I can't be the only one who gets this. I truely love gardening, its a fun hobby. But I get trapped in this endless cycle every year. When my new plants are small I take amazing care for them, they will get everything they need. As the summer progress's and the planst get bigger and bigger, I loose motivation. Lack of care, overgrowing, forgeting things, and I'll just be happy for the vegetables I get in return. Anybody else get this? I feel like a horrible gardener because of it .I'll tell myself in the spring that I'll keep my tomatoes controlled and tied to the weave, and before I know it there going hog wild and covering everything . Anways, just curious if anyone else feels the same, I feel like the size of these plants are beautiful, yet very annoying to take care of at the same time!

I've several hobbies, gardening is just one of them.
I like to think I've a "low maintenance garden" but unless it's all concrete, there's no such thing.
I don't do annuals or hanging baskets, just a lot of azaleas, rhodos, roses, hebes and five wisterias. The latter are a pain as through the summer they need a lot of attention to keep them under control. I do resent the amount of time I have to spend at this time of the year just keeping on top of things as everything grows so fast.

I agree on keeping things low maintenance.
I put home made cages around the tomato plants, and with some mulch on top of the soil... I shouldn't be required to do anything except pick tomatoes.

If your tomatoes require more effort than that? Suggest re-examining your tomato growing plan.

I have a 4 seasons garden. This is the time of year to trim evergreen trees and hedges .
Keeping trees sailworthy for winter storms. Lots of weeds to control and many plants have out ranked their flower bed boundaries and a few tree suckers… Then there are the gophers, moles, voles, deer……to control….and pastures to mow the hay grass…
When the winter season comes is a welcome rest from the garden chores …

not ready for winter yet.

I live in a place where plants die easily. We are also in a terrible drought. I've had some costly mistakes this year, and some not so costly. I have to watch my plants constantly so I don't lose what I have. Plants that grow well just shrivel up and die where I live. I can see your issue. I used to live in a place where you just planted them, the rains came and you really could be "lazy" about it. Although I like being foot loose and fancy free, I also like the discipline necessary to keep a plant alive in an ultra hot, ultra arid place (Have you ever seen "The Martian"?).

I don't lack motivation as much as I lack good planning skills and time as the season wears on. I tend to overplant! I start everything from seed in March, and I always plant extra seeds just in case something happens, but it usually doesn't, so I wind up planting everything, really twice as much as I need. In addition, we run a home business and the Summer/Fall is our busy season. Sometimes there can be a stretch of days when I'm lucky if I can get everything watered, forget about other garden tasks.

Here are a few pics I took yesterday.

We picked about 1/3 of our onions and have them drying on the front porch. (Garlic in background just about ready to trim and clean.)



Detroit Red Beets



American Purple Top Turnips

Don't get me wrong I do take care of them, but not as much as id like to, or want to. I agree with stone, realistically the only thing i should need to do is pick the fruit. Which actually is the case with my tomatoes, the only thing they ask of me is a weekly calcium dose so they don't get blossom end rot, and I feel blessed for that. It's my cucurbits that kill me! Every year they get downey mildew on my cucumbers and I constantly have to treat my squash for vine borrowers. Then all my tomatoes get curly top, and my potatoes get mosiac!!! Most of these aren't even treatable. I live in the garden state, but man the diseases are no joke. I feel like its a main source of demotivation, especially with some of the plant virus's that can't be cured. Now I have to solarize again to get rid of the mosaic virus of the potato, I already did it last year as my cucumbers got mosaic aswell. Anybody have spotted lanterflys around them? I swear it's those little pests that are spreading these virus's around, ive never had so many issues like I have in two years!

Nate4Garden said:Anybody have spotted lanterflys around them? I swear it's those little pests that are spreading these virus's around, ive never had so many issues like I have in two years!

Last year we had a ton of spotted lantern flies. I was killing them right, left and center. I figured this year would be even worse, but so far, I have only seen 2 of them all season. I have no idea why the drastic decline.

The same with Japanese Beetles. Last year we had one of the worst years in recent memory. I only have seen 6 so far this year. Very strange.

@MoonShadows I love those pics of your veg. Wouldn't they be pretty in a book or as a poster?

Nothing will destroy a hobby faster then taking on too much. A joy quickly becomes a chore. That's just the way it is.

But I might have and idea for you. For next year cut at least 50% or your workload. If you have annuals, perennials and vegetables, cut back 100% of the annuals and half the veggies. Perennials don't really require that much work.
Keep the 50% of veggies that you think you can easily handle. Keep the favorites.

Take me, I grow Zinnias, Monardas, phlox, coneflowers, Liatris, Seamp Milkweed, Buddleias, Salvias and that's it. Most of that just requires minimal care. A little weeding and a little water and maybe some deadheading.
I have eliminated squash(borers), egg plant, rhubarb and peppers. I kept one container of a large fruit tomato, one of cherry tomato's and one of cucumbers.
Fortunately I am not bothered by too many insects but I am bothered by deer once in a while.
I have lots of squirrels and I was blessed with bunnies this year, rats!!!! But they really damage very little. 2 woodchuckers do require some effort on my part to protect what little I have.
And as you find yourself with perhaps more time and desire in the next few years, then add things back one at a time.

