We are accustomed to doing without some conveniences out here in the country. Oh, we have running water, but in the past when I’ve needed capers or a specific garden tool, we were miles away from getting what we needed when we needed it. When we finally finished the bank project (A RE-purposeful Life), I wanted to make sure my new plants got the water they needed, and my husband suggested pine mulch to keep the ground moist. Of course, there is not a nursery that sells pine mulch for miles, but I knew exactly where I could get it locally.
Our road is lined with a variety of trees. Leaves, pine cones, and pine needles cover both sides of our street every spring, and I hesitantly rake them up while fearing what animal I might disrupt from its rest. This time I gathered a rake and the wheel barrow and headed up the road to gather a couple of loads of pine needles without fear. I was on a mission. Unfortunately, I underestimated the number of loads I would need for my project, but six wheel barrow loads later, I had a great layer of pine needles that would keep the water from evaporating.
Mother Nature saved me again when I needed to prevent weeds from coming up in my garden. Eight wheel barrows of pine needles were strategically placed between the vegetable rows and sprinkled with a popular product to sprinkle on top of the needles to stop new weeds from growing.
Whew! Fourteen loads of pine needles.
I’m tired.
[julie]