Gardening Dangers
By NailTech
@NailTech (6874)
United States
May 7, 2012 12:49pm CST
Well, today I did alot of gardening stuff after some shopping in the morning. I tried to convince dad of thinning out more of his bulbs as most of them do not flower and they are just all mixed in with the other plants too much and it makes everything looks so sloppy. I got most of them out of the one side of the house but the other side still has lots. He has had them all there for 40 years so I'm trying to get him to update which is hard, he just can't part with those Iris bulbs. Most of them are so tall, they flop over and they need staking, which I got him to stop using pieces of white rags to tie them up with now thankfully (also looked ugly). I want to leave the Irises in that are grouped together nicely, they don't pose a problem with the garden being unsightly. But after those bloom I have to still cut the leaves down too and I'm just not interested in doing that much gardening anymore. I was weeding today and stuff after I went out shopping, when I went out and pulled some really tall weeds, the dried up longish stem from something else nearby them scratched my arm a huge 3 1/4" scratch on it and it hurts like heck. Stings actually. Do you ever hurt yourself while doing gardening stuff? This is why I'm not very interested in gardening as much as I used to. Too much work, etc.
2 people like this
6 responses
@writersedge (22563)
• United States
8 May 12
Heavy workgloves help.
I like food gardening. I figure floweres can take care of themselves and if they can't, why do I have them?
A little scratch and you're ready to throw in the towel. Try raspberry bushes, blackberry bushes and my Mom's rose bushes (not sure why people plant those miserable thorny things). Life, in general, is full of thorns. But sometimes you have to go through the thorns to get the berries.
@writersedge (22563)
• United States
8 May 12
Learn which weeds are edible. Many are and some taste and are more nutritious than the tame stuff you pay money for seeds or plants for.
@NailTech (6874)
• United States
8 May 12
Normally I do use gloves, but this time they were no where to be found unless I went back on the porch again with my cat on it and trying to not let her out again, it can be a big pain to deter her away from the door when I go in and out so much. I should leave a pair of gloves both in and out of the house somewhere. Nah, I'm not ready to throw in the towel altogether, but it was discouraging for awhile. I just have a few health woes now and not so sure I could keep up. The scratch wasn't little either, I had to put some gauze wrap on it with some tape as I didn't have any band aides that big. I didn't want anything to get in the scratch as it was bleeding too abit. I don't know if I would eat all these weeds or have time to find which are edible, but I know dandelions are and they are even great for some health woes too. I still might not try them though.
@marguicha (224032)
• Chile
7 May 12
I use gloves to do some of the gardening. I love to garden nd I have a cacti collection. They are lovely, but they like to defend themselves
. So I do the same. I know which plants have edges like knive and which scratch. I have a lovely bush that I have to keep under control. When I prune it, I wear an old long sleeved shirt I use to dye my hair. But I cannot imagine myself getting into such work if I did not like it.
. So I do the same. I know which plants have edges like knive and which scratch. I have a lovely bush that I have to keep under control. When I prune it, I wear an old long sleeved shirt I use to dye my hair. But I cannot imagine myself getting into such work if I did not like it.@NailTech (6874)
• United States
7 May 12
I used to like gardening much more, it's not the dangers that really deter me from doing it as much now. It's more like the work of trimming, pulling weeds and some other things. But I can't give it all up for good, I like being outdoors and this helps keep me off the computer sometimes, if I spend to much time on here. I use gloves, sometimes, but mostly I forgot to put them on. I have a great pair of gloves I got for free that I use to pull weeds if I was already planning to pull them, these weeds today I didn't plan on, but saw them and wondered why I was keeping them, they were so tall and not a flower like I thought at first. Oh cacti is very dangerous to have, I have had my share of those painful splinters before when we had it. I threw all of it away as I got tired of the splinters. My hen and chicks are the closest that come to cactis and without the needles. 
I have wanted to do all of this weeding, etc. as much as I can before the surgery I'm supposed to be having.
I have wanted to do all of this weeding, etc. as much as I can before the surgery I'm supposed to be having.@marguicha (224032)
• Chile
7 May 12
Some cacti have needles that hurt a lot if you are not careful. But I have grown used to take care of my scratching friend plants
@NailTech (6874)
• United States
8 May 12
Those are so pretty. I miss having cactus in the house, the cat would probably be stuck with the needles too. I like the flowers some of them have but I'd probably need a greenhouse for them to all bloom. Do yours ever get to blooming with some flowers?
@babystar1 (4233)
• United States
9 May 12
I had a small garden for years I did not have a lot of room so all I could plant was 3 tomato plants and 3 green pepper plants. the last couple of years my plants did not do good, So this year i did not do the garden.
I do have a flower garden and roses.When it starts to get really hot out I will have to water more often. I sure do like flowers in the summer time. But like you said it takes work to keep the weeds out and keeping it nice. The only time i hurt myself is when i was trimming the roses and i stuck my finger many times on the thorns.
@celticeagle (168852)
• Boise, Idaho
8 May 12
Gardening is alot of work. That is why it is a very good idea to have an idea of what you are going to do in any given area before you start. And growing things close together can start slugs and they are awful and not fun to get rid of. I would draw out a plan and stick to it. Not too much, talls in back and then shorter, etc. So it all looks uniform and nice. It is all in the planning.
@celticeagle (168852)
• Boise, Idaho
12 May 12
Yes, indeed. Atleast they get to celebrate before they leave.
@NailTech (6874)
• United States
8 May 12
I had found some slugs yesterday or the day before and put them at the bird's feeder on the ground in case any of them wanted a snack of a different kind. I know blue jays love slugs, but they are rare at times here. I'm not good with the planning, that is one area where I had the good sense to know how tall the plants all are and then go from there but am getting better at it now.
1 person likes this
@rewardsinlife (1132)
• United States
7 May 12
Stinging Nettles are not fun to get into, I did that once. Unfortunately, gardening usually has its bumps, brusies, and scrapes to come along with it since most plants have 'defenses' against the elements to help them grow. Wash your scratch with warm water and soap and put some neosporin on it to prevent infection. Hopefully it will get better soon!
@sheilanewton (58)
•
8 May 12
I've got to admit that I don't thin out bulbs as much as I should. Ah...but this year, I DID! I had a really good thinning out and chucking out. Maybe next year, I'll get bloomes instead of a whole pile of daffodil leaves - and no daffs!!
@NailTech (6874)
• United States
8 May 12
Yea, there is a way to have them bloom more, maybe some food for them but I don't know of any kind of organic kinds of stuff to use for them. I do think the garden looks better now with not so many of them seen. I'm glad I got to taking some out and then trimming some down more.
