The Wheelbarrow – 4

Our home on Beach Road sat on an acre. Other than a birch tree in the front, planted too close to the house, there was nothing in the yard (my memory is hazy, there may have been shrubs off the front porch). When we left Beach Road, some six years later, we had planted 15 – 20 trees, an extensive border garden, an herb garden, and numerous shrubs. All of the foregoing required topsoil and mulch, and it was all hauled in the wheelbarrow. In addition, in order to plant the gardens and trees and shrubs sod had to be removed and placed elsewhere – this was also hauled in the wheelbarrow.

We ordered dump truck loads of topsoil and mulch and hauled it around the yard in the wheelbarrow – how many trips we made to and from the piles of mulch and dirt I have no idea; I do know the wheelbarrow was essential to bringing gardens to life, it was essential for bringing Vickie’s vision of our own Eden into manifestation. We also had an extensive vegetable garden in which the wheelbarrow played its part.

What was once a plain barren yard became a place of color and texture and beauty and interest, it became a place of definition. We could not have done it without the wheelbarrow – such a basic tool, such a basic idea, such a basic necessity for the gardener. A box on a wheel with handles – pretty simple, pretty important.

One great point about having a wheelbarrow is that should the power grid ever fail that the wheelbarrow will still work – it may be one of the few things that will.