Oh gee, I broke my ankle about 3 years ago, and had to have someone else plant my garden (I garden on a hillside in terraced boxes). It's TOUGH! Get a backpack so you can carry things around without having to use your hands. Stools are great for areas that are right at hand, but it's tough to reach from a stool, and you may find that sitting on your butt will afford you the most freedom.... whatever you're most comfortable with.

Here's a link to an active website that really helped me get through my broken ankle more easily: My Broken Leg Message Board

I have a recent leg injury. I've been sitting on a milk crate with a pad to do my gardening. When I'm done with one spot, I scoot the milk crate to the next spot. Works for me.

Hi,

I'm "normally" somewhat disabled. I use a cane and (due to hip difficulties)can't squat or get down on the ground easily. To garden, I generally bend from the waist or use a kneeler if I need to get down to ground level for a while. I have raised beds about 6" high (and trellises where needed) for things like tomatoes, peppers, cukes, pole beans that don't require much ground level maintenence once planted. I've got elevated "salad tables" for low growing things like lettuce that require more maintenence at soil level.

At any rate, a few months ago, I really strained my back and couldn't use the kneeler or bend from the waist repeatedly to do stuff in the garden. I ended up gardening from a "transport wheelchair" (with the foot rests removed)that we happen to have.

http://www.1800wheelchair.com/asp/view-product.asp?product_id=1860

It works great! I'm able to roll it along the sides of the raised bed and reach over to tend to things with no problems (the beds are only 3' wide and there's access from both sides). My paths are old lawn and while it's not perfectly level, I have no problems moving the wheelchair along pushing back or forth with my feet. When I want a little break, I can lean back on the backrest with my arms on the armrests and enjoy the garden view. The wheelchair handles at the back are handy for hanging totes (I use plastic handled grocery bags) with any hand tools, twine, etc. you might want with you while gardening.

I also use the wheelchair (pushing it with things on the seat) for moving around things like bags of potting soil, baskets of transplants, etc. And it's great for unloading groceries from the car - I can get in one trip that would take 5 or 6 trips without the wheelchair. I also use it quite a bit around the house for moving a bunch of stuff from one place to another in a single trip. So it has a lot of uses besides as a garden stool.

(It might not work if you have very uneven or muddy paths).

Anne

Assuming that you can use the cane or crutches to get to the garden and back again, is it possible to simply sit down on the mulch and scoot around on your rear to do what you need to do?

I do a great deal of my gardening while sitting on the ground.

I herniated a disc a couple of years ago and bought a rolling garden stool from Harbor Freight, the green one that has a tractor seat. It works well but the tires didn't stay up long. They require a 1/2" shaft not the standard 5/8" shaft which is readily available. If I had it to do over I would spend the extra money and buy the one that you can steer on one end.

Hi again,

Another pitch for the transport wheelchair - this time as compared to the rolling garden seat with the tractor seat - steerable or otherwise.

Seems like if you need crutches and are using the rolling seat, it might be sort of difficult to get up out of the tractor seat. First you have nothing to push off on (except your crutches) and second there don't appear to be any brakes on the things so it can slide out under you. With the wheelchair, you can easily set the brakes and then push up off the chair using the armrests. Having been on crutches several times in my life, I can easily visualize the difficulty (at least for me) of rising from the seat of the tractor seat roller (esp. with no brakes).

Also, reading an old thread on the accessible gardening forum talking about the rolling seat, someone mentioned that the thing could be tippy if the seat was raised towards it's highest level (which, I think is about the level of the wheelchair seat).

The leg rests can also be used on the transit wheelchair, if you want to keep your broken foot off the ground while you garden in one spot.

Finally, if you get tired of getting around the house or other places using crutches, you can take a break by using the wheelchair. The chair's back can fold down and it can be collapsed to easily fit in your car if you want to take it on outings. There are no big sidewheels like they have on regular chairs, so you have to have someone push you (or push your self along with your foot), but it's still pretty easy to get around on. The lack of sidewheels makes it especially good for the garden as you can "siddle up" alot closer to the garden beds.

