What do you hate to grow?

[Dinghy]

Ok, we did the "what do you wish you could grow" question, and that was really interesting. Now how about what you absolutely hate to grow? Something that never turns out for you or is hard for you to do for some reason? Mine is garlic. No matter what I try I only get tiny little cloves. They always look real nice above ground, but are a real disappointment when I dig them up. This year I moved them to a different spot where I thought they'd get more sun. They were looking darn good until Big Foot stomped them all down!!! My son started painting that side of the house and didn't realize that little spot was now part of my garden. So between his big feet and the ladder they all were flattened. I just about cried. I don't know if they still kept growing or not. I haven't had the heart to check them yet.

 

[booger]

Corn. Like to eat it, family loves it. Can't stand to grow it but not sure why.

I really, really stink at growing onions but still love doing so each year.

 

[nutkin]

Dinghy....I feel your pain.

It happened with my naked ladies last year, only I was the big foot that stomped the life outta my plants.

Dinghy...right there with you, have trouble with garlic. Mine are pathetic. I literally planted 100's last year...3 came up.

Beets! Oh, how I hate beets. Can't stand the sight of the little beggars. BUT...my dear Mother loves them and doesn't garden anymore. Went on strike this year. Nary a beet seed hit my soil. Guilt has gotten to me. The dreaded beets will be in the plans for next year.

Ick, ick, ick!!

 

[Vicki]

"Old"

Just kidding, I really hate to grow shorter!!! lol Teasing you girls. I don't hate growing plants of any kind but I had to comment on this header.

Vicki

 

[nutkin]

Good one! I'll second that!

 

[Gingergirl]

I don't like growing tree fruit...too much spraying, tending of traps, pruning, thinning. Unfortunately, I love eating and canning tree ripened fruit. So I guess I'm stuck..

I just pulled most of my garlic today. A few were good size but most were tiny...but potent. You can smell them throughout the whole garden.

 

[Laurie the Mom]

Cabbage and broccoli. They never get very big, and I hate hate hate the worms.

Laurie

 

[Tweakette]

Bok choi. It seems to go to see immediately, even when really small. Aggravates me!

Tweak

 

[wasabell]

Radishes - I cant seem to get a radish growing underground. They get a long red stem above ground and that's it.

Corn - I plant in square-foot gardening style blocks, and get one-sided ears.

Brussels Sprouts. I get beautiful plants, but instead of "lil cabbages", I get a few loose leaves.

 

[Brooks]

I hate growing anything that the critters really challenge me on.

Which I think means I like growing onions the best. No big or small pests at all!

 

[Dinghy]

Glad to see that I'm not the only one with troubles! I would hate growing shorter too! I'm already so short that if I got any shorter, I would be starting all over!!!
I can't grow nice onions either. We like to eat them small so that's ok, but I would like to be able to grow some nice sized cooking onions too.
I tried cabbage and broccoli last year. They weren't worth the space they took up. I have two cauliflower plants that my daughter gave me this year and they don't look too hot either. My peas were pretty sick looking too. I haven't found the right place for them yet. Even though it's pretty late in the season I'm going to plant some more and see what happens.
We've had slugs so bad this year that my skin just crawls when I walk through the garden at night. Maybe I should sit out there with a hammer a couple nights and catch the little devils as soon as they pop out!!!

 

[Bigbng]

I hate growing .........grey hairs.....hahahaha.

Seriously though, I always thought that garlic only grows out a year after you plant it? The first year gets you the "seedling" but only its only the next year, when you do end up growing cloves. I'll have to check with the Grandparents on this.

Other than the grey hair, my worst is green onions. I try and change locations yearly but they just seem so damn small! hardly worth the effort!

 

[Gingergirl]

BigNg,

I'm on the cooler side of zone 5, so we plant our garlic in the spring. I planted soft necks on 4/5 and have pulled fully developed garlic all week. I think more southern areas plant in fall and harvest in spring. Not sure if there are climate requirements for soft neck vs. stiff neck.

Your seedling description sounds more like onions. I have had very good luck with the onion plants I ordered from Dixon Farms in Texas. I didn't order from them this year and have regreeted it.

 

[A.T.Hagan]

Had to think about this one for a bit.

I'd have to say anything that's maintenance intensive. The more time I have to spend fooling with it the less value it has to me.

I deep sixed the apple trees this year because of that. It's been a struggle from the word go to even keep the blasted things alive much less thriving. Of the very few people that I've come across that have had 'good' apples here they all had intensive spray programs. I'm not spraying anything every two weeks.

.....Alan.

