A Gardener’s Car is Always Dirty

It is impossible for me to keep my car clean…. and that’s because I garden.

The back seat of my car regularly carries plants, dirty tools, half open bags of compost or soil and much more. Basically, not a week goes by where something potentially messy doesn’t end up there. And no matter how careful I am, some of that dirt remains on the floor and the seats which then take an irregular brown coloration, regardless of their original shade.

At the beginning of every gardening season, I do try to be careful, willingly accepting the offer of the garden center to cover the back seat with a sheet of plastic when I arrive with a cart full of plants. Later in the season, when the garden center makes the same offer, I always turn it down: it’s far too late for that. “Just stack the plants as best you can, on the car floor and on the seat.” The important thing is that there be enough room for me to fit in… and sometimes the I find myself driving home with one hand while holding back the jungle so I can at least see where I’m going.

The Annual Attempt to Clean My Car

I’m pointing this out because this week, I intend to pay myself the luxury of going to the car wash and having my car cleaned inside and out. (I’m far too lazy to do it myself!) This, for me, marks the end of the outdoor gardening season. Plus I figure I deserve a clean car once a year. My hope is that the car will at least remain presentable for the winter months.

Of course, the gardening season never really does end, does it? At the very least, there’ll be Christmas plants to carry in December, plus the needles from the Christmas tree (even if I attach it to the roof, they always end up infiltrating the car and covering the floor and the back seat with a thin layer of crunchy green). Let’s say then that I want the car to remain relatively presentable for the winter months.

Far From Alone

However, I always feel relieved when I realize I’m not the only gardener in the same situation. When I get a ride with one of my gardening friends, I always hear the same thing. “I’m sorry if the car looks a bit dirty, but I just bought a bunch of plants”, or “I was just over at my sister’s place, putting in a few plants, and I forgot to put those shovels away”, or “can you hold this plant on your lap while I’m driving? There is no room in the back”.

Besides, there is never a question of anyone actually sitting on the back seat of a gardener’s car. It’s absolutely certain that the space is taken up by something horticultural, no matter what the season.

That’s what I like about gardeners: we understand each other, even when it comes to our dirty cars!