thoughts about accessible gardening?

[rafiwinters]

Hello lovely gardener friends. I have various physical limitations which frustrate me when trying to do traditional gardening--you know, in the ground, where you have to bend, kneel, squat, use heavy long-handled tools, etc. My wife and I managed a few tomato plants and one cucumber plant this year but I want to do more, yet to do it without hurting myself. So I'm doing research for next year. If it helps to know, I'm in New England in the U.S.

What are your favorite ways to make gardening easier on your body?

So far I've come across the following ideas: planter boxes on legs, and vertical gardening. Any further ideas are welcome, as are any elaborations on the raised boxes and the vertical gardening.

Mostly my interests are in growing vegetables, stawberries, and herbs. We get lots of sun in our yard.

Thanks!

Comments

[lilacsigil]

Hi! I have arthritis and chronic vertigo, so bending and heavy lifting are not great for me. Raised beds are great, but you still have to get the dirt in and continue to top it up over the years. But herbs in plastic pots are extremely easy to maintain, put at a height that suits you, and provide extremely well through their growing season: it's so much easier to use herbs in cooking when you don't have to plan ahead and buy a whole bunch of whatever, you can just select from your own garden to your own tastes.

I also have rosemary, sage, thyme and oregano planted in the ground, because they're relatively low maintenance, but I live in a warmer climate than New England, so I don't know what grows well there.

[rafiwinters]

Thanks for the ideas. I don't mind getting the dirt into raised beds--I can either ask J (my wife) to do it, or ask a strong friend for help. Topping it off, likewise.

I do want to grow herbs. I've currently got lavender and sage in the ground. I need to do some more investigation as to what will winter over here in Rhode Island. A problem about growing them in pots is, if they don't tend to survive outside, we don't have the room indoors. But I'll figure it out.

[moonhare]

I have difficulties with my knees, osteoarthritis they tell me, but have been using knee pads and a garden stool to do work close to the ground. I also kneel on an old, styrofoam ‘boogie board’ when necessary, but keep something close by to push off of to get back up ;o)

For weeding around the plants I use a scuffle (stirrup) hoe. These are lightweight and very effective.

Good luck in your quest!

[rafiwinters]

Thank you! I have arthritic knees too, oh yay. To the extent I really can't kneel. That's part of the reason I'm thinking of raised beds, specifically planter boxes on legs that are high enough to be at my waist height since I also have a bad back and don't/can't bend with much comfort. I'm glad you are finding ways to accommodate your needs. :-)

[cesy]

Classic raised beds without legs are also often recommended. I'd second pots on shelves if this is new to you, as well.

[rafiwinters]

Thanks. This is helpful, especially about pots on shelves. My knee problems dictate raised beds at the least, my back problems are requesting the kind on legs. I also wonder if the kind on legs would be movable i.e. you could put them in different places in the yard if you wanted.

[feroxargentea]

Things I've found helpful:
- Pots on a hard surface mean fewer weeds, and strawberries, herbs and some veg (tomatoes, cucumbers, chillies, tomatilloes) will do fine in them. They don't have to be expensive - cheap buckets from a DIY store with holes drilled in the bottom work fine. The downside is watering, so ideally find a way other than with a watering can.
- Outsource the really hard physical work if you can (mowing lawns etc) so you have energy for the fun stuff.
- Mulching hugely cuts down on weeding. If you can get something like well-rotted woodchip in bulk and spread a thick layer of it in autumn (or get someone else to spread it), that's 90% of the work done for the year. Alternatively, Mediterranean herbs and similar sun-lovers are very happy in raised beds topped with gravel. I had a lot of building rubble to get rid of, so I removed the turf from a big corner of the garden, laid a thick layer of rubble on it, put the turf back on it upside down to rot down and provide a little bit of soil, covered the whole thing with a thick layer of gravel, and planted hardy herbs into it (oregano, thyme, rosemary, sage, curry plant, lavender), along with sedums and creeping campanula. They've grown like anything, love the drainage, and need very little care.

[rafiwinters]

Thank you so much! This is really helpful. :-)

Someone else here seconded pots on a hard surface and it would be easy enough to (have someone else who's handier than me) knock together some shelving for the yard to put the pots on. Definitely tomatoes!

Definitely outsourcing the hard labor; we have an enthusiastic teenager next door who's been mowing our lawn on the regular and helped us plant a whole lot of bulbs last fall.

Mulching. Yes! And that's interesting about the turf--reusing it in that way.

Thanks again. :)

Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

>> I have various physical limitations which frustrate me when trying to do traditional gardening--you know, in the ground, where you have to bend, kneel, squat, use heavy long-handled tools, etc. <<

Okay, think strategically before you think tactically:

* What kinds of things would you like to grow? And what conditions do they need?

