My sister-in-law has severe arthritis, so had her small garden elevated. She can sit in a chair on either side of it and plant, weed and harvest. It is though a very small garden, just a couple raised beds maybe 3 or 4 ft wide and 10 feet long.

CC, there are all kinds of ways to make things easier and you can learn new ways of doing things. I have to rely on power tools more than ever. I also use a low plastic stool to sit on, or scoot on my bottom while weeding. I build my trellises strong enough that they also serve as a hand rail in the garden. Just fine a way to do the things you want to do with as little pain as possible.

I would suggest you look at the self watering system Melissia posted a few weeks back, that is going to be one of the things I experiment with.

At some point in time we all quit gardening, only you can say when you want to quit. I plan to go on till the fun is gone. I feel that I still have at least a dozen aces up my sleeve that I ain't played yet.

Larry

Trellis as a hand rail!! What a GREAT idea! Gosh, I don't even know why I hadn't though of installing objects as hand rails. I can't use my crutches in the garden. Crutches or canes would just sink. Now I'm "seeing it" .. hand rails all over the garden.

I've noticed those tabletop planters and have it in mind if it should come to that. Shewt, we have enough space to have a bunch of 'em if need be. It'll be a while before it comes to that if I have anything to do with it. I thought about making light weight benches of them and mounting them on tractor wheels, too.

Bill split 55 gallon plastic tubs in half, fills them with dirt and sets them vertically on a dolly to be wheeled to the location point where the dirt it gets sifted, amended and placed in the bed. When it is empty he brings another load. I like these better than wheelbarrows because they can be placed right at ground level and can be scooped while I'm sitting. The rounded bottom allows them to be "rocked". I can lean it over towards me to scoop dirt out. Putting a screen atop allows dirt or compost to be sifted into the tub by rocking instead of harsh shaking. My kids are real good at helping with this part! We sing songs to the tune of the thumping of the dirt.

I have my worms in a 35 gallon rubbermaid tub. It gets too heavy. So, he built a wooden base on wheels so it can wheel around at harvest time.

He modified the old pen ruling machine from the bindery and as a giant planter. He added potting benches on each end. I can't WAIT to have it in full bloom with vegetables, hanging pots and climbing vines. When that baby gets into bloom I'll be taking pictures. Right now it is just a giant barren wooden contraption sitting in the yard. (The entire rig tops out at 7 feet tall at posts, nine foot long and is about four and an half foot wide. The flat "bed" is right at chest height. I desperately need paint or polyurethane to keep the antique structure from rotting. The only paint I have is bright barn red. Yeah, right? No way.

Just today Bill brought out one of the old book carts we had in the bindery. Potted plants and seed beds can be placed on the shelves of the cart and wheeled around instead of needlessly expending precious energy and time walking back and forth.

It's a constant struggle to think "outside the box" to make things happen, but it seems possible to get things done. I'm always looking for new ideas and other people's suggestions! Just one little suggestion, such as the hand rail items, can make a huge impact.

I've read from experienced gardeners that, the older they get, the more neglected the ground garden is opposed to raised beds and mine is no exception. Time tables are hard to manage because my back makes other plans, but things happen by doing some work indoors when needed. I find myself potting things and making preparing pots indoors at night after resting to shorten the work load the next day, but it gets messy. lol Hardening off seedlings can be a struggle. A day gets missed here or there because of pain and the hardening off process need to be started all over again with the more tender varieties.

Honestly, it was the muddy soil that set me off on this subject. Lacking the finer motor skills to maneuver in such an environment without sitting on the ground just completely wore me out and put my back out.

Expecting a storm to come in tomorrow.

Bon

It looks like you have many good ideas.
Have you checked out the Accessible Gardening Forum? It is for those with limited movement or disabilities.

Sammy

(1) Grow vertical so you can stand up and harvest. Use a stool to sit on for the lower branches.

(2) Mulch as early as you can to eliminate weeding.