Oh, just dawned on me that you can also rent them from medical supply houses - maybe you insurance would pay for it!

FWIW,
Anne

I think the advice given is great and can't aid to the sitting scooting, debate as I think most bases have been covered.
a few other ideas I like to offer, firstly if you are working at a lower level, you normal garden tools, may be too big and unweldy in the sitting position and hand tools may be require to much bending, I have in the last week brougt children garden shovel and hoe form Lowes, was under $9 with tax for the 2, they are metal and I feel they would be the ideal size for a chair (they are pink and red! so if male you might not like that idea?? but you could spend more at Target and get a cow design! haha!) I also got a narrow extending rake from The christmas tree store for $4.99 the handle is ? plastic ? thin metal? not sure, but I am sure will last the few weeks you need to heal.
If possible, face the garden square on, not work from the side, and therefore turning side ways, this will end up causing pain to knees, hips, back, shoulders and neck in a very short amount of time!
if you have a cast or dressings don't get them wet or damp, If cast stick a plasic trash bag liner over it and stick it down! this will also stop soil going down into it and irritating you. if dressing, if you have a water proof dressing should be okay if not, again use a trash bag.
Trash bag instead of supermarket bags as the latter tend to have holes in, so useless, and remove as soon as you finish as in this hot whether, you will be sweating and could cause dampness within the bag.
And lastly, good luck, keeping busy and happy can aid healing, lower pain and reduces the chance of depression, but don't over do it, you need rest as well:)
Please check with your doctor before going ahead, they may also have some other ideas?? (and I don't want to be sued! :)) I am not giving this advice in my professional capacity

All of the above is great. However you want to sit, I would suggest expandable hand tools. I got them at HD a couple of years ago and they still work great. If you're still planting seeds, get a length of PVC pipe and roll the seeds down the pipe, then cover with soil with the pipe or the long handled trowel (or there's always regular tools, broom handles and duct tape!)
Check out Accessible Gardening on these boards. You'll find lots of suggestions there! Good luck and happy gardening!

Can you roll through the garden or do you have gravel or some mulch that's not easy to roll through? If you can roll, go to a Wal-mart or Autozone place and get a padded rolley seat that people use to scoot around cars on. There's a tray beneat the seat you could use to hold your tools.

I used one when I was building my raised beds. I just zipped from side to side to screw them together.

The wheel chair idea sounds great, and I do have one for my father. Unfortunately I designed my garden with only every other path wide enough for it. I figured I'd only need wheel barrow access to one side of each bed and it would be wasted space to make every path so wide...

I'm not sure that the little scoot seat would fit either though - I'll have to measure.

Kids tools - hadn't thought of that. Good tip. I have some for my daughters.

Certainly don't have my energy back yet. I did some work yesterday and needed a nap afterwards.

I'm sure it would have made good video for one of those silly British comedies as I hopped with one crutch while adding another level of twine to my tomato weave.

I decided bush beans are for younger people. It's pole for me from now on - which makes me feel suddenly much older. Neither my wife or I can bend over SOOOO long to hunt through the bushes before the pain kicks in. And that WITH raised beds. My daughters aren't near thorough enough yet.

Maybe I need to dig 3' trenches where my paths are.

Silly British comedies? I'll have you know they are biting documentries on normal British life!
no other nation can laugh at itself and ourselves, as much as we do? we are silly :)
Quote
"I'm sure it would have made good video for one of those silly British comedies as I hopped with one crutch while adding another level of twine to my tomato weave."...fell over crashing into you neighbours new fence, with she has just planted her prize winning rare orchid behind? or crashing into the fence which knocks over a bar-b-que setting lite to the gazebo, during a Posh garden party of said neighbour or fence down, pig excapes! during the party, or all three together? is that the one you meant? that was my last summer in Kent :)haha