* What space do you have (how much yard, sun, rain, temperatures, etc.) to work with?

* What are your physical, time, energy, or other limitations? And what will they discourage or prevent you from doing personally?

* Then, how can you work around the limitations of yourself and your space to achieve what you want? There are tools and techniques for a ton of stuff, but that is a lot to wade through. It will be less overwhelming if you have at least some goals in mind.

>> in the ground, where you have to bend, kneel, squat, <<

Can you sit comfortably? If so, this opens up many options. Frex, you can build a roll-under raised bed, or a tall raised bed with a wide enough edge to sit on. There are "scooter" seats for gardening from a seated position.

Can you stand comfortably for some time? If so, you can build things around hip to waist height. Lots of vertical garden options here. There are also plant stands about that high, or hanging plants could be set at that level. Many fruit trees come in very small sizes. You also have the option of tall plants, like corn, or vining plants like tomatoes.

Can you lift your arms overhead comfortably for at least long enough to pick things? If so, you now have the option of buying or making arbor-type structures, which can be anything from a small arch to a long tunnel to a big pergola with a picnic table underneath. Many plants will grow on such structures including but not limited to vining types (not bush types!) of kiwis, grapes, tomatoes, melons, cucumbers, squashes, beans, peas. If you attach troughs, you can additionally grow shorter plants such as strawberries which will hang down to be picked from underneath. This can be major infrastructure, so think before you create.

>> use heavy long-handled tools, etc.<<

Many garden tools are available in light weight, with shorter handles, or other accommodations. This is one time where it might actually be better to buy a cheap plastic tool that you'll have to replace annually because the sturdy, durable ones way much more. Plastic, bamboo, and aluminum are all flimsier than iron or steel (or hardwood handles) but they weigh MUCH less.

There are a lot of ergonomic and adaptive gardening tools, most of which are helpful for some folks but nothing is helpful for everyone. You'll need to know your limitations and what you wish to accomplish to make selections. If you have a medic you trust for your conditions, ask them to recommend an Occupational Therapist. This professional's whole job is helping people figure out how to do practical tasks and choose adaptive equipment.

If you want to shop for yourself:

https://www.thewrightstuff.com/adaptive-garden-tools.html

https://www.arthritissupplies.com/arthritis-gardening-tools.html

https://tonigattone.com/store/

https://agrability.osu.edu/sites/agrability/files/imce/2024_September_garden_tools_handout_Ohio_AgrAbility.pdf

You will note that adaptive anything is way more expensive. Try to get past the sticker shock and examine the make of the tools. Do you want to pay for something special-made, or do some things look like you could make or modify your own cheaper? It will likely be a mix of both.

I highly recommend that you stock an accessibility kit and/or accommodations closet. It makes life with disability so much easier when you have a bunch of loose parts you can use to customize things as needed. I've described an accessibility kit (the small portable version) in the notes for "With a Hook and Some Yarn." An accommodations closet appears in the content notes for "A Better Place for Everyone." For garden use I suggest heavy-duty scissors, string, a reel of padded wire, electrical tape, duct tape, padded bike handle tape, universal handles (the strap style and the slip-on style), and pool noodles for starters. Put the kit in something like a garden caddy or tacklebox so it's easy to organize and haul around.

A heavy-duty garden apron with lots of pockets and loops is an asset to avoid bending over to pick up and switch tools. Work pants or cargo pants are also helpful; check your thrift store because some in my area have a special section for work clothes and uniforms.

Check your local agriculture extension office. There are programs for disabled farmers. This may extend to disabled gardeners, in which case, those people will have handouts and referrals for you regarding equipment and techniques. I'm in Illinois and see such displays at county and street fairs sometimes; YMMV. Garden centers and hardware stores are also worth asking, because sometimes stuff isn't in an obvious place or you might not think to connect it with gardening. Some senior centers, health centers, etc. have a club for older or disabled gardeners and can offer resources too.

Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

>> My wife and I managed a few tomato plants and one cucumber plant this year but I want to do more, yet to do it without hurting myself. So I'm doing research for next year. <<

Expand a little at a time. Try a few new things. Do not try to do 20 new things at once.

Spread your gardening over as much of your growing season as possible, to minimize having way too much one month and nothing the next. Four-Season Harvest is good if this appeals to you.

>> If it helps to know, I'm in New England in the U.S.<<

Yes, that helps. You'll need to account for the cold. Consider a small greenhouse or a coldframe on a raised bed, since you don't want to be bending down to one on the ground. If you have a basement and/or garage, those will give you more sheltered space too.

>> What are your favorite ways to make gardening easier on your body? <<

* I grow a lot of native plants, which require much less weeding, watering, and other pampering. I expect most of my plants to fend for themselves. Mulberries, black raspberries, wild strawberries, and sunchokes are some favorites.

