DH works in a garden dept. but doesn't know all that much practical about flowers and plants once they're planted... so the flowerbeds are my domain. Sometimes he comes up with landscaping ideas that don't really work with my plans of where I want to plant things - sigh - I try to be nice but I have asked him more than once to please just let me do my gardens, it's my thing. He always thinks a raised bed would look nice in the darkest most forsaken corner where goutweed struggles and fails.

When we did have a vegetable garden he would sometimes help weed it, it was easier to tell the weeds apart because the veggies grew in rows and all looked the same. ;0)

Anyway, lucky you to have the annoying part of the veg garden looked after, you just have the fun of harvesting it!

My DH grew up on the farm where his dad had all the rows in the field perfectly straight and all the tools in the shed in their perfect spots. He has taken that with him. So, his rows in this year's garden are perfectly straight. He did ask about how to plant some of the seeds but otherwise everything went in following the directions on the packages.

But yes, the annoying part...weeding...is all looked after.

Brenda

My DH in the garden. As if.
I have 2 veggie garden spots. One of them didn't get planted this year. I need to have the fresh stuff though so I planted a little of everything in it.

My DH does the roto-tilling of the veggie garden, and helps with the fall clean up after frost. The planting, hilling, watering, harvesting is up to me. Although, he does set up the water system, so that's great. To copy Pudge's term of OCD lawn boy, well, that's pretty much my DH too! He also cleans out the filter in the pond weekly. He is getting interested in the plant material, and does occasionally ask what a certain plant is when it's in bloom, but really doesn't know much about plants. But all in all, he's really handy to have around.....so I think I'll keep him.;^)

He mows the lawn with the lawn tractor (has a built in beer holder) but thats about it. No I can't say that, he will help me with the heavy tasks, like the time he help me move tons and tons of rocks for the rock garden, he also built me a greenhouse which I'm forever grateful.

I'm kind of glad he doesn't like gardening, I like my hobby to myself, I can't imagine him picking out a rose and planting it. ;)

Sharon

My DH and have never agreed on what to do in the garden, so I don't always appreciate his help. He has age-old traditional farming/gardening methods stuck in his head, and I am into unconventional new ideas. I like to try raised beds, square foot gardening, intensive and companion planting, winter sowing, organic pest control and fertilizing, you get the picture.

I have to admit, he is coming around this year and has prepared my garden area for me. I'd rather he not drive the Bobcat over my space to clear out the weeds, but he helped me spread organic material and tilled it in for me. I don't know how he'll respond to black plastic mulch and clover as a living mulch, but if he doesn't like it, he'll just step away.

I think the heavy labor really scares my DH off! He likes to feel important and drive the tractor when I need big areas turned or a bucket of dirt, oh and he helped pound the posts for the fence (YAY! That was a big thing to get done.) But plant a flower or hill a potatoe...HA! I tried once to get him to help hill potatoes, since he likes them so much. It was rather painful to watch, so I let him off the hook.
He likes to show off how strong he is though(how ironic is that?), so I get him to bring me nice big rocks from the river now and again.
He's been a real sport and rather encouraging about having the garden though and all the time I spend in it...and money I seem to spend on it :^( SO I really can't complain if his thumbs aren't overly green!

My DH will help with the biggest jobs so long as I ask for the help, for the rest he leaves it up to me. He did good with buying me a rose bush for Mothers Day and today he dug the hole for me --- oh yeah and got the bags of peat moss and top soil from the garden center. He mostly looks after the lawn (LOL I have my own built in OCD Lawn Boy -- well getting more OCD about the lawn this year! LOL)

I prefer to be in control of the flowerbeds so I am not complaining at all!

Ang

When I started gardening 15 years ago, Eric left it up to me to do it. He has his own interests, solar and electric cars. I didn't mind until we bought our farm and I decided to go bigger. That was when he told me he would help with the vegie garden but leave the flowers to me. Truth is he still doesn't know a flower from a weed. He does the rototilling, digging holes, hauling manure and straw from the neighbours farm, so I guess I'm pretty lucky. Marg

My better half is like many mentioned above - helping with some things requiring manual labor and such but leaves the buying and planting to me. After 32 years in the army, he can dig an awesome hole in no time flat. He does most of the tilling, hedge trimming, hauling wheelbarrows full of whatever, building whatever my brain comes up with, and things like deck staining. I can't do the chipping/shredding without him (that machine terrifies me). He did plant for me one time - me in pain and going in for surgery and plants that really needed to get in the ground. I stood by, told him how and what goes where and he did an excellent job (to be honest, he looked a little afraid).

