You're not a wierdo. I went out so many times today to see what's going on. In the morning I went out to survey and make sure the new plants that I put in yesterday were okay. The poor babies needed water. Once again i went out to harvest my snap peas, then I went back out to look at what's eating my brussels and came back to post some photos. Then I went back out to spread some more straw. Then I went back out to spot water the newbies again. At Happy Hour we both went out to see the new "zucchini" err whatever it is, and again at 6:30 we both went to cut our lettuce for dinner. We tinker all day long...we discussed our plan for tomorrow (spray sevin) in our garden and discussed our responsibility in the garden...cuz everything is really starting up now. I noticed an ugly bug on my potatoes in the meantime. It looked like a bird terd setting on the leaf, but upon further staring it moved, then it flew away. Something else to research.......

You're not wierd, you have a hobby and that's what makes life worthwhile. Share your hobby with everyone...

LOL! I'm just like you. I'm outside in the garden as much as possible.

I'm not sure what the neighbors think of me. We don't have any neighbors who live next door (we're out in the country on a tiny little road), but the garden is visible from the road, so my neighbors must see me as they drive by. Today, for instance, I was out in my garden with a butterfly net stalking a Squash Vine Borer. The neighbors must think I'm nuts. But I got the SVB! Caught it and crushed it!!

If you're weird then call me weird too. I love my garden so much and it is still such a baby. I am outside at least 6-8 times a day and it is killing me because it is 110* all day long. It has become such an obsession-seeing things grow-that I've started flowers in my front yard and soon, will have loads of sunflowers in the back yard. I just cannot stop! Hurry, someone call A&E, I need and intervention! JK

i am out in the garden at least 10 times a day... looking for new growth, pests, and whatever other "excuse" i can come up with, my husband thinks im nuts too,and i can only imagine what the neighbors must think.... but i love it!!!

It depends...on workdays, I'm out 4 or 5 times. I even find myself watering and weeding at lunchtime!

On weekends, only 2 or 3 but those times are for a lot longer.

Yeah, I worry and fuss over mine too. Especially because this is my first one and it's so hard to know what's "normal" and what's not. I generally try to keep a calm approach but I admit that if something happens to my big pumpkin plant I am going to be crushed. I think I've taken more pictures of it this year than my own children.

See?

{{gwi:76238}}

Hey I have been gardening my whole life...I'm an old lady and I still go out every morning to check my babies....This morning I noticed right away...My first tomato is ripening...It is maybe 4 days away from being ripe...probably 3 and I will be out of town on vacation...boo hoo...but the guy who is taking care of my garden will have a juicy morsel..the first of the season...

I am out in the garden mutilple times a day also. Just about everytime I let the dogs out I go out and weed a bit and make a decision to pick something. I make phone calls out in the garden. I am also a "six pack gardener" and go out in the evening. I ussually catch my neighbor outside and give him a cucumber or whatever I have ripe. I was giving away cucumbers and cabbage to the nieghbors last night. When I first saw this thread I thought it was going to be about pratical jokes on gardeners. Which made me remember the year I threw a handful of rye seeds over in the neighbors yard one spring and all year long he had rye that was about three foot tall before the grass was ready to cut.

I go out just to feed my soul or take a mental health break or when I need a reminder that all is good in the world. I will just look my garden, watch all the wonderful things happening there.

Of course, at tend it as I have all morning--in this heat and when things start getting a bit ragged, it starts to feel a bit more like work. That's ok. :)

As I've told my wife many a time (when she comes upon me in an apparent coma while staring at a plant), inspecting is a very important gardening function, even if it doesn't look like I'm doing anything.

I once lived in an apartment in Boulder with a balcony. The neighbors below had a yard and a garden. But they made my life miserable! Loud noise all the time. Cigarette smoke drifting into my apartment. Harassment. Stupid complaints. (They once complained to the landlady that I was trying to burn the city down because I was using Glade air freshener, and that stuff is flammable. Oh, and cigarettes aren't?)

They got me kicked out, and when I took my bird feeder off my balcony, I threw the remaining bird seed into their yard. I hope they were picking weeds for years.

