket to cut tree limbs that shade the garden. I also rented a loader to spread mulch on the garden. Plant the garden then go on vacation for 65 days return home an eat vegetables. Almost no grass & weed work to do. We are both lazy we won't even build a camp fire anymore. Camp fire is no fun in 100 degree weather anyway.
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applestar
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Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)

This morning, found a wasp buzzing in my Garage V8 Nursery Lights. At first I thought it was a paper wasp, but got a couple of pics — max zoom — when I tried to to get closer, it actually turned and faced towards me straight on — made me nervous and I left. Went in a little while later with a simple diy soda bottle wasp trap baited with apple cider, and it was still in exactly the same spot. :eek:

Image
...I think it’s a yellow jacket?

If the trap doesn’t catch it, I will try opening the garage doors and using pump sprayer to steadily coax it outside — but I really don’t think that will work today with the nasty bit of windy gusty weather we are having today with plummeting temperature. :roll:

I can’t spray anything harmful since V8 is currently incubating ladybeetle larvae (there was even a cluster of yellow eggs on a drip tray, starting to hatch as of this morning.)

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digitS'
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I remember once thinking that I had this great relationship with bumblebees. We could both bee busy with our tasks and as long as I treated a bumblebee with some gentleness, there was absolutely no reason for concern. Then, I arrived in the flower garden one morning to gather an arm-full of flowers for DW to make a bouquet. It had rained a little during the night and the morning was chilly. Carrying the flowers across the lawn -- suddenly -- I felt a shot to the chest! Right. I'd gathered up a bumblebee with the flowers and he had awakened, pressed up against me ...

I still treat bumblebees in a cooperative manner, as I do other bees. Live and let live ... but a bee as threatening as the one in your photo, that has invaded my indoor space, I don't think that I could tolerate that, AppleStar.

Of course, you don't want to wade in there with a rolled up newspaper, swatting in every direction. How about a proper size rubber band? https://m.wikihow.com/Fire-a-Rubber-Band ? Practice with a target and have several rubberbands on hand.

Gary, about that gardening forgetfulness ... I have had many of the same tasks for decades. One problem with taking them up again is that a garden and growing things are in a continuous state of change. Life!

Some skills are only required for several hours each year. There are 8,760 hours in a year!. P.l.e.n.t.y of time to forget our "best method," from one time to the next ...

Steve

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applestar
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Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)

Rubberband firing technique #3 is the way I learned as a kid :()

...maybe I need to get one of these... :D
Dragonfly Wingman™ Deer Fly & Horsefly Deterrent
Image
https://www.leevalley.com/us/gifts/page. ... 53209&ap=1


— It got too hot all of a sudden, and I haven’t had the chance to build up my endurance >> nearly had a heat stroke yesterday, and didn’t recognize the symptomatic signs in time, didn’t stay hydrated enough etc. :roll:

imafan26
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Location: Hawaii, zone 12a 587 ft elev.

My thumb aches from arthritis. Naproxen helps as long as I take it everyday the rest of my fingers still move, but it is really hard to turn the lock on my extension pruning pole, not to mention jars. Vice grips and jaw pipe wrenches are the only way to go. Getting on my knees is painful, getting up even worse.

Its has been windy and rainy and the weeds are having a party in the back yard. I did round them up, but they are going down slowly. I have so much work to do inside and out of the house but I just get so tired that I can only work for a couple of hours at a time before I need to take a very long break.

I just got my knees injected last month but the left one will still lock up if I am not careful.

Today I got 4 loads of laundry done and potted up a few orchids. I am now on my "break". Hopefully, I can get myself off the computer to do more work later today. I don't like to work in the middle of the day so I try to do most of the work in the early morning and in the afternoons after 3 p.m.

I have one more green can to fill. I have more than 1 can of stuff to put in it. My next pick up is not until next week. I wonder if I will get it filled in time?