And yes, he is the OCD lawn boy, and does a darn fine job.

Best of all, he is the chief of laundry (we bought a new washer/dryer last year and I still haven't used it), vacuuming, and dishes, as well as all household maintenance stuff. He doesn't cook, but never complains when I'm too busy and supper turns out to be a sandwich. On those really busy days he makes sure the coffee is on, and will usually brings it out to me. All in all he's very encouraging and supportive of my gardening and crafting efforts.

My dh does the rototilling and will also till between the rows during the summer. He plants and takes care of the potatoes, and he mows the septic field with the riding mower. But most of the other chores are left to me unless i ask for help with something. His idea of landscaping would be cement all over! Oh - he did help plant my new crabapple tree yesterday! :)

Pudge, I want a DH that does dishes and laundry!

I just had a brain wave...if the beer holder on the lawn tractor keeps Sharron's DH mowing, maybe I could stash beer at the end of the potatoe rows to motivate my DH!

Pudge don't look now but I just kidnapped your DH. LOL ;0) Don't worry, I sent Raoul from the bubble to take his place.

I find it interesting that nobody here has a significant other who is really involved in the flowers. I sometimes read in gardening mags about a couple who have devoted their lives together to working on their perfect garden and blah blah blah... I couldn't stand that. I would kill him for fertilizer. (J/K)

Gillian, I've read too that couples argue what to plant. No worries about that here.
But he does mow the grass. That is his domain. Like Sharons hubby, he has a beer holder on his mower. Sometimes he mows more than grass. Need I say that I get a little irate when this happens.

My 6 yr old wants a flower garden of her own this year. At first I thought she meant some pots. But it was a "garden" she wanted. She had a spot all picked out where I should dig out some grass. But I explained that I just wasn't up to doing that this year, so she settled for part of my veggie garden. She planted some old seed into this spot. I'm sure it won't grow, so some of my wintersowing will be put into her bed-(While she is at school of course) cosmos,flax and lavetera. We also went to the greenhouse and she picked out some snapdragons, petunias and pansies.
Maybe one of my girls will be a gardener yet.

Shelley

With my yard having so many perennials and my house with plants at almost every window I wasn't sure whether any of our kids would want to see another plant. But...each of them within a few months of moving out, have, on their own, bought a plant(s) for their apartment and now, take cut flowers back with them to their place each time they come out to visit. Comments are that when they get their own home they will just pick and choose from my yard their most favorite perennials and take those home with them for their yards. Each of them were in Junior Gardeners club when they were younger and had their own garden spot in my garden, so each of them do have a little knowledge of plants already. It is a really good feeling to know that they are not afraid of trying to grow their own plants. And each have already said, "mom, what do I do with....". And that gives me a good feeling.

Brenda

Still working on my DH. (DH-that is new to me, but makes perfect sense:)) He works a zillion hours in the summer, but when we bought our 1st house a month ago, my mother gave me her old riding lawnmower. So I think beer-swilling OCD-lawn boy is in his future. And yes, he does proably 75% of the household chores. I love the new male archetype. Except he keeps "reorganizing" my kitchen.

My husband grew up on a farm. The vegetable garden has always been his domain and the flower beds mine. This is not to say we don't help each other occasionally.

My husband not only plants and tends the garden but he also picks the veggies and blanches and freezes the ones that go in the freezer.

By the way we have very few weeds in our garden. My husband has the tiller width marked on the hoe and that's how far he puts the rows apart. He will till between the rows a few times and when the plants get bigger, he takes the outside tines off the tiller and till a couple of more times. Then he pulls the occasional one that comes up. If you don't let them go to seed you don't have many weeds

Ok Ok I'm trying to read the posts but golly I'm just not with the program. Could someone please explain the lingo

LOL
ROTFL
DH

There are several other acronyms or computer talk that I am not familiar with so if any others come to mind please enlighten me. Thanks Rita

Rita - Can't think of any others off hand. LOL is "Laugh out loud", DH is "Dear husband", and ROTFL is "Rolling on the floor laughing". If this helps.

