Saturday, July 16, 2022

another use for a wheelbarrow....

 


                For many years, the autumn starts rested on a funky wooden table/bench under the plum tree. It was right next to the bike shed, so we checked on them several times a day. The tree provided a dappled sun in the afternoons. The occasional blue jay planted a tree seed in with the cabbages, but, for the most part, the system worked. Then, the bench started to rot away….I propped it up on blocks for several years, but, before our last yard party, Mark was concerned. “What if someone sat on that thing?”  I tried to block the seat with some plants, but found myself calling “NO, don’t sit there!” several times. This spring, I took the whole thing apart, pulled out the metal and cut it up for firewood. It was time.

                Three weeks ago, I bumped up the fall starts which were leggy and weak from being in the greenhouse without lights on them. I set them on the end of the dining table, but they dominated the space. I moved them to a low bench and then realized that they were right at rabbit munch level and he was heading that way. My eye fell on our wheelbarrow collection…. A dead wheelbarrow worked for strawberries, why not the starts? The oldest one leaning against the wall was broader and more shallow than newer designs and already had a couple of “drainage” holes in it. I moved it under the plum tree and popped the trays of plants in. Perfect fit. The rabbit cannot reach them, although he likes to sit under them on warm days. They move easily from one spot to another. I can even just wheel the whole thing over to the garden beds in a few weeks after the potatoes come out. When I am done, the wheelbarrow returns to its spot on the wall, ready to hold something else.

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