10 Easy Pieces: Garden Trugs

Centuries ago, the idea came from Sussex: bentwood baskets with a handle to transport vegetables from the garden or market. But it wasn’t until Queen Victoria fell for a garden trug she saw one day in London’s Crystal Palace that the wooden baskets became gardening’s first truly chic accessory. Which they remain.

Here are 10 wooden garden trugs–big and small, round and oblong and oval–that deserve a Royal Warrant:

Says Louise McCall of The Natural Gardener: “In Sussex a style of trug basket was developed in the early 19th Century by a chap called Tom Smith. He sacrificed carrying liquids for the sake of lightness, and the “‘modern’ trug of slats nailed to a frame and handle that has been steamed, and then shaped by hand, was born.”

It’s the kickoff of basket season. For transporting harvests from the garden or market (or if you need to pack a lunch for the beach), see:

• The Perfect Picnic Basket
• 10 Easy Pieces: French Market Totes
• A Stylish Garden Bag with Pockets
• To Market: Bushel Baskets from New Hampshire

N.B.: This post is an update; the original story ran on May 26, 2015.