As for DH in the garden, I am glad mine would rather just build things, move heavy stuff, rake leaves, and dig my holes. I agree with Sharon in that I like my garden to myself and dogs, husbands and other pets should just leave well enough alone. HeHeHe

Ginny

I hear you Ginny, my garden is my sanity. My hubby has very little to do with it except eat. He does not mow (hence part of the reason I keep getting rid of more grass every year) does not till, but he will help me build almost anything (greenhouse included) or move stuff with the tractor, cause he sold my bobcat. (Ha ha, he did realize he was creating more work for himself, if he only knew the plans I have for this summer) Cheryl

My wife helping me outside! LOL LOL LOL and ROTFL. My wife is not a "dirt" person but when she does come out on the rare occassion to give me a hand I call her "THE SURGEON" because she puts on RUBBER gloves and also a mask because of all the YUCKY DUST!
I will admit that from time to time, she does come up with some good ideas especially when it comes to landscaping because she doesn't complicate things like I do with 150 options. Stan

I'm by myself so it all depends which half wins out. Quite often the work half wins but at times 'my better half " says stop and have a beer and watch Corrie street. So I do.

My DH is trying very hard to take an interest in the garden he started his own flower bed last year. He cut the outline in the sod then had to go play on the computer. I got it ready for planting. He picked the plants, I paid , he put in about 1/4 -computer again. It turned out pretty nice now he wants to shift some stuff around to make it more attractive, I'll get to it when it gets warmer. I think I would be better off if he wasn't interested. NO that is a lie at least he is company when the dogs are off chasing the squirrels.LOL

My DH has always willingly done the "heavy stuff". When we lived in the city he'd turn the garden by hand (no tiller then) and look after the lawn. Built stuff like decks and wooden furniture, too. I did all the rest of the gardening.

Now we live on a large acreage and he's pounded posts, hauled large rocks in the tractor bucket, rototilled, done concrete and rock work, and mows the lawn. He has different ideas than I do, was reluctant to give up roundup and weed-n-feed when I went organic but has complied - says he's using round-up this year on our long weedy driveway again tho. :-( Not complaining, I don't know of an alternative.

Years ago when I had a business and didn't have much time for the garden he started weeding - that was the year I wondered where a lot of my perennials went! LOL He's learned since to not weed too early and recognizes more of the plants.

I have given up growing most veggies as it's easier to buy them in bulk at the farmers' market. We're both retired now and do the gardening together, he weeds and mows, and I plan and plant. This year the garden area is being enlarged so he'll be rototilling, building a garden house, and lifting/moving rocks and anything heavy.

Oh, he also now does a lot of the cooking and the heavy cleaning. I won't let him near the laundry tho as he's never learned to sort!

OCD lawn boy?? beer holder on the mower?? and I thought only Marcia had met my DH!! But you all seem to know him well. He grew up farming so when I wanted to plant something, he always had a better idea. It turned into work. So after about 10 years of marriage, I started the system of just planting and then showing it to him. Now after more than 25 years, I plant, place a big rock by it and say nothing. You know the big rock is for the lawn mower, right. He will still accidently get too close to some of my flowers with the mower. Last year he even showed me where those darn rabbits had been eating one side of a new perennial. This, right after he got off the mower. Ya gotta laugh sometimes. but anytime I ask for help I do get it.

I love that there is such a great sense of humour flowing through this thread as with many others. I can relate to so many!

As some of you know now, my husband and I have been back here in Edmonton taking care of my aging father for the last 5 years. My dream garden is sslloowwllyy coming along. I try my best to keep the critters out; like dogs, squirrels, magpies, bugs, husbands and fathers. Not always successful. In fact, the dogs are the easiest to manage and they can't read signs or lips!

Last year I had many varieties of ornamental grasses and grains growing in one corner of the garden for the wildlife. Dad, feeling rather useless in his old age, decided that the yard was untidy and teamed up with his partner Mr. Whippersnipper. That was the end of my grass and I hid Mr. Whippersnipper! So far this spring he has only asked me about six times who borrowed the whipper snipper. I told him it was stolen! Six times! And now.....my husband can't blame Dad for the chewed up flowers and such on the OTHER side of the fence, you know, the side where the dogs are not!

Keep laughing, it's good for the soul!

Ginny

My DW and I have a somewhat reversed relationship from the 'norm'. She is better at the heavy stuff, machinery, repairs and things like that. I focus on vegetables, she does the flowers. I think we both like gardening equally.

What I enjoy is a challenge - season extension and attempting to grow crops outside before May and after September is what makes me tick. With the aid of passive greenhouses, and good plant selection, it is possible to get three crops even in our northern climates. I used to be part of a community garden where it frustrated me to no end that people thought it was impossible to plant before Victoria Day! They only got one crop a year.

Don't you all know you are the better half!!LOL

Thus the ditto marks around the words 'better half' in the subject line. :)