Gardening while disabled
This is not an exhaustive list by any means; I do things on the cheap, and I believe there are lots of newer adaptations if you can afford them. Also, my yard is lumpy-bumpy with old mole hills, so some of the wheeled gadgets won’t work. (Also, I’m stubbornly foolish in keeping my 4-circuit labyrinth garden, when of course straight rows would be easier).
One thing that probably doesn’t need to be said (but maybe): Plant what will bring you most joy, not necessarily what will please the neighbors or be “coordinated”. It took me a while to stop planting veggies that I never ate (“but maybe this year”) and switch to flowers that give me great joy as I sit out back. I stopped planting out the front because with limited energy I had to choose. I also plant flowers that might not look coordinated, but each one is something I can stare at for hours.
Raised Beds and Containers
If you only want a small project, container gardening is great. Only issue is that the pots dry out MUCH faster than yard soil. There are gel-bits that hold water (e.g., Quench) that you can mix with the soil before you plant—that helps. One quick trick: Put one or more ice cubes in each pot if you’ll be away or if sun is extra hot. It’s cheaper than those drip hoses.
It’s very good to know how much sun your container area gets—without enough, the plants will just get straggly, and too much burns them or you’ll be watering hourly.
The advantages of raised beds goes beyond not having to bend as much; the soil is lighter and drier so you do not have to work it as hard, therefore weeding and sowing are both easier. And if you make a point of buying good light soil, it will stay friable for at least a couple years. Don’t make them any wider than you can lean in from either side… as my back gets worse, I’m needing “railings” on the edges to lean on, so I can reach in. And it rules out the quick and dirty strawbale raised beds – although if twisting is not a problem, they can be good to sit on while working in the bed.
According to gardeningknowhow wheelchair accessible plant beds should be no more than 30 inches in height (24 inches is ideal) and 5 feet wide. There should be pathways for wheelchairs at least 3 feet wide, smooth and free of obstruction.
Flat Beds and Mulch
If you don’t want/need raised beds, there are still ways to cut down on bending or kneeling. A good sharp hoe can cut out the weeds without you having to bend. I’ve gotten pretty good at using a long-handled claw tool to lift any sod I’ve dug, and sling it into the wheelbarrows.
And I could not do any of my flat beds without my folding kneeler. I can’t get down or up without the handles, and it doubles as a seat, but that’s too much bending forward.
Again from Gardening know how: “if you have trouble bending to plant your garden, mix seed in a jar with small holes punched in the lid and sprinkle them on the soil from a standing position. You can also mix them in gelatin blocks and allow the sun to melt them into the ground.” (That sounds like the kind of clever idea that just doesn’t quite work, but I’d love to hear if someone tries it!)
One time & back saver is mulch. Using strips of newspaper, straw or gardener’s weed-cloth can keep the soil moist longer (less watering). It’s a problem in rainy climates (like mine) though, because it hides the slugs and they can destroy a young garden. I mulch in late spring, when the rains have mostly passed.
Energy Considerations
If fatigue is a limitation, it’s good to make a plan such that you can complete segments that will stand on their own. Either focus on one small area and prepare that all the way, or list out the steps you will need and divide them up over several days. It’s important to get a sense of how tired this makes you (although I know it is also true that fatigue comes and goes, sometimes mysteriously). I also rank tasks in order of importance—in other words, I can live with weeds in some garden beds, so those beds are at the bottom of my weeding list.
Whether it’s fatigue or pain that limits you, find plants that grow easily in your soil or commit to container gardening. The more you can get for less work is a good thing. Although I confess that some plants are simply my favorites and I’m willing to do almost anything to keep keep them alive. In my area, geraniums are so incredibly hardy that if I either forget to water them or do not have the strength at the end of my chores, they hang in there. I can also winter them over in a greenhouse so I do not have to buy a new batch of geraniums. So they are my front porch plants.
Tools
Some tools require movements that will fatigue you or hurt more than others—it’s important to figure out what movements cause you the most trouble. I have tremendous trouble staying bent over, nor can I lean forward and use both hands from a kneeling position—I need to hold myself up with one hand, which makes flat-bed gardening difficult. I still do some, though I have to limit the time, and I’m forever looking for ways to get around that. Sometimes I put the kneeler upside down and lean over it. It’s also hard for me to rake—that movement very quickly hurts my shoulders and neck. In order to save my energy and pain-free moments for my flowers I have given up raking dead leaves; because my garden is organic, the leaves are completely eaten by the various tiny organisms by spring. I know they also shield things like slugs and non-beneficial insects but I have decided the trade-off is worth it—raking leaves is more than I can do in fall when I need to cover plants or harvest vegetables.
A few more hints from https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/special/accessible/gardening-with-disabilities.htm :
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- Foam tubes or large hair curlers placed over the handles will aid with grip and arm splints can also be attached for further assistance.
- Cords attached to handles can be slipped around the wrist to prevent dropping.
- Hanging planters can be fixed with a pulley system that allows the user to lower them for watering or pruning. A pole with a hook attached can also accomplish this task.
To which I would add: check the weight of the tool AND the filled container before you buy, and ask questions. Who knew there were shorter-handled shovels? That alone helped me better manage digging. And I learned the hard way that a bale of peat moss must weigh at least 80 lbs.
Handling Pests
It’s really frustrating to run out of energy trying just to protect your plants, so think ahead (I speak from sad experience). You might need chicken wire around the raised beds (see top photo) or even a deer fence. Better to have a smaller but protected garden than an expansive one that’s eaten in one night! For organic gardening, there are books on companion plants that keep bugs from your main plants (like garlic among the roses). Container pots small enough for gallon milk jugs (with bottoms cut off) protect from flying bugs and cold.
And of course, some of us have feral cats around… the darlings are wonderful, but they really like to use my garden beds as litter boxes! (Even the raised beds). So I will criss-cross small pruned tree branches (or the brambles I have to cut back)—anything to make it hard to get to fresh-dug soil. Once the plants are bigger, it’s not as bad a problem. Straw by itself is no barrier to them, I found, and besides, plants need the light to grow. They say orange peels will repel cats—I haven’t found that, but they do attract slugs—I can put some down and the next day the slugs have hidden underneath and I can toss them away.
On a different level, I’ve found I have to allow myself to process and grieve the new limits, otherwise I push myself too hard and get angry, overtired and sometimes hurt. It’s just a fact that I can’t do what I used to do, and letting go of some things can make what’s left more pleasant.
I don’t want this to be too long, so I’ll stop now. I hope you’ll comment with some of your tips and hints.
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