What's your biggest frustration related to vegetable gardening?

[BreeGardens]

Hi All - I'm looking to start a garden blog and would like to help new gardeners be the best they can be! That said, what is your biggest frustration in vegetable gardening? Where do you go online right now to learn about vegetable gardening? What went wrong last year that you would like to be more successful with this year? Thanks so much for all your help!

 

[zigs]

We go online here

Blight is my biggest, just looking forward to a good crop of tomatoes and it wipes the lot out in a few days

 

[Dawn]

Space...And neighbors tree's.

 

[marlingardener]

Peas! I try to grow peas each spring, and sometimes I'm successful, but most times not. Our weather is just too undependable.
Where do I go online to learn about vegetable gardening? Here, of course. I don't trust the sites that pay people to post about gardening techniques, vegetable varieties, etc. I prefer a site with real gardeners with dirt under their fingernails!
What went wrong last year? Early and constant rain, so I couldn't get into the gardens to weed and the grass took over. Mulch can do just so much before it gives up.

 

[alp]

When your salad leaves were ready to eat, but the fox left a calling card next to it!

 

[headfullofbees]

CATS! YUK!
Not that I blame the animals themselves; one shelters in my poly-tunnel when he's turfed out on cold and rainy days, and I don't mind.
The fault lies with irresponsible, selfish owners.

Zigs: I'd have thought yours was white rot.

 

[Beth_B]

Echoing above... blight, and many large trees that limit the available sunlight for the vegetable garden.

 

[MaryMary]

My biggest frustration with vegetable gardening is too much rain. No, wait, not enough rain. No, no, it has to be too much rain. Rain.

And mosquitoes biting me every time I'm trying to plant or weed.

And bell peppers. I try every year, but I wind up with one pepper per plant. Sometimes, I don't even get that pepper, because they come on so late.

 

[marlingardener]

MaryMary, when we lived in zone 6, upstate NY, we gave up on growing the big blocky bell peppers. We switched to a pepper called "Gypsy" which is pointed at the end and not as large as the CalWonder and its ilk, but has great flavor and pumps out peppers!
I had to start our own because Gypsy wasn't available commercially at that time. Here's a link that describes it well:
http://homeguides.sfgate.com/gypsy-pepper-plants-24329.html

 

[Beth_B]

I may look for an alternate pepper. I've had no luck at all. The bell peppers don't ripen enough to get meaty, and hot peppers produce well but don't really get hot. I'm thinking my climate just doesn't get enough sunny days for most peppers.

 

[Rajesh Sethi]

Ants carrying away all my veg seeds, mostly amaranth seeds.

I sow enough so, they leave some to germinate.

 

[Tmheldt78]

Ants carrying away all my veg seeds, mostly amaranth seeds.

I sow enough so, they leave some to germinate.

This. I just sat there in disbelief the first time I saw that happen.

Slugs and squash bugs were my mortal enemy last year. I'm completely armed and ready for them this year, so I'm sure something else will attack instead

 

[Tmheldt78]

My biggest frustration with vegetable gardening is too much rain. No, wait, not enough rain. No, no, it has to be too much rain. Rain.

And mosquitoes biting me every time I'm trying to plant or weed.

And bell peppers. I try every year, but I wind up with one pepper per plant. Sometimes, I don't even get that pepper, because they come on so late.

I love this forum for this... I'm so relieved to see that I'm not the only one that has trouble with bell peppers. I planted three different types last year, and got one pepper per plant.
I'm trying a smaller snacking size sweet pepper this year to see if I have better luck with something producing smaller fruit.

 

[headfullofbees]

MaryMary, when we lived in zone 6, upstate NY, we gave up on growing the big blocky bell peppers. We switched to a pepper called "Gypsy" which is pointed at the end and not as large as the CalWonder and its ilk, but has great flavor and pumps out peppers!
I had to start our own because Gypsy wasn't available commercially at that time. Here's a link that describes it well:
http://homeguides.sfgate.com/gypsy-pepper-plants-24329.html

These type peppers are called "ox-horn".
There are quite a few varieties, even black ones.

 

[Tech]

Deer, solved deer and get bears, solved bears and get ground hogs, solved ground hogs and got root maggots and now have voles as well which are yet to be solved and deer still get to certain things..