(3) Consider a wagon for moving bags and pots around.

(4) Pace yourself. Rest when you need to. Start slow in the Spring and build yourself up as you go.

(5) Ask other people to do things that you can't do for yourself, but don't ask if you can do it yourself.

(6) Don't plant more than you can successfully take care of.

(7) Use row covers to cut down on insect pest so you don't have to patrol.

(8) Get a good strong kneeling stool that has handles that help you to get up from the kneeling part.

(9) Consider raised beds or containers only if you find that easier. Very few weeds to take care of.

(10) Only grow what your family will eat. Don't try to do it all. I have no problem using a can of tomatoes in a recipe, but I want the salsa that I make.

(11) Consider your space and your money. If space is an issue, don't grow the space hogs. If money is an issue, then consider which things you should grow instead of buy, and which things wouldn't bother you to buy.

Now.....having said that....

My garden gets bigger every year. I have some raised beds but only because we get extremely heavy rainfall in April and May and those dry quickly. One is a permanent bed of asparagus so I don't have to worry about weeding it.

I covered my garden with mulched leaves last year, so instead of having spring weeds, I just rake the leaves back and plant.

My daughter bought me a wagon with fold down sides for Mother's Day years ago and it has seen heavy use. My DH bought me a flat bed one a few years ago. I used it twice today.

I get lazy over winter, so I have to start slow in the Spring, but I work till I can no longer do so, then rest, and go back and do it some more. After a few weeks, I can work longer and rest less.

I have always been very independent. I broke my back about 25 years ago, and it bothered me when everyone wanted to do things for me that I could do for myself. Even now, I have a hard time asking for help, but now my husband is retired and he needs the exercise, so I make sure I find jobs for him to do. They are not all things I can't do, but they are things that are not easy for me to do.

If I don't use covers for some crops, then I wouldn't get any because I am not going to use dangerous sprays.

My kneeling stool is my best gardening friend. Since my back doesn't bend, I normally have to work only with one hand at a time and use the other hand to keep me from falling on my face. If I move my stood just right, I can lean my arm on the stool to support myself and use both hands a little. My DH said this week that he was watching me and I would work with my left hand awhile, then lean the other way and work with my right. It isn't my hands that get tired, but my arms. Both my arms are sore because of the time I have spent on the ground in the last two weeks, and one arm has a Bandaid on it where I wore a blister, then it broke.

My raised beds are not all the same size, or height, and if I were doing them again I would make sure that they were. Then you could make yourself a seat that would fit over the edges of both beds and let you slide it along in between the bed as you worked. I can put a stool between mine and lean straight forward and almost reach half, but it sure isn't a lady-like position. But since I can't bend, and can't turn, it is either that or be on my kneeling stool.

I don't necessarily find raised beds easier in my situation, but they have good drainage. Containers are easier because you don't have to weed, but you will probably have to water everyday so which one is easier. I have containers, but it isn't because they are easier (because they aren't in Spring), but because I don't have enough sunny locations at my house without moving containers to the more sunny spots outside my garden.

Then there is the economy thing. I can buy what we want to eat but there are several reasons that I don't always do that. The more I grow, then the less fuel will be used to move things across country to me. The food will probably be better than anything I can buy. I want to know how to grow everything because someday I may need to. Then there is the principal of the whole thing, and I refuse to play along with leaders that cause everything to increase in price by making decisions that make the country worse instead of better.

There are lots of kinds of handicaps and not all of them are caused by disease. Excessive weight, age, failure to exercise, failure to understand nutrition, smoking, lack of knowledge about health and fitness, poor gardening knowledge, over-dependency on others. But almost all of these can be overcome or improved by doing a little each day to make life better for yourself.

If you wake up on the right side of the dirt every morning, then you're off to a good start. My feeling is that no one should give in too easily, and should continue to do everything they can for as long as they can.