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applestar
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Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)

@imafan, you reminded me of what my DD said yesterday — I was saying I found that one of the kitties made a mess on the floor (as kitties do from time to time) when I first came downstairs in the morning, so I picked up the mess and sprayed pre-treatment and covered the spots with toilet paper (this is our standard process), but that I didn’t want to crouch and clean up the floor because — and at this point, she interjected, saying “because you need to save your “crouching energy” for gardening:lol: — and she went onto say to her younger sister (who is in charge of cleaning up the floor after the kitties make messes) — “you heard her, take care of the rest with your young crouching energy” LMFAO

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applestar
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Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)

Today is last of the 3 day cold snap with temp in the 50’s. I couldn’t do it day before, and I couldn’t do it yesterday, but today, I geared up in a tyvek coverall protective suit, goggles, bandanna mask, and a baseball cap under the suit’s attached hood, double gloved in thin disposable nyplex and thick kitchen nyplex gloves, and went around the garden pulling up poison ivy.

With the last 2 days soaking 2.5 inches of rain in the ground, most of the underground and creeping ivy pulled up instead of breaking, and I managed to follow them over surprising distances under the grass and mulch, yielding 1 and 1/2 packed garbage bags in about 3 hours.

I had prepared a washing station at the bottom of the driveway with environmentally friendly ivy wash, rags, and hose turned on and ready to use to wash the tools and gloved hands before removing everything. Tyvek suit and old garden boots that were meant to have been thrown out a while ago went in the trash — not taking any chances.

Hopefully, the protection was sufficient and exposure was nil to minimum. I guess I will find out in the next couple of days.

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KeyWee
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Joined: Fri Dec 26, 2008 2:50 pm
Location: West Kentucky

Could ya don your suit again and come over and do mine? I thought I was the ONLY one who's let this stuff get outta control. It is everywhere (thanks, birds).
Moan, groan, and whine.

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applestar
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Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)

Haha. You are funny. :wink:

My personal recipe for Poison Ivy Wash for gloved hands and tools based on Tecnu ingredients
* OBVIOUSLY BE MINDFUL OF SUBSTANCES YOU HAVE ALLERGIES/SENSITIVITIES TO. This is safer for me than Tecnu.

— apply/wipe on to unwetted surface with rag/cloth, using motion as if wiping **off** thoroughly for 2 minutes, then rinse with cold water with clean rag

1/2 cup Laundry detergent - I use 365 free and clear
1 Dash @ out of their boxes - mule team borax & a&h washing soda
1 Good long squirt @ - 91% isopropyl alcohol & De-Solv-It Icky Sticky Stuff Remover (citrus oil based solvent)

1/3 as much Dr. Bronner’s peppermint liquid soap (good degreaser on its own — removes crayon and regular sharpie marker from hard surfaces)

*Mix thoroughly - borax/washing soda combo will gel and thicken with soap

- Reserve some for skin — add

1/2 as much Dr. Bronner’s peppermint liquid soap
1 goood long squirt - D witch hazel extract

* use with washcloth (wipe on then completely wipe off and rinse off motions) to thoroughly clean off any suspect exposure areas — hands, wrists, and forearms from top-down. Once satisfied hands are clean, wash possibly exposed parts of face, ears, and hair.

***** Reason I started using rags and washcloth

How to never have a serious poison ivy rash again - YouTube


***** I use this as alternate/substitute for mineral spirits in Tecnu

De-solv-it Icky Sticky Stuff Remover Safety Data Sheet
https://www.cr.k12.ia.us/file.aspx?DocumentId=5236
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digitS'
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Location: ID/WA! border

Just cannot compare to removing biohazard plants ... :eek: !

Awaiting transplant: The final 10% of the onions, started in the unheated greenhouse in early February. These aren't those "Texas-grown" onions that are big as pencils. I used to compare mine to dog hair but they aren't that tiny ... maybe several times the size of pencil lead.

I scratch them into what I call our garden soil. Soil that is about half glacial gravel from the Rockies. That's really no exaggeration. It's amazing that it can grow anything but what that soil does okay with is onions.

DW's and my fingers are so sore. I tried her technique of putting cut off fingers from old gardening gloves under those blue nitrile plastic gloves that someone might wear for biohazards. Helps ... but, there were only 2 for me and I already had several more sore ... digitS'!

gumbo2176
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Location: New Orleans

Yep, starting to heat up temperature and humidity wise and with all the rain we have been getting, the weeds are trying to overtake the good stuff in the garden. I was out with a hoe going back and forth between rows to knock down various varieties of weeds that cropped up. Amazing how fast they grow when compared to food crops. I've always claimed if food crops grew as fast and hearty as weeds, there would be no world hunger.

