TODAY IS THE FIRST full day of fall and autumn is the busiest time of the year for gardening chores.
The myriad of things to accomplish, both big and small, that need to be accomplished in the next three months is enormous, mostly because the garden has gone quiet and things transplant and divide really well, so I’m busy moving plants, soils, mulch and garden tools for the next three months.
So as I’ve been preparing beds and laying out work, it dawned on me that I readily rely upon three of my favorite helpers: Mr. Five Gallon Bucket, Mr. Blue or Brown heavy-duty tarp, and Ye Old Carpet Hunk.
That’s right, as I was preparing for a job and loading up my van for work, I realized that I cherished tools that are relatively inexpensive and easy to acquire: five gallon buckets, my assorted collection of carpet chunks and two tarps.
Why do I love this odd collection of subsidiary tools?
Simply because of their numerous advantages, ease of operation, minimization of cleanup and of course their inexpensive cost.
But they save me so much time, making my life (back and knees) so much richer by their multiple uses.
Buckets
Buckets are great, especially if you have a large collection of them.
A close friend of mine “customizes” the handles of their buckets by using pipe insulation and electrical tape, effectively making a cushion out of the plastic handle pieces, making them more ergonomic to grip, and quieter when dropping the handle down — scraps of pipe insulation and black tape making a job easier — I love this invention!
Buckets are so easy to use, unlike wheelbarrows or carts that are heavy, large and awkward to maneuver around rock walls, perennials, steep slopes and bushy terrain.
Buckets carry a load of dirt, mulch, rock, gravel, fertilizer or compost to their exact destination without harming the plantings nearby or making wheel tracks in the ground.
Their exact contents can be poured out where you want and in the proper proportions — unlike the thump-down load of the wheelbarrow contents.
Buckets can be filled to whatever quantity and weight is desirable, according to your individual strength and ability.
For pickup of leaf debris, or cleanup of spent flowers, they are a breeze.
Organic items in one for the compost pile, rocks and gravel in another for backfill — their uses are endless.
Another bucket use for litter and debris, and a fourth for diseased plant parts (always keeping these separate from your good compost).
Carpet
Hunks, chunks and remnants of carpet are the bucket’s best companion. You can even find them in “free” piles alongside the busy street.
I do not like the pinching of knee pads around my legs, or how quickly the tightly-pulled knee pads tire my legs, but carpet pads pull along a job and make kneeling so much more comfortable.
I lay them down around any job that I am doing that requires kneeling.
First and foremost, they save hundreds of dollars in clothing costs.
Just one day on my knees, on concrete or rough mulch can grind holes into my new work clothes, leaving dents in my skin at the end of the knee-pad day, too.
Carpet chunks not only save your clothes but your knees, as well.
The ground can be cold, wet, muddy or full of itchy irritating material that carpet hunks protect you from.
And what really is great about them is their size, which can be custom-cut.
Unlike those foolish foam knee pads that come in 10 by 16 inch-strips, carpet chunks can be cut to any size that allows mobility from the same spot.
They are also free — finding them in your garage or attic because they either no longer go with the decor or your friend was throwing some out during a remodel.
And because they are free, when they become dirty, wet torn, or tattered, you just throw them away and get more. Yes, a new recycling program is in the works.
Tarps
Tarps have numerous advantages, especially in cleanup.
Now before you imagine the neighbor’s wood pile, or mobile home that can’t afford a hot-mopped roof repair, think about not having to wheelbarrow clippings and branches, instead simply pulling along a large tarp.
I always spread one out behind my truck so when I load and offload debris, all the leaves and needles fall onto the tarp, not onto the driveway, or onto fresh beauty bark.
When working next to driveways, patios or walkways, I lay down a tarp first, then carpet on top of that tarp, pulling the tarp along my work route with my hand tools and bucket on the magical mystery tarp tour.
Rather than a grimy, dirty, sidewalk that I have to clean up afterwards, you will have a clean, spotless, just-finished area requiring no sweeping. It might require a quick “blower” afterwards, which I’ve also really come to love — but that’s another story.
Tarps also transport things very well.
When pruning plants, I just clip, throw on the tarp, then easily drag it off to the compost pile or pickup truck.
For leaf removal, tarps are heaven-sent; just blow or rake on a big pile of leaves and drag it away on the tarp.
Finally when the job is done, the tarp can cover your tools or keep the refuse from blowing out of your open truck bed, being bungee-corded down over a load. You won’t get pulled over for littering, either.
Tarps also fold up into small, organized bundles and store easily in your garage, typically going unnoticed on the storage shelf and saving you lots of cleanup time in your immaculately kept yard.
So if you want to work in a difficult area, segregate waste, save your knees, extend the life of your clothing, diminish cleanup time or be saved a traffic ticket, don’t forget these three vital gardening tools: buckets, tarps and carpet scraps.
I never leave home without them.
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Andrew May is an ornamental horticulturist who dreams of having Clallam and Jefferson counties nationally recognized as “Flower Peninsula USA.” Send him questions c/o Peninsula Daily News, P.O. Box 1330, Port Angeles, WA 98362, or email news@peninsuladailynews.com (subject line: Andrew May).