* I'm experimenting with landraces. I've got the Shithouse Marigolds (which are edible). I'd like to develop sunflowers and zinnias. A landrace is adapted to your local conditions so again it takes less fussing -- especially if you start off insisting that it fend for itself. Or you can torture it and see what lives, like the Heirloom Survivors Grex tomatoes.

* I do a lot of container gardening, chiefly to minimize weeds. This year I found cheap cloverleaf stackables and made two strawberry towers. The lower pots are hard to water and the wild strawberries surprisingly don't taste good, so come spring I'll need to redo them, but the top pots are at hip height.

* I have two picnic tables covered in pots. Here is the new one. That gives me 3 layers of pots (ground, benches, top) plus thrifted wire shelves on one end. The pots on the wire shelves aren't doing great because the dry out too fast, so I think next year I'll run vines up those.

* Self-watering pots reduce the tendency to dry out and thus minimize need to water. There are other ways to achieve this but I use these most often. Do give the bees somewhere else to drink or you'll be stuffing grass in those holes all summer.

* I like yardsales, thrift stores, dollar-type stores, and other bargain spots for garden tools and supplies. I'll pay a premium for a few special items, but I like bargains because if something doesn't work out it's no big deal. Also they have a lot of things I can repurpose. We got the new picnic table on sale; the old one was a gift from friends.


>> So far I've come across the following ideas: planter boxes on legs, and vertical gardening. Any further ideas are welcome, as are any elaborations on the raised boxes and the vertical gardening.<<

https://placerrcd.org/programs/accessibleraisedbed/

https://growinginthegarden.com/raised-bed-garden-design-backyard-layout-ideas-that-work/

https://brinly.com/blogs/brinlyu/diy-gardening-projects

https://empressofdirt.net/raised-bed-plans/

https://makinglemonadeblog.com/20-brilliant-raised-garden-bed-ideas-you-can-make-in-a-weekend/

https://static.nycgovparks.org/images/pagefiles/185/GreenThumb-resources-design-wheelchair-accessible-raised-bed-design__639a4b3709c39.pdf

https://rootsandrefuge.com/vertical-gardening-on-a-budget/

https://growinginthegarden.com/vertical-gardening-ideas-10-ways-to-add-vertical-space-to-your-garden/

https://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog/pub/em-9403-gardens-are-everyone

https://www.thespruce.com/diy-vertical-garden-ideas-7481062


>> Mostly my interests are in growing vegetables, stawberries, and herbs. <<

There are lots of options for those. Strawberries especially thrive in raised beds or vertical gardens. If you hang troughs on an arch, the berries will tend to dangle through the mesh and can be picked from underneath. Herbs like raised beds because many come from the Mediterranean with light soil that drains fast. Some vegetables like tomatoes and runner beans are usually grown vertically, but you can do with any vining plant like melons or squash. Admittedly you might need to make slings for heavy things like pumpkins.

>>We get lots of sun in our yard.<<

Then you can grow most things.

You might consider permaculture where polyculture guilds stack compatible plants in layers, which gives you the vertical range.

This is Midwest but most will work in Northeast too:
https://midwestpermaculture.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Plant-Guilds-eBooklet-Midwest-Permaculture.pdf

https://pfaf.org/user/cmspage.aspx?pageid=349


Miscellaneous resources for adaptive gardening:

https://ndassistive.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/AdaptiveGardeningTools.pdf

http://www.bville.lib.ny.us/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/AdaptiveGardeningForSeniors.pdf

https://www.uog.edu/_resources/files/extension/05_Enabled_Gardening_Design_Adaptations_Considerations.pdf

https://s3.amazonaws.com/assets.cce.cornell.edu/attachments/56085/Adaptive_Gardening_2021.pdf?1648040191

https://txmg.org/elpaso/files/2020/06/2020_Accessible-Gardening-Tips_2.pdf

https://tuactivitytoolkit.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/adaptive20gardening20websites281291.pdf

https://agefearlessacademy.com/ultimate-guide-adaptive-gardening-for-seniors/

https://www.coolcrutches.com/blogs/news/gardening-with-an-injury-or-disability

https://www.arthritis.org/health-wellness/healthy-living/daily-living/life-hacks-tips/gardening-arthritis-joint-pain

https://arthritis.ca/living-well/2021/top-10-tips-for-gardening-with-arthritis

https://kidsgardening.org/resources/designing-a-school-garden-create-an-accessible-garden/


This is a guide to disabilities and accommodations for work. Some ideas also help at home or gardening.
https://askjan.org/a-to-z.cfm


I hope this helps.

Re: Thoughts

[rafiwinters]

Thanks for both of your nice long answers. Very helpful! :)