Gardeners on Wheels
I've been giving a lot of thought lately to vehicles, and what they say about you. This came to mind because I'm car shopping and the cars I've been looking at include the Subaru Forester, the Toyota RAV4 and the Honda CRV. All with lots of room for plants of course. Also, I just spent all evening cleaning up my Honda Accord so it looks good for the trade-in evaluation. I had the usual dirt on the floor and scratches on some of the vinyl parts from hauling plants around. Also, there were bits of hay all over the fabric in the trunk from the time I stopped on the highway to pick up a bale of hay someone lost off their wagon. There were several large pieces of plastic in the trunk for wrapping plants, a bottle opener (just in case a garden tour turns into a party), and rope and orange tape in case I have to tie the trunk shut on something large.
How about you? Do your wheels tell the world you're a gardener?
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(post #11529, reply #1 of 16)
I have a pick-up truck and a 5X9 utility trailer. The amount of money I can spend filling them with plants is frightening.
Marty
"The plants have been good to us." Lester Hawkins
Marty
"The plants have been good to us." Lester Hawkins
(post #11529, reply #2 of 16)
I always have to laugh when someone asks if I need something to put down in the back of the van when I am going to load plants. Whoever heard of a gardener who does not have a rug or old blanket or sheet of plastic in the back to put plants down on? My van has moved trees, shrubs, bales of straw, bags of leaves, garden tools, and more plants than I probably want to count. But I do shake out the blanket every now and again, and try to keep the leaf drop swept out.
(post #11529, reply #3 of 16)
We mostly drive a Civic, which always has dirt and leaves in the trunk and interior. We have a minivan that we use mostly for hauling gardening stuff from the hardware store. When we were having visitors and needed to drive the van to hold more people we found two bags of compost that never got unloaded. Better than change in the sofa.
(post #11529, reply #4 of 16)
I have a nice little 1996 Ford Ranger pick-up truck which will hold almost anything- horse manure a couple of days ago, a dead cactus plant, gravel, furniture, lawn mower, and other adventures. I keep the cab interior clean as a whistle, to keep me going too.
New Mexico home organic gardener
Adopt the pace of nature; her secret is patience. Emerson
(post #11529, reply #6 of 16)
We have an '87 Toyota pickup truck that has a removable cap on the back, plus the extended cab so there's a lot of room to stash things behind the seat. We generally have the cap off for the summer, so it can be used to haul mulch. With the cap on, it's terrific for hauling tons of plants or shrubs and small trees without getting wind damage. It gets pretty good gas mileage too; it's not cash for clunker eligible. We bought it pretty cheaply 4 or 5 years ago, and the main expense has been getting snow tires for it. It does pretty well on our hills in the winter with the good tires plus sand bags in the back for traction. However, it's not a vehicle I'd be willing to haul dogs in.
(post #11529, reply #7 of 16)
My pickup is just the right size for me.I do have several different sun shades, my jack, rope, one of those reflective camping blankets in case of emergencies, and whatever all else is behind the seats. I don't clean there very often.
New Mexico home organic gardener
Adopt the pace of nature; her secret is patience. Emerson
(post #11529, reply #5 of 16)
So you might say that you compost in a Honda Civic? :-) I did a thorough cleaning of my Honda Accord last Thursday, in preparation for selling it, and found all kinds of things, but not bags of compost, darn it.
(post #11529, reply #8 of 16)
I guess I do compost in the Civic, since there is plant debris and whatever falls off the boots my dd wears to ride horses and work in the barn. There are some weeks where the boots aren't allowed in the house, have to wait on the porch until next time.
(post #11529, reply #9 of 16)
Update on my car search. I just bought a 2007 silver Honda CRV with about 17,500 miles on it. I can see only two problems with my plan to fill it with plants at nurseries: a) I just spent all my money on the CRV, and b) it's too clean and pretty to put a bunch of dirty plants in! I imagine a couple of trips with the dogs will take care of the second "problem."
(post #11529, reply #10 of 16)
Congrats on the new wheels. When I was younger, my father convinced me that a CLEAN car ran better and I've always followed that rule. Too bad I don't follow that rule or anything close to it as far as the house....
We have an excess cargo carrier that my husband attaches to his Toyota 4Runner for transporting plants, bags of mulch, etc. It does help keep the back of the vehicle cleaner. We're very happy with it. We've found some heavy duty stretch cords that we use to secure things. It attaches to the hitch and is easily removable. I also like it for transporting gas cans b/c the car doesn't then smell like fuel.
Don't think it would work for the dogs.
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=34313
(post #11529, reply #11 of 16)
I figure that if I leave the house alone long enough, enough organic matter will break down that I can start planting in here, too. I can hardly wait for indoor gardening with air conditioning and heating and no sun screen. Don't tell hubby, but that's why I track dirt into the house, too.
Jeana
Never try to baptize a cat.
(post #11529, reply #12 of 16)
Hmm, maybe that's why DH tracks dirt into the house. You've put a new spin on things.
(post #11529, reply #14 of 16)
Look at it as a life-size edwardian house.
Jeana
Never try to baptize a cat.
(post #11529, reply #16 of 16)
Cute!
(post #11529, reply #15 of 16)
I've got to go check the corners of the rooms in the house. Who knows? I may have something to harvest.
(post #11529, reply #13 of 16)
That's a neat looking cargo carrier. I don't think I'd be willing to put plants in it, but that would be great for other dirty stuff.