[iwantanallotment]

Just newbie observations, must be old hat to most.
But 'downs' have been :
1.The aches and blisters....all due to being over eager and impatient, doing too much at once, I reckon. But still hurts.
2.Finding slugs curled up cosy among your carrots  :evil: They left far quicker than they arrived, I'm sure...Freddie Trueman would've been proud.
3.The spawning ability of weeds. Patch clear one day, nasties destroyed...but back again in force the next  :evil: I'd never heard of "Sticky Willie" until I took up gardening. Not pertaining to a weed, anyway. Dunno what he is, but he gets about. And sticks to everything.
4.Soil streaks on sweaty neck, soil in pants, soil down bra, black fingernails, soil in hair, black feet (I do it barefoot)
5.Creatures...like the 'orrible lime green little spider who jumps from nowhere down your top. He exited Trueman style, too. Least I hope he did, or he's off to bed with me.
5.Watering with crappy hose, choice of two...one with holes chewed by dogs, the other (a dog-proof coil type) tangled in washing line & prop gotta be eased out from the gooseberry, where it's planted itself.
The ups :
1.Seeing that little green shoot & nurturing it on.
2.Harvesting the little green shoot.
3.Eating the harvest.
Makes up for everything  
Oh, forgot to mention scanning every leaf for butterfly visits and bean tips for blackfly!
Sounds depressing maybe, but hope not cos I love every second  
Are other newbies' findings the same?

[dugless]

Nicely put, welcome hope to hear more. I am up  Early! Late! because
my house alarm keeps going off on tamper :x  :x

[gobs]

'(I do it barefoot) '

I hope yours is not full of glass, like a lot of lotties.

[compostqueen]

I thought that     Or hawthorn twigs. Argghhhhhhh, through yer boots them *.   I daren't kneel down on my plot for fear of puncturing me knee caps     Spent an age clearing glass from my plot but keep finding more shards when I least expect it  :roll:

Newbie on our site was carrying glass in a strong bag to his car to take to the skip and as he walked the bag bumped his leg and severed a vein or something nasty and he ended up in hospital.   Ruddy glass!  I only have pieces of toughened glass or plastic on mine

[iwantanallotment]

Yes, it's not clever doing it barefoot, but only on my familiar little patch. Wouldn't dare do it on an allotment where there could be anything.
You're right CQ, the damage glass can do is horrendous, even in seemingly harmless, safe situations. I know someone who lost a finger just from a shard of glass that flew up from a dropped trifle dish. Nasty stuff!