Putting the Boot In


EmmaT's been most lovely and organised and done her Christmas shopping for all her blogging buddies at B&Q's garden goodies sale. She's generously earmarked a car boot organiser for me; I can't for the life of me think why I need one, can you? :0

The picture shows my car boot yesterday. As you can see it's poised for every allotment eventuality I may care to throw at it. I don't keep this stuff up there in case it gets stolen. It looks this way in spite of a GNO earlier on in the year in Bristol, where I returned from our meal to find I had a flat tyre. Luckily there was someone (painting railings in the dark at 10 o'clock at night - why?) at the car park to help me change it and a similar view to the one above greeted us as I fished through it all for the spare tyre. The incident wasn't sufficiently embarrassing for me to tidy up and put everything away, hmmm.

Mind you, I'm a bit worried about when I get my pressie. If I do get my car boot organised, it means I'll be able to get 10 times as many plants in there. I'm already considering opening up my garden's nursery area for business - it's seriously rivalling our local garden centre for stock at the moment. At least with a car boot the way it is, it keeps a natural rein on my plant buying tendencies.

What do you keep in your car boot (aka trunk, dear American readers)? Is it all absolutely essential, just like that pair of ear defenders are in mine? ;)

PS If any of my family happen to be reading this (unlikely, but you never know), I quite fancy the Bill and Ben Emma's earmarked for Arabella. They're so awful, they're great!

Comments

  1. TYRA Hallsénius Lindhe13 November 2008 at 09:02

    My car car boot is clean....(boringly perfect clean) yours on the other hand looks like a true gardeners car boot! /Tyra xoxo

    ReplyDelete
  2. The Constant Gardener13 November 2008 at 10:07

    I generally refer to my car as my mobile shed :D yours looks positively pristine in comparison
    audit for this morning reveals:
    1 Ryobi brush-cutter, very battered
    2 garden forks, ditto
    1 garden spade, ditto
    1 green leaf collecting sheet
    about 50 plastic compost sacks
    1 bamboo leaf rake
    5 tins cat food and a bag of cat biscuits (the allotment cats figured out how to break into the stash I kept up there so it had to move into the car)
    1 large trug full of assorted garden sundries such as pliers, wire, hammer, vine eyes, rawlplugs (I've been putting up rose support wires), spare trowel
    1 bucket with secateurs, hand fork and hand trowel in it
    and about half a ton of loose soil

    that's it for now... and this is a good day...

    ReplyDelete
  3. Zoë13 November 2008 at 11:25

    Shed on wheels is a familiar term here too, although we really do have one now as the iGit's ancient (1992) estate died unceremoniously on the drive some months ago. It has become a refuge for items destined for either charity shops or the tip, but havent quite made it there yet! In short an eyesore.

    He meanwhile got himself another shed on wheels (Volvo V70) which seldom moves of the drive either. I fear I may have to become inventive and use it as a giant planter instead to disguise it!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous13 November 2008 at 11:25

    Funny.
    Usually my list reads like the constant gardeners - but shedman has had my car this week - so I have just been to look.
    In my car boot there is
    1) A pile of soil
    2) Two bags of coal.
    So happy to report my boot is really tidy (for me)
    K

    ReplyDelete
  5. Helen/patientgardener13 November 2008 at 12:15

    I am boringly anal about this and my boot is empty apart from a waterproof coat and umbrella and tyre jack. I dont believe in carrying lots of stuff around as it makes you use up more petrol - but then I dont have an allotment to take stuff to and from either!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Anonymous13 November 2008 at 12:47

    Hi VP, since I don't have an allotment but do all the gardening at home, I don't travel with the usual suspects. But that does not mean the huge gas hog's back is clean. The back seats are folded down most all the time and there is so much leftover mulch, soil and at the moment pine straw that plants could actually be grown in there. The old minivan that I had before this V8 suv, had the back seats out and was a planter on wheels. Seeds had germinated and were growing in the carpet, I thought it rather cool. We gave that car to the women's shelter in Texas. I wonder if they left the plants.
    Frances
    ps I think your boot is pretty tidy!
    F

    ReplyDelete
  7. Gary13 November 2008 at 13:06

    As my veg patch is in the garden the car is more a delivery system than a store. I do keep a large sheet of blue plastic in the boot after I discover how much water is in a sack of gravel...oops!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Gail13 November 2008 at 14:44

    VP,

    If you saw my Subaru's way back...you would see it is merely an extension of my purse, a catch all and a temporary holding bed for bulbs and other plants! The other night when we had a frost I loaded all the potted lantana! So it is also a greenhouse...maybe this winter it will be a cold frame!

