I have to say mine is watering with my watering can. I love just wandering and the watering process just sucks the stress out. I also do it early in the morning, so its a way to prepare for a hectic day. You?

Planting new plants.

I'm not sure I have a favorite gardening task, but I know watering for sure wasn't it. I even installed a drip system to avoid the daily watering from the hose, and then added a fertilizer unit to avoid the weekly fertilizing from a watering can. The watering can part was the worst for me, but I'm sure it depends on how many plants you have to water.

I just want to get to the end result, when you can just sit back and watch everything grow and bring in the hummingbirds and take lots of photos. Does that count as a gardening task?

My favorite task (before any other tasks) is to walk the gardens with my dogs and take note of as many plants as I can. If something catches my eye, I stop and spend more time. The best part of gardening is to enjoy the garden. After my walk, required garden tasks seem more meaningful. Also, after my walk I sometime just call it a day:)

Pretty much same here. I don't mind planting new plants but don't really want to make all new big beds. Too much work and I prefer low maintenance gardening so I can watch the birds and butterflies.

Setting traps for the gophers and moles early in the spring season… I know it sounds strange ..but if you don't catch them early in the season you will have a 50 hole mini golf course in no time & mounds and mounds to level…… so it's easier by far to stop the invasion early before they spread thru out the garden and the pasture.
Beats sprained ankles , tripping hazards and loosing spendy plants. It's so gratifying to stop them in their tracks. A full time never ending job…

My favorite is starting plants from seed indoors, during the (seemingly unending) winter; such a leap of faith to take those tiny seeds and expect to get an actual plant...

And, oddly, I suppose - I also enjoy weeding the garden...

Weedwhacker said: My favorite is starting plants from seed indoors, during the (seemingly unending) winter; such a leap of faith to take those tiny seeds and expect to get an actual plant...

And, oddly, I suppose - I also enjoy weeding the garden...

Oh yes starting from seed is magical..

Planning, researching, shopping. Then laying out the beds, paths.
It doesn't always pan out but the planning is the fun (and easy) part.

I agree too. After a day at work, the best way to unwind is to walk and look at the garden. Sometimes I find a bench or seat and just savor the peace and quiet.

Thanks for the reminder, Kristi - planning is definitely way up on my favorites list too! I start planning next year's garden about the time I start planting for the current year . And then reading all the seed catalogs that come in the mail during the winter is pretty good too!

Mine is propagating and then finding a spot for the new plant. Not sure if this qualifies as a task since it's not a requirement of gardening.

Trimming sub-prime leaves is fun too. Maybe I should say that instead.

Shopping -- planning -- shopping -- changing plans -- watching garden, especially corn, grow after plants are large enough most critters can do no harm -- pulling corn cobs ,then pulling husks back for decoration -- making corn shocks -- digging potatoes with anticipation of ones so large one potato would fill a ten inch plate with shoe string french fries stacked three inches high -- ( I no longer make French Fries , I cannot taste them, but still grow them for old times sake and the same reason).

I actually do not really like roto-tilling but truly Like the look of a sold black garden that has been turned over, with the red, now heavily faded, one by eight boards that are used to separate corn rows and mark some rows in each block set on top of the black dirt.

I'm with Sandy and Bea - seed starting. The lure of seeing the little green shoots pop up is more than enough to make up for the tedium of planting them. As Bea said - magical. Entrancing. 🌱

Then like Frank I would put the "task" of touring the garden to enjoy the results as my actual top favorite activity. 🌻🌸🪻🌺🌼🌷🌾🍁🌿

Shopping, planning, dreaming 🤩 - the real task is to do less of those and more of physical tasks!

Pat

Planting through harvesting my garlic. This was my first year and it was so exciting!

JewelsL said: Planting through harvesting my garlic. This was my first year and it was so exciting!

Great harvest for a first year. You are hooked!

Potting. I'm often finding something to pot/repot for no great reason except- I like it. Maybe, when I focus on one plant I really see my results in a discrete way.

I like weeding, at times- clearing out waste and excess. Clean slate. Restoring order and health.

I like planting more than harvesting and using (veg garden). The planting is about dreams of bounty. The harvest and use is nice but it's about obligation.

Pruning/wiring bonsai trees.

I don't like all the laborious effort that goes with repotting 150-200 trees annually, but it's essential to their good health. I find pruning and wiring a wild looking mass of branches and foliage into something that manifests my vision for what the plant should look like in the future to be both extremely rewarding and relaxing. I get so engrossed in the pruning and wiring that it isn't unusual for my wife to come out and remind me it's almost 10PM and dark, and I haven't had dinner yet.
Al

Sounds weird, but I love weeding and the feeling of accomplishment when the landscape is neatly organized and clean when you're finished for the day. Spreading mulch is right up there too for me.
A great stress reducer, too!

Weeding was not the worst thing in the world before my back injury & hot flashes. Now I can only do it during winter and spring. I can deal with the resulting back pain but not when added to uncontrollable sweating while being bitten by mosquitoes. Add all that together & suddenly the weeds aren't so ugly. I'm trying to out-weed the weeds with some very seedy, tall, thick plants like 4'o'clocks & this lovely plant:


Even if it's not more aggressive than my ugly weeds, it's taller and hides the other stuff.

I used to love repotting but the novelty has dulled by now.

Weeding! Lots sooo much better afterwards.