Hi fellow gardeners! First real post, but seeking advice. Or reassurance that this is possible.
Thinking ahead for a potential move, I’ve been potting everything I love for months. Seemed brilliant at the time.
Reality has set in and I’m moving in 3 weeks (mid-June). Although, stuff could stay here until probably mid-August worst case. I have over 100 pots or bags with things growing. I’m thinking of renting a cargo van and a nursery cart and this could possibly work. We also have a pickup truck that would not require renting, but it’s 30 miles and highway speeds.
I like to respond “your the one who married crazy!”
Great reason to hire someone else though if they don’t want to do what you need. Area teenagers should be looking for decent pay and you can just have them help you with the plants or non fragile stuff?
30 miles is nothing, my daily commute is 45 each way. The only thing that makes it feel like a lot is your perception of it.
If you have a Pick up truck rent a covered trailer, those don’t get charged by the mile. I take it the pick up truck doesn’t have a cover? Buy a roll of 6 mil plastic, duct tape it over the truck bed as a wind shield, It may sound pretty bad flailing in the highway wind but the plants won’t care about the sound.
Why did a trailer not occur to me?! Only partially because I hate backing one up, but the husband has a large boat he can back into a 9’ wide spot. As long as I don’t have to drive it!
And 30 miles is not bad. It’s actually taking my commute from 50 miles to 30-ish. So, the distance is only mentioned in that most of it would be highway speed, so I need some wind protection.
Uhaul trailers require a 1 7/8” or 2” ball. We have a 2 5/16” ball that is rusted on.
The H ran into this when he tried to rent a trailer last summer, and couldn’t get the ball off (rust, etc). I gently pointed out 0.89 cents a mile for the truck (x60 if one round-trip). He is pretty sure he can change the ball now.
Put them in the boat to move them. Been there, done that. Also, my garden/orchard is 13 miles from the house. I haul things in my small pick-up all the time. Just put the items up against the cab and take back roads. It will take more trips, but you will probably have other items you need to haul, too, that you can fill the remaining space with. For shorter plants, put them in covered tubs with lids taped on or weighted down with fence posts, etc. Use tie-down straps as needed. Maybe even protect plants with a stout table positioned on its side to protect from the wind, or haul them in a short stout cabinet. Or in sturdy barrels.
The boat is almost a great idea. Except it isn’t moving with us and… ummm… the trailer is not road legal. It only goes the 1/2 mile down our private road from storage lot to marina. Full of excuses.
I have faith he’ll get the ball changed and we can do the trailer thing.
I’m glad this isn’t as crazy as I was thinking it might be.
I don’t know what exactly it is called, but my old neighbor was a landscape designer and would transport plants about 4 hours away by covering the bed of his truck with a white stretchy fabric. I believe the nursery he bought from gave it to him.
For rusted bolts the one thing that works better than penetrating oil is a propane torch. The heat makes metal parts expand at different rates breaking the tight seal.
6mil roll of plastic, duct tape. Heck get the one that is 25’ by 100’. Every time you need a temporary tarp (painting, killing grass by solarizing, covering something from the rain, roof is leaking and you need a temporary cover while you wait for the roofer, you need to transplant plants on an open pick up truck) you just cut a chunk. Home depot and Lowes have them on the roofing department.
i always have numerous sizes of the heavy duty silver / black tarps laying around as well as gorrilla glue duct tape. that stuffs holds extremely well but make sure where ever you use it, take it off as soon as you can or it might give you a hard time getting it of esp. is the suns on it.
I recently moved my 85 or so plants to a new home back in Feb. Sizes ranged from half barrels to gallon. I hired help who brought a box truck. The plants went into a barn here and sat until Spring when they started breaking dormancy and had fencing. I moved from a very small suburban lot to the country where deer are plentiful.
So my advice is to carefully consider your staging areas in terms of weather and pests. A Gorilla cart, hand truck and straps have been great for moving items to the now deer proof fenced orchard . There were a few problems but I am thrilled that my trees are finally getting into the ground. Also I am thinning the fruit more to reduce the stress. What we won’t do for our trees! Good luck and enjoy your next home.
I’m in the same boat as we’re moving in about 2 weeks. I’m blessed to have a 16’ trailer with walls so there’s no question about how I’m getting all my plants to our new home.
The real question is where it’s all going to go when we get there. We’re downsizing from 7 acres to 1/3 acre, so we have to downsize our stuff as well.
. There were a few problems but I am thrilled that my trees are finally getting into the ground. Also I am thinning the fruit more to reduce the stress. What we won’t do for our trees! Good luck and enjoy your next home.