Then bent over for about an hour picking bush beans and thinning plants that needed to be culled to give the ones I want to grow more room to do so. This may be my last season of bush beans since I already have 3 large trellises I can utilize.


Edited To Add: Dang if I didn't end up with a bit of heat rash from all that bending over, squatting, hoeing and weed pulling. Might just be something to that whole "Naked Gardening" movement... :>


But I'd assume my neighbors would be more like: :eek:

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applestar
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Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)

Poison ivy snuck up on me and got me on the far side of my left wrist where the skin is tender. Bubbling like crazy for the last three days. I’m guessing (1) I didn’t realize (2) therefore did not degrease wash, and regular thorough washing after gardening had been insufficient. Also possible I re-used same contaminated gloves and/or shirt (I always wear long sleeves when gardening since I don’t like/can’t use sun screen/block lotion.)

Also, since I have been out every day to pick persimmons, and because weather has been mild, I’ve been ending up doing more than just harvest and scuttle back inside before it gets too hot — catching up on chores that have been left undone all summer —- the Health app on my iPhone is logging average of 1 mile walking movement per day per week. When I scrolled back to when I was gardening every other day, it had been 0.5 miles per day per week.

...no wonder I’m so tired... :roll:

imafan26
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Location: Hawaii, zone 12a 587 ft elev.

I spent 5 hours today taking my mom to for her haircut, flu shot, grocery shopping, Sam's Club and the post office. I left the house at 10 am and go back home around 2 p.m. I watered the front yard and got my rice in the rice cooker and my beans set so all I had to do was put it in the oven when I got home. No house cleaning done except I did get the trash out in time for the pickup. Today is usually my house cleaning day.

After I got home I put the beans in the oven and turned the rice cooker on while I watered the back yard. I planted a few more seeds. Some more seedlings have emerged from the pots that the snail grazed on.

I am too tired to do anything else on my to do list.

My mom called me and wants me to take her to therapy on October 8. That is going to be another 3 hour side trip.

I love my parents and it is better to take them where they need to go. At least everyone in the family has their turn. The garden and the house will just have to wait a little longer.

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applestar
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Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)

You know you’ve been working too hard in the garden when your iPhone stops recognizing your finger print...... :roll:

imafan26
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Location: Hawaii, zone 12a 587 ft elev.

My computer won't recognize my fingerprint either so I use the PIN instead.

I ripped another nail! I have to keep the nails cut before they rip. I have callouses on the sides of my fingers from pulling weeds. I must have a lot of micro cuts. I don't notice them until I get some lemon or pepper juice on my hands.

I have to buy more gloves. I used up my outside glove box and made the mistake of touching the peppers and then touching my face. My eyes are still burning!

OOPS! I thought a big weed was growing in my pot. I think I just pulled up my persimmon instead.

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TomatoNut95
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Location: Texas Zone 8

Here's my whining: IT'S COLD, IT'S COLD, IT'S COLD!!! :cry: I hate the winter. I simply cannot stand the cold, especially in the morning, and ESPECIALLY when I only got five hours of sleep. :x But I gotta go out in this sometime and plant tulip bulbs. Whimper and whine.

imafan26
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Location: Hawaii, zone 12a 587 ft elev.

I can't take cold either. When the temperature dips into the 50's it is already too cold. Winter clothing in Hawaii is an umbrella, a jacket, sweat pants and socks and a futon. Slippers or socks in the house is optional because the tile floors are cold to walk on barefoot. Cats are good foot warmers.

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TomatoNut95
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You sound like a guy after my own heart. Temperatures under a nice 60-something is considered freezing for me, and my mood flares. If there is one thing I hate, that is putting on layer after layer of clothes to be able to go out just to check your garden. Thankfully now I am sitting in a nice, warm office.

imafan26
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Most of you are getting ready to move plants indoors and harvest what you can before frost sets in. I am just having a hard time getting the grass to be dry enough to weed whack. I have an electric Black and Decker weed whacker and it is not powerful enough to knock down wet grass.

It suddenly rained today with flash flood warnings, just when I thought I was actually going to be able to go out and get it done today.

imafan26
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Location: Hawaii, zone 12a 587 ft elev.

Today we had our plant sale. End of the year sale = kitchen sink sale. I sold about 80% of what I had. I took back 2 trays and gave away a little more than one tray. Currant tomatoes and beans were not that popular. I sold all of the Japanese cucumbers, butternut squash, kale, cilantro (1 left), most of the peppers, Coleus canina, most of the thai and kapoor basil, papaya, half the garlic chives.

