Gardening is beneficial for both our physical and mental health, but for older people or those with disabilities, kneeling and bending to tend to a garden can seem daunting.
Fortunately, gardening may be more accessible to people with physical disabilities, such as arthritis in the knees, chronic pain or severe fatigue, said Jay Schultz, a disability and health researcher at the University of Vermont.
“Gardening is very easy if you prepare it correctly,” he says.
Fall is the time of year when many gardeners plant bulbs, clear flower beds, and prepare their yards for winter. The Washington Post asked gardeners with disabilities and other experts for their best advice on making gardening more accessible. Here’s what they said:
Refrain from kneeling or bending over raised beds or containers
A raised gardening bed at wheelchair height gives Linda Barnes direct access to plants at the Innova Rehabilitation Center. (Video: Alexa Juliana Ard/The Washington Post)
Raised bed gardens can make gardening more accessible to people with mobility issues, said Wendy Knowlton, program director and chair of a committee that teaches gardening skills to adults with disabilities at the Dartmouth Adult Services Centre in Nova Scotia, Canada.
For gardeners who use wheelchairs, it’s a good idea to make the bed elevated so they can easily access the garden in their wheelchair, she says. U-shaped raised beds are particularly useful because you can sit in the middle and reach all three sides from the same spot, she says.
Instead of gardening in the ground, try container gardening, which involves growing plants in pots or containers. Make sure the containers are at an easy-to-reach height so they can be moved easily, says Phyllis Turner, 77, a Virginia Cooperative Extension Master Gardener who has arthritis and teaches adaptive gardening seminars.
“I’m a firm believer that almost anyone can garden,” Turner says, “even if you’re in a hospital bed, you can pull up a table, put a seed in a pot, put it on a windowsill and the plant will grow.”
Container-grown plants tend to be less susceptible to disease and pests and are easier to care for, she says. One downside is that the soil dries out faster, so you might have to water your plants more often.
Keep in mind that kneeling and bending puts stress on your joints and spine, says Alicia Green, a horticultural therapist at the Chicago Botanic Garden, so people with arthritis or other joint pain or mobility issues should limit the amount of time they spend kneeling or bending in the garden.
Use a garden stool or rolling garden chair
People with joint pain or limited mobility can benefit from garden stools or rolling chairs.
Charis Hill, 36, of Sacramento, sits in a wheeled cart that rolls next to her vegetable patch. Hill has health issues that cause joint pain, fatigue and limited mobility, but she’s used easy gardening techniques to create an oasis of plants, fruit trees, flowers and herbs in her backyard.
“Gardening is a reminder that there are places in this world where you are safe and in control,” Hill said.
Try the Reversible Kneeling Bench
Some gardening tasks require kneeling. Toni Gattone, 75, of Sonoma, California, recommends a reversible kneeling bench with foam padding. Gattone is a seasoned gardener with severe chronic back pain and arthritis who hosts adaptive gardening seminars. She says the advantage of a reversible kneeling bench is that the legs of the bench can double as handholds, helping you raise yourself off the ground while kneeling.
Get tools with telescoping or long handles
Gayle Conley uses a long-reach hoe and cultivator to remove weeds from her garden at the Innova Rehabilitation Center in Alexandria, Virginia. (Video: Alexa Juliana Ard/The Washington Post)
Gardeners with physical disabilities need tools that provide a wide reach. A watering wand can be attached to a hose to make it easier to water plants, while a stand-up weeder uses a claw at the end of a long handle to pull out weeds.
“We want the tools to do the job,” Green says.
Find ergonomic tools that are easy to grip
Peggy O’Bran digs in the garden at the Innova Rehabilitation Center in Alexandria, Virginia, using an ergonomic tool with a thick, easy-to-grip handle. (Video: Alexa Juliana Ard/The Washington Post)
Look for lightweight tools that are easy to lift and ergonomic tools with curved handles to provide the leverage needed for tasks like shoveling dirt. Some tools even have straps, which are handy for people with poor coordination or weak hands. Some garden hoses even have hooks that allow you to hold the handles while you work.
When choosing a tool, Gattone recommends going to a store and having a salesperson take the tool out of the packaging to see how it feels to use.
Turner says you can also make tools you already have easier to grip by adding foam padding and wrapping the ends with tape. He recommends buying pipe insulation and cutting it to the length of your handle.
Reduce labor with automatic water supply devices and automatic water supply systems
To water your plants less often, block the drainage holes in the pot and bury them in soil. Then fill the pot with water and cover the top. (Video: Alexa Juliana Ard/The Washington Post)
You can water your garden less often by burying pots filled with water in the soil around your plants. (Video: Alexa Juliana Ard/The Washington Post)
Turner says to use labor-saving equipment wherever possible, as this will reduce the amount of work required and put less stress on your body. “Less effort makes gardening more enjoyable,” she adds.
Rosemary McDonnell Horita, 29, of Berkeley, California, doesn’t always have the strength or ability to water her plants every day because of a disability that causes chronic pain and requires her to use a wheelchair.
She buries the clay pots in the soil with the drainage holes blocked, fills them with water and covers them, allowing the water to slowly seep through the clay pots into the surrounding soil.
“You just need to water your plants every few days, depending on temperature and dryness,” McDonnell-Horita says.
Try Seed Tape
Turner said the seed tapes could be especially useful for blind or intellectually disabled gardeners, as they come with seeds already attached at the correct spacing and can be planted directly into the soil.
Orthopedic aids reduce stress on joints
Hill wears prescribed knee braces and points out that wearing orthopedic aids provides stability and reduces stress on joints while gardening.
“Wear a brace even when you don’t think you need it,” Hill says. “I often wear one to remind myself not to squat too low, because it hurts. When you’re doing well, you don’t think about the impact of what you’re doing.”
Gattone says compression socks or sleeves can help reduce inflammation, swelling and pain caused by gardening, and he also recommends stretching before gardening and varying your activities to keep gardening tasks to no more than 20 minutes.
“You can use different muscle groups and avoid repetitive movements to avoid pain,” she said.
Use free public resources
“Look for Master Gardener programs in your state, as they often offer adaptive gardening classes that allow for hands-on learning,” says Kathleen Wellington, 72, a master gardener in Fairfax, Virginia.
Purdue University’s National AgrAbility Project maintains a database of tools to help people with various disabilities who want to garden. The site can be difficult to navigate, but Paul Jones, program manager for the project, recommends looking at tools labeled “Gardening” and “Vegetable, Fruit and Flower Production.”
Jones said he has worked with farmers and gardeners with a variety of disabilities, including amputees and quadriplegics.
“Don’t count yourself out,” he said.
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