The neighbors who live next door to me now take away some of the joy of gardening. Every time I'm out there, they come out and watch every move I make. It's creepy. Before they moved in, I was out a dozen times a day, watering, weeding, planting, or just checking the plants. (Like they're going to grow much between 11:30 and 3:00.) :-)

I may just be fooling myself, but I believe that if I spray Ortho bug spray on my black eyed susan buds, the deer don't eat them because it tastes nasty. Anyway, I didn't spray them last night because it was going to rain. I woke up at 2am, realized it had cleared up without raining, and bolted out to spray the susans just in case the deer came by for an early morning snack. My husband thought I was INSANE, but they're right along the driveway and I don't want them munched off!!!!!!!!!!!!!

OK, I have gone over the edge. My husband pulled in the driveway yesterday and found me sitting on the straw mulch in between my rows of butternut squash plants.

I am sorry, but they are my most absolute favorite veggie to grow and they are getting so big and look so nice with all the straw mulch around them. I just sat down, and talked to the plants. Before long my dog Teddy joined me and there we were sitting in the garden.

Poor hubby thought I had totally lost it. LOLOLOL

Susan in NC

Susan in NC, I talk to my plants all the time. I also talk to the toads and the beneficial insects that are around the garden. I have a couple robber flies that spend a lot of time around my squash and pole beans. They like sitting on the poles watching for prey.

I'm growing butternuts for the first time this year. I've grown kabochas ("Sunshine" from Johnny's Seeds) and Delicata squash before, but never butternuts for some reason, even though they're one of my favorite squashes. My butternuts (and my kabochas) this year are just lovely. Huge vines going everywhere. I love how they just take over everything.

So you talk to you veggies, as long as they don't answer back your still sane right? Much rather listen to you talk to your toads and birds then listen to my nieghbours scraming kids. As for me I can be found outside during thunder storms, scooping rain out of the rainbarrels. I have two barrels set at the house connected to each other and one and a half at the shed, not connected. Well when we get rain I don't want to let any of that good water spill over so out I go with every bucket I can get my hands on. It brings out my inner todler playing in the rain. I know my dog thinks Im nuts, he wouldn't go out in the rain for anything. The neighbours think Im wierd anyway so who cares what they think of my rainy day activities.

It's really wonderful to hear from all of you dedicated gardeners. Heartwarming is the word that comes to mind. Keep up the good work and best of luck to one and all. Gotta go now, garden's waiting.

It's really wonderful to hear from all of you dedicated gardeners. Heartwarming is the word that comes to mind. Keep up the good work and best of luck to one and all. Gotta go now, garden's waiting.

*Groan* I'm at work and it's killing me... I want to be playing in the garden. As soon as I get home that's the first thing I do is head out to the garden. (correction: third. 1- kiss DH, 2- toss a treat to the Equines) and I don't come in until I absolutely have to. I just love this time of year when everything is growing and starting to produce. This weekend will be our first pickings of SugarSnap Peas, green beans and Swiss Chard and it looks like one of my Early Girls will be ripe enough to cut by Sunday. Talk about a reward for all the labor!

And I'm so glad to know I'm not the only one who talks to their plants!! ;-)

I talk to ladybugs. I'm sure my creepy neighbors got a kick out of that.

"No, don't crawl up my sleeves. Go on the cherry tree. There's a leaf. Get on it. See, tons of aphids. Munch, munch. No, there are no aphids up my sleeve, and get out of my hair. No, don't fly away! I set up a smorgasbord for you."

And I quietly urge my lilacs, "grow, grow!" They're my privacy screen, but they're only about 18 inches high, so it's kind of like envisioning your toddler playing for the Broncos.

I'm at work, too. My boss took the afternoon off. I'm actually caught up with my work, and I don't have anything to do except think about playing in my garden. But I have five days off to get stuff done. Can't leave early because my boss's boss is still on IM, and if I go off IM he'll see it.

I have more gardening equipment arriving today or tomorrow. Fun! Other women get off on jewelry and shoes. For me it's pitchforks and seed packets.