I suggest a big "cut back" in the beginning so that the time gained is huge. Otherwise if you leave too much to do, you really have not changed a whole lot for the better.

I think that's good advice, Big Bill. I know one thing I am eliminating next year is eggplant. Every year I start about 8 of them from seed, and every year I am disappointed no matter what I do.

It was the same for me for far too long.

I have turned my outdoor efforts to perennials and the pollinators they attract. I see more bees every season and that is rewarding! Butterflies too.
I do about half the work that I did 10, 20, 30 years ago. I am 73, I don't want to quit gardening completely but with perennials, they naturally cut my work load. It is nice to sit back and enjoy!!

I'm with Bill... I call it lazy gardening! I do have a lot of annuals, but in planters. I start some from seeds indoors, then spend a few days in spring potting up the planters, put in the drippers, fill the fertilizer tank and done. I don't get any annuals that require deadheading. And then a few days in late fall to take them down and store for the winter.

And the rest of the yard is perennials... hostas, daylilies, hydrangeas, coneflowers, bee balm, milkweed and salvias. I sprinkle Preen all around them during early spring, so there's just a handful of weeds to pull out here and there during the summer that might pop up. I do deadhead the bee balm and salvias hoping for a 2nd bloom, but I can put a bench out there and clip away and it's only once, not a constant job like it would be with annuals, so I don't mind doing that. Fertilize the hydrangeas once in spring. And they're also all perennials that can tolerate drought so I don't have to water any of it. The only things I clean up in fall are the tall flower stalks on hostas and daylilies that lay on the driveway and grass. The rest I leave through winter when a lot of it just decomposes so there's not much left to clean up in spring.

And that leaves the rest of spring, summer and fall that I can just sit out there and enjoy the flowers while reading and taking pics of hummingbirds and other visitors. It's as maintenance free as possible.

Well said Murky, well said!!!
I really do look forward to that second mug of coffee outside in the morning enjoying my garden, the little critters and the insects. I think in some places, that is exactly what's missing today. "Enjoying the fruits of ones labor"!!!

You do not want the labor to rob you of that joy!!!

First I eliminated growing vegetables. There are so many fresh fruit and vegetable markets close by that it was a no brainer for me. Besides it's just me I'd be growing for so I don't bother. As a rule-no hanging baskets or containers. Too much work. I have a pot of portulacas and a pot of small dahlias at the bottom of my porch steps. I can easily reach these with the hose. Most of the garden is on the other side of the driveway{which is kind of inconvenient} and most of what is planted are perennials. I usually buy a few annuals in the spring but not too many. None of the fussy ones like petunias that need constant deadheading. This year I got a gomphrena and honestly it hasn't given me any trouble and it loves my garden. No trimming or deadheading.Salvia, argeratum, impatients. Plant them and thats it. The rest of the perennials- a pain in the ass. No cone flowers-they don't do well for me. Hostas-I lost allot of my shade so their numbers are dwindling and the same with my ferns. It's the constant nit picking over the fussier perennials that I don't like. So next year the dahlias can go. The lilies can go-total disappointment with them. The cosmos-eh. The seeds I ordered did poorly. BUT the queen anne's lace. the Joe Pye Weed, swamp milk weed and rose campion were the stars of the garden. And the giant red agastache. Day lilies were fantastic..I'll take that little gomphrena next year too. and the rest can fend for themselves. Always keep it manageable and within hose reach.

And yes to living in the "garden state" the diseases and bugs are outrageous-just like our property taxes. Those spotted lantern flies-we had a cold wet spring so I'm guessing they hatched later than normal. What I've been seeing are the young one who haven't turned their colors yet. they're black with white polka dots all over them. Aggressive little buggers too.

it's mid july and we're all experiencing a dreadful heat wave. normally I stay out of the garden during july..just to some light maintenance and watering. for some reason this year it's been more active. took down the photinia hedge on friday afternoon-pre heat wave. they were big! I got a chain saw at the depot and house mate went to town. gone. then the clean up. bundling the branches and stuffing the small pieces in cans. the curb strip was piled from end to end. then more climbing supports for the morning glories. and you know there's always something else waiting to get done. I have 3 projects on hold waiting for the weather to break.

im still digging holes for overwintered dahlias that sprouted in march.

i forget how much maintenance the garden needs. and it's been 90+ and the oak seedlings sprouting everywhere are now noticeable, and the crab grass is taking off, and the goat weed and kudzu and wild grape, and the dogs tasting everything, especially the pricy things, then coming inside and puking it on the beige rug...where I don't find it for two days- because why do I need a formal dining room? or worse, when they puke my specialty coleus on the bed..

i don't think we get lazy, i think it just gets hot and complicated.

BullysMamma said: goat weed

This?

I planted it on purpose... host plant to the leaf wing butterfly!