    Thanks for asking!

    Gail

    ReplyDelete
  9. F Cameron13 November 2008 at 15:10

    Of course, I have a pickup truck! :-) Probably the only woman who drives a Toyota Tundra around, right? I'm southern, is that it?

    My garden mess is actually in the garage and in the storage under the porch...I covet a garden shed of my own!

    Cameron

    ReplyDelete
  10. Amy13 November 2008 at 17:01

    ha ha! The back of our van is so full of stuff that I could barely stuff the groceries in yesterday. Let's see...snow brush to clear the white stuff off, my children's life jackets, first aid kit, extra coats, a frisbee...

    ReplyDelete
  11. Anonymous13 November 2008 at 19:21

    Ours is virtually empty apart from bags for the supermarket, 2 macs and a small bag with car stuff that we haven't opened in years.
    Our allotment is 5 minutes away so car not required!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Anonymous13 November 2008 at 20:32

    Apart from the spare usually nothing! xx

    ReplyDelete
  13. Roses and Lilacs13 November 2008 at 21:01

    Hi VP, right now I have 50# of bird seed, a case of special diet cat food, and 3 packages of daffodil bulbs. It was raining so hard last night I didn't even try to unload my new purchases. Ask me what I have in the front passenger seat--on second thought don't ask:o.

    This was a fun post. I really enjoyed reading what other people carry around in their cars;)

    ReplyDelete
  14. Anonymous13 November 2008 at 22:11

    What a considerate seasonal gift.
    As someone who has had my allotment shed broken into I can certainly understand why you keep your allotment stuff in your boot VP. Painting rails at 22.00 hours - don't people do some odd things under the cover of darkness ?

    I am a rare breed - a non driver but luckily the non gardener does. We have any old campervan which is a gigantic boot in itself - great for carrying all sorts of everything to the allotment and deliciously ample for plant sales.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Cindy, MCOK14 November 2008 at 01:05

    VP, good ole girl (!) and native Texan that I am, I have a truck and therefore am bootless. FloraBob is a Nissan Frontier and the area behind the front seats is my catchall. Currently to be found there are: yoga mat, reflective windshield screen. double-ended trowel/digging tool, plastic seat protector from nursery, disposable gloves, tote bag (bought at garage sale in Wash DC in 1997 to tote plants home), cloth grocery bags, clothes hangers (to go to dry cleaners) & a beaded gecko to go with the sign that reads BEWARE OF ATTACK GECKO hanging in the back window.

    The truck bed came in very handy during the recent hurricane. It was a mobile storage unit for plants and yard art.

    ReplyDelete
  16. VP14 November 2008 at 11:17

    Tyra - welcome and thank you!

    TGG - I love the term mobile shed! And I'm not surprised at your boot's contents :D

    Zoe - you could use it as a greenhouse!

    Karen - I'm intrigued by your pile of soil. Is it loose or in bags?

    PG - believe it or not there was less in there than usual! Your contents sounds like mine was - pre-allotment days.

    Frances - planter on wheels? Tee hee - I love it!

    Gary - I have a green boot liner after making a similar discovery to you!

    Gail - a cold frame - now there's an idea!

    Cameron - I have the shed at least!
    My garden mess used to be in those places too. I predict it's only a matter of time until yours migrates ;)

    Amy - every car needs a frisbee right?

    EG - my allotment's not much further (15 min walk), but a couple of break-ins means I don't keep the stuff up there I'd regret losing.

    Flighty - as you're an admirer of the lovely James Stewart, I'm not surprised somehow xx

    Roses and Lilacs - lovely to see you :) I've so enjoyed everyone's responses too. You can whisper to me about what you've got in the front passenger seat if you like - I don't think anyone's listening...

    Anna - your camper van reminisces reminds me of Elspeth Thompson's 'Urban Gardener'. She used her purple VW Campervan as a mobile greenhouse!

    Cindy - I seriously covet your gecko. I'm on my way over...

    ReplyDelete

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