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HARD TO GARDEN WITHOUT TRANSPORT

33 comments


As the title says, it’s hard to garden without a car and I don’t think taxis are too keen on carrying mucky compost etc. I have now found a company which delivers it called CPL Distribution ( in case others have the same problem) they ring you to let you know the day your compost will be delivered too. They were left where I asked them to leave them by the garage. I bought 4 J.I. no3 (small size). 3 × 50 ltr Levington organic farmyard manure. 3 × 50 ltr Growmore AP compost and 3×70 ltr Levington MP compost.
All together it cost me £45.11. I’m very happy to have the tools to start spring. My only problem now is how to get them from the front, to the back garden:-)

I thought you might like to see a silly mistake I made in my outside Christmas pots. I had the bright idea to supplement the permanent occupants of the pots (lavender, pinks) with pretty leaves, holly golden king, euonymus etc which I just stuck in and the most gorgeous deep red berry sprays I bought off ebay to look more festive. I forgot the lovely berries would not withstand the winter weather:-( I must get them out, oh well, they looked nice for a couple of days:-)

I had to give my colutea arborescens a sizeable chop in the Autumn, a beautiful shrub/small tree, but I only have a small garden so I used a branch for indoor decoration. I bought a spray snow to make it look Christmassy and bought these lovely little bird houses from Home Bargains. I should have bought a white paint spray instead, it would have been much better as the spray snow stuff didn’t cling very well, in fact it kept falling off, made a terrible mess. and I can’t tell you how hard it was trying to spray the stuff on in the garage. I was holding the branch in one hand and the spray can in the other. The left arm of my jumper was covered as was the floor and sundry items in the garage, unfortunately, not much on the branch. The can was empty before much of the branch was all covered.

Here is my lovely colutea in full glory, I wish I hadn’t chopped her now:-(

Soon be spring:-)

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Comments

 

Don't try carrying that lot of compost etc, or you'll damage your back. I think your Christmas display looks lovely :)

25 Jan, 2015

 

If you don't have a wheelbarrow, you might try a plastic tarp. Place one bag at a time on the tarp and drag it to the back garden. Do one or two a day there's no rush right now. If your situation is such that you have to go through your home to get to the back garden you might use one of those folding shopping or laundry carts. Again one bag at time when you feel like it, this way there's very little strain and effort on your part.

25 Jan, 2015

 

That's a great set of ideas Loosestrife.

25 Jan, 2015

 

Yes, I agree about taxis, and they are so expensive too :(

I transfer compost to smaller bags to carry it around the back.

I like your decoration :)
and I hope the Colutea will regrow soon. It's a very pretty shrub :)

25 Jan, 2015

 

I love that shrub and do see what you mean but sometimes its a case of having to give them a haircut, if its any consolation when I've had to do the same here I find they reward me by soon bouncing back even better.
Glad I'm not the only one that gets in a state when trying to be decorative with a spraycan..
Over the years we've even gone as far as using a childs brick truck as a set of wheels to transport such items, these days I have my own set of gardening wheels that can be used upright or as a trolley, lighter than hubby's set and easy for me to use...

25 Jan, 2015

 

Very useful to have a service like that!
You just need to find a good soul to move them into the back garden for you.
Hopefully you will.
The Colutea looks lovely...I don't think i know of it.

25 Jan, 2015

 

I think Hywel has a good idea, smaller quanitities, maybe a plastic bucket?

25 Jan, 2015

 

I hope you can get some help with those bags, don't be tempted to tackle too much in one go.

I love the colutea and surely it will be even better for a trim!

Soon be the end of January thank goodness!!

25 Jan, 2015

 

Thanks all, I will do a family meal and get one of the young menfolk to move them I think, after telling them to come scruffy :-) Probably move them into the garage so I can play indoors with pots etc. I hope you're all right about my colutea rewarding me with an even better display, just hope it doesn't hold it against me. I did buy a trolley type thing a year or two ago, but forgot I would have to pick the bags off the floor to get it on the flipping thing and 70 ltr bags weigh a ton .... erm you know what I mean:-) I will transfer it to smaller bags and buckets when I come to use it, that's a good idea. I've been looking at plant and seed catalogues and think I will try hardy annuals this year too, there are some lovely new ones and some lovely old favourites. I'm just starting to feel a bit excited about gardening and spring again. Did anyone see Alan Titmarsh's Best Back Gardens? It was great seeing them, but hardly any mention of the plants used etc. The colutea was planted in my old back garden probably about 30years ago, I found it first in my old fave Readers Digest gardening book. I dug it up when I moved and planted it here. It was cut down to the ground and completely buried under at least a foot of topsoil when I had a makeover a few years ago, I thought I had lost it, but back it came, better than ever, tough little thing:-)

25 Jan, 2015

 

Your colutea is lovely and the penstemons next to it are just the right colours - they set each other off beautifully don't they? We have an old sack truck and if I lay it flat I can roll and drag compost bags onto it. You have to push it bending down or the bag falls off but its better than nothing!