People don't like currant tomatoes because they are small, but honestly they are the sweetest and easiest to grow. They grow like weeds.

I have a sale at the end of November, but I only have a few plants to donate to my club. I have to find room for them. I will plant more chives, green onions, and take cuttings from plants that will keep. I will propagate more of the coleus canina. The next sale is not until February. I did keep some of the peppers. I can pot them up and they grow slowly over the cooler months. Hopefully, they will still be good in three months. Some of the tomatoes, lettuce, beets, and kale will go out into the herb garden. I gave the remaining beans and tomatoes to the volunteers since they will not keep for very long.

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applestar
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Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)

Sounds like a lot of work @imafan. It would be hard for me to do I think.
Give yourself a pat on the back, and enjoy your garden.

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Gary350
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Location: TN. 50 years of gardening experience.

Wife says, green beans are very hard for the body to digest. I don't know about you but when beans go in green and come out completely different and a different color I think they digested just fine. LMFAO

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TomatoNut95
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Eww...

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TomatoNut95
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Moan, Groan and Whine about hard it is to WORK:
I hate my job, but sadly I suffer through it. My co-worker has a um....well there's no nice way to describe him...'toddler terror' she brings with her to work. He screams and cries when he doesn't get his way, he likes to come in my office and take my desk décor, he has kicked me, shone a flashlight right in my face in front of his mom and she did nothing about scolding him... and the other day was just nasty. He came in my office, turned around and pointed to his rear and at first I thought he said 'boo-boo'...but that's not what he said. He was trying to tell me his diaper needed changing. It really hit me when I started smelling him. Thankfully his mom came and got him, but it took a while for that stench to get out of my office. No need to tell me to complain to my boss about this because my boss and co-worker are related, and everybody in the building thinks the little menace is so adorable. So big no-no, right there. I do the best I can to keep my office door closed when possible and plug my ears up with YouTube music or clips to cover up the screaming, crying and banging.

Moan, Groan and Whine about how hard it is to GO SHOPPING:
So I went in Wal-Mart to grab up some much needed groceries...and maybe it's just me, I don't know; but I get so irritated when shopping in a store that is so crowded. People on every aisle, trying to make their way down the narrow aisles with their loaded buggies. Some people are sweet, like the cute little old woman who was trying to get a carton of eggs. I ran into her a few times throughout the store, and that made me smile at those times. But other people just disgust me. I was standing near the Lunchables to pick out some good ones for office lunches and here come this Mexican woman with her little girl in her buggy. The girl would've been cute...if only she didn't have her finger in her nose. It's really gross to think of the dirty little kids that pick their nose and handle the merchandise and then put it back if their parent says no. Then other people touch it without thinking who all has handled it. Then they buy it, take it home and stick it in their pantry. After seeing that, I may start either washing EVERYTHING I buy, or if it can be done: take it out of the box or bag and put it in something else.

Now for my: Moan, Groan and Whine about how hard it is to garden:
Yesterday evening I went to fertilize my crops. I was very low on regular MG, so I grabbed my box of organic MG to, which was low as well. Went outside and along the way I noticed the box of regular had gone mushy and was dripping blue-green liquid from the box. I used what was left, and then opened the box of organic to finish up. The fertilize had welded into a brown, concrete mass in the bottom of the bag. Totally unusable. The mass wasn't crumbly, more like sticky, so I cannot break it. I got mad and threw it in the trash. I had another box of organic MG which was unopened. I picked it up and shook it, and thankfully it was still powdery(I'm sure because it's still sealed). But I hated to open it 'cause I wanted to save it for greenhouse season next spring, so I grabbed my box of Bloom Booster. I was hoping to use that which had higher nitrogen in it for the leaf crops, but it was better than nothing. I may pull the mass out of the garbage and see if it will still dissolve like in a five-gallon bucket. As expensive as that organic stuff it, I'd hate to waste it. I am guessing that what causes the water soluble MG to liquidize and mush over time like that is humidity getting to the powder. My bloom booster is still powdery, I wonder if putting the box in a Zip-Loc bag would help keep it dry?

Sorry for going on and on like that, I just wanted to gripe. :roll: It's days like that, that make me look and feel like this doggy:
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