 

[Dinghy]

Hey Nutkin, just what are Naked Ladies???? Sounds like something my husband would like to have in the garden!!!!

 

[MissTina]

Dinghy, Garlic just happens to be one of the few things I can grow effectively. Are you cutting off the heads of the flower before they bloom?

 

[LC]

A newbie here but a somewhat experienced gardener so here goes:

Garlic, anyone zone 6 and south should plant in the fall starting in mid Sept and mulch with about 4 in of mulch. I think folks in the north can fall plant and mulch also. Don't plant rocamboles south of zone 6 and if you are south of zone 8 you about have to have creoles. For more info on growing garlic go to the Filaree Farms or Goumet Garlic Gardens sites.

Bokchoy: probably planting in the wrong season. Try fall planting if you are spring planting. Johnny's catalogue talks about what oriental greens do well in what season and chosen and planted carefully their varieties do well for me out here in the plains.

Onions: haven't a clue unless you are in what is known as Intermediate onion country-that is the middle cross section(east to west) as I am. Then we need to plant the variety Candy if we want them to make size.

For me, I hate (well dislike intensely) anything that is too fussy, or requires too much processing to keep. I am learning to prefer things that can just be stored, preferably in the ground where they grew like leeks and fall carrots.

Some might want to go to the Garden Web forums to learn more.

Happy Gardening
LC

 

[Dinghy]

Yep, yep, I'm cutting off the flower heads and planting in the fall. The ground had some sand mixed in so it wasn't too hard. Maybe I need to buy new garlic instead of replanting the cloves from the ones I've been growing.

 

[Para36]

Purslane which I grow for greens is stunted this year and a lot of the leaves are diseased which is a first for me. Maybe all the rain we had because it is extremely drought tolerant.

Garlic this year is excellent as usual. I plant an all white variety that I got a while ago from one of the local farmers . It is grown here commercially in what we call the mucklands. Around here it is planted in fall, usually october. Mine is 4-5 feet tall and still green leaves leaves except for the tips which have browned. Bulbs average 2 1/2 inches in diameter at maturity and keep all winter.

Para.

 

[Dinghy]

Para, You're really lucky! My bulbs might be about an inch max. I got mine from my parent's garden and theirs always did really good. Just haven't been able to figure it out. I really think if it hadn't gotten stomped on, it might have turned out better this year. But theres no way to know now. I might order some new bulbs from Gurney's and see what happens, if it isn't too late to get them.

 

[LC]

More thoughts on garlic: sorry that's the way my brain works these days, a little at a time.

Just a bit of background: I raise garlic on a VERY small commercial scale and have for 5/6 years. So I consider myself an experienced beginner on growing garlic but by no means an expert. I am certainly still learning!

Plant the biggest cloves from the biggest heads that you have. Big cloves are needed for big heads to form tho sometimes a big clove will make a little head as much did for me this year, way too hot in May here for good heads to form.

Those who are planting their own and even if you buy it, you could have disease which is affecting the growth. One way to combat, not win, just fight it would be this. After you have broken the bulbs before planting soak them in a warm (not hot) solution of baking soda (say 2 T to a qt of water) and gently peel the clove covers off. Then soak them for 15 min. in rubbing alcohol and lay out to dry on a towel or newspaper. This seems to keep some of the most common garlic diseases at bay.

Also as I mentioned before, some types of garlics do better in some climates than others. For a discussion of that go to the sites I mentioned as it is much too long for here.

Hope this helps someone as garlic is something we all want to be able to provide for ourselves in a SHTF situation both to season bland, boring stored foods and as an antibiotic. Garlic would also be amenable to a "guerilla gardening" plan.

Good gardening to all,
LC

 

[Double_A]

Naked Ladies are a pink flower that resembles Easter Lilies. It has no leaves, just a bare naked stalk that comes up with the pink flower on it.

I love naked ladies

 

[Dinghy]

I've never seen them, or heard of them before. I don't know there were plants that didn't have leaves.

 

[LC]

The foliage comes out in the spring about tulip time. Just a mound of green foliage that dies back. Then about now the blossom stalks come up and the grasshoppers just love them.
LC

 

[Vicki]

We've had slugs so bad this year that my skin just crawls when I walk through the garden at night. Maybe I should sit out there with a hammer a couple nights and catch the little devils as soon as they pop out!!!

Regular table salt sprinkled around the yard will get rid of those Dinghy. I had them 15 years ago and haven't had them since I did the salt. I have noticed small snails coming into my greenhouse lately and will do the salt on them as well. That makes me feel alittle evil... oh well.

Vicki

 

[Dinghy]

I'll have to give that a try. I have lots of salt!