25 Jan, 2015

 

It's a wonder we gardeners survive lol:-))

25 Jan, 2015

 

well I wished I'd waited for OH to shift my compost bags. I ache all over today. I can always find a nice young man at the gc to load them in the car but the problem lies when I get home and OH is at work or busy elsewhere.
sure your shrub will bounce back :o)

26 Jan, 2015

 

I get someone to put a bag in my wheelbarrow and then I can shovel some compost on to my potting tray or push it round the garden to the pots etc.....

inviting them over sounds a brilliant idea.....

26 Jan, 2015

 

Hi Pam, I know they would do it whenever I asked them, but I would feel guilty if they weren't scruffy, especially as I know one of the bags at the bottom has a small rip. Poor Derek would offer to do it, but it's the nature of the beast that he forgets he has RA. Perhaps it's a kindness:-)

26 Jan, 2015

 

Probably is Ba.......they'll be happy with comfy clothes anyway and the promise of cake?

26 Jan, 2015

 

Just in case anyone else wants to know who will deliver compost, Wilko's deliver and only charge 3.50. I have decided to do that this year as it is too much of struggle getting them in and out of the car. Hubby can't lift heavy weights this year after heart surgery.

26 Jan, 2015

 

I have a couple of trug type trolleys on wheels to transport stuff about - as long as I can lift it in :)

26 Jan, 2015

 

I cut the bag open on the shelf in the tailgate, in the car,
then carefully scoop some into a bucket to carry in.
It ruins the bag but I dont care.
Good idea to get the load of good composts. Your successful garden will thrive with all those nutrients.

26 Jan, 2015

 

No cake Pam, I hide them:-) I have had delivery from Wilko before Doreen, but it seems they only have a small window for compost in the summer months. Lol sounds a bit odd, but you know what I mean. I often buy the small compost bags from there as I can handle them more easily. I didn't pay delivery costs with this order either:-) Seaburn, don't be so impatient next time:-) Gee, it's the picking them up that's the problem:-(

26 Jan, 2015

 

I had been waiting an hour! Bornagain :o( and weekends go all too quickly. The other thing I hate is that when my nails are longish they bend, rarely snap but uncomfortable non the less and I know long nails don't go with gardening but I have such short fingers the nails make them look longer . The only real vanity bit I have. trust me I only cut them when 3 have gone. Couldn't do false ones.

27 Jan, 2015

 

If you try your local hardware store they might have for a two wheel hand trolley they are to expensive and they are also very handy to have around moving flower pots and so on and are very easy to store away.

27 Jan, 2015

 

Have you tried false ones Seaburn? I did use nail glue on a ripped nail once so it wouldn't come off and cause me pain, but it felt horrible:-(

27 Jan, 2015

 

Hi John, I do have a little 2 wheeler trolley, but it's lifting the big bags onto it that I find hard:-)

27 Jan, 2015

 

I was just looking at ebay at trolleys, they were called sack trucks, there was loads of different type. The flat plate at the end just slip under the bag. Come on girl If you cant do that you would be no use on our next sailing trip,,,,,,Lol

27 Jan, 2015

 

Couldn't you find a man to help ! lol
Other than that , a sack barrow should do it.

27 Jan, 2015

 

There are also lots of 16 year old school boys - they will work if paid. Well worth a couple of £s. to get the compost all in the right place for spring.

28 Jan, 2015

 

Now look here John, I can climb the rigging with the best of 'em and I'm a whiz on the cat o' nine tails so watch out:-) The passage way between our garage and next door's house is very narrow, but I will look at sack trucks with a plate to slip under the bag to see if their overall dimensions will fit:-)

28 Jan, 2015

 

Hi Rose, I'm going to offer one of my boys the job this time, but I do like to be able to do everything myself. What I do have is a small trug trolley which is fine for moving stuff, but not for lifting heavy sacks in to:-)

28 Jan, 2015

 

Hi Dianne, I do have sons who could do the job, but I need to catch one in a scruffy state when they visit. I also like to do things myself if possible, I think I forget I'm no spring chicken now:-)

28 Jan, 2015

 

Best leave it to the boys then , BA ! But I know how you feel, i'm exactly the same !

28 Jan, 2015

 

I used to be really strong for my size and would tackle anything .....ah well ....perhaps I've swapped it for wisdom? ......in my dreams:-))

28 Jan, 2015

 

I am doing by best B/A trying to think of away to make it easy for you to shift compost from your garage door to the back garden. I though the sack trolley was a good idea. How about a skate board, I am sure some of the children on the road would let you Borrow one, now not for you to go skating around the roads or to the shops ,,Lol, you could put your 50ltr bags on it and tie some string on front and pull them around to the back garden. If that fails knock on one of your neighbours doors and ask the man of the house for some help and don't for get to smile when asking...Lol

30 Jan, 2015

 

I'll get one of my boys to move them this time John, but I do like to be able to do things myself, when I want it done. I'll continue to look for a trolley like you described and buy one providing it's narrow enough. I think if I had a skateboard I'd be very tempted go have a go lol:-)

30 Jan, 2015

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