That was beautiful, grandmom. Itmade me cry cuz it's as though you were talking about me. Jab right at the heart. I keep doing and I keep stuffing my head with as much knowledge to make everything the easiest or to not waste time. When working in that awful mud I returned to the house, napped and went back at it again. I was utterly disappointed at my fatigue even after that but my sore muscles this morning made me understand why. Sore is good!Movementas much as possible is always the best,getting stronger each day.

I'm absolutely certain I can better my health with nutritious foods. I believe much of my problems is from mal nutrition.

I couldn't agree with you more.My garden is not a garden. It's a revolution and my way of flipping my finger at those very leaders.

I LOVE the sliding stool idea and I'm absolutely certain Bill could make it for me.

@ Sammy. Thank u for that suggestion. I will do just that! I think someone mentioned ti last year, but I forgot.

"I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do something that I can do." ~Helen Keller

what due to you for mulch to keep the weeds down. i went out and bought pine bark but it smells like pine, and i want my garden to smell like my herbs, so hope the smell goes away soon.

what about cypress? is this bark actually destroying the trees we need?

i used to have a short 4 legged stool, but it broke, so i need to find another.

guess i will have to get mulched leaves next year. i am in a fix. if i pick up bags of grass or leaves, i end up hurting. even now that i bought a cobra head garden tool my wrist and shoulder hurt from weeding. but i think my wrists hurt from using them to get up.

speaking of kneeling stools. my friend sent me one. i was gonig to give it away but i think i will keep it for older age. it has sides on it that limit how much space i can work in, so that is why i don't like it. and turned around the seat is too tall for me. and kneeling on it hurts my knees after awhile. i need to be able to move around.

my idea is to get as many plants in so they will cover the ground and weeds won't be much of a bother. it was that way when i had an herb garden before. here there is still too much ground showing.

I hate to put myself and "disabilities" in the same sentence. However, since last year, I have developed a back problem which shows up on either end of the digging part of potato growing. It's not the potatoes' fault. This year, I haven't gotten to plant, and I'm having to recuperate before I do. Also, my work (custodial) involves much bending, picking things off the floor and lifting. (Actually, my work is a great blessing, as it is so low stress, pleasant, and keeps me constantly moving.) I find, that when I put my knee pads on, I am much better able to get down and move around on the ground.

At home, I use my knee pads a lot. Also, for me, I've found it WAY better to do little bits of heavier garden work, rather than marathon sessions. This latest experience with back problems probably traces back to spending 6 hours, straight, with a mattock and shovel, filling the back of a pickup truck with dirt. That was simply too much.

My wife's grandfather gardened until the year before he passed away, when he simply didn't have the balance to live at home anymore. Grandma had passed on several years earlier.

Grandpa was a carpenter and an inventor of sorts. He grew up in the Great Depression. Anyway, when he sensed that he was getting to the point that he wasn't going to be able to bend over or climb much, he fashioned himself about a half dozen specialized canes. One had pruners on the end and could be activated by the handle end of the cane. Another was used like a little weeder hoe. Yet another was fashioned for gripping and picking. I'm pretty sure there was a cane for making shallow furrows. One morning Grandpa was doing a little weeding with his cane and came across a marauding rabbit. Quick as a blink he nabbed that rabbit with his cane!

You get the idea. Jerreth's father, Grandpa's son, would make a trip to visit him, in time to till up a little garden patch for him. So the heavier work was done, and Grandpa was able to keep up with his reduced garden by spending the cool hours of the morning and evening puttering out there. He pulled weeds, cultivated, pruned dwarf fruit trees and harvested. He grew Georgia Long Cowpeas for snap beans, as they climb and could be picked without stooping. Six or eight of those beans makes a hearty helping for two or three people, so he didn't have to pick many. Extras went on a picnic table in his front lawn, with a "help yourself" sign. Pods which he missed were later harvested for seed.

I gave Georgia Long seed to Grandma and Grandpa Swalley back in 1985 and they grew it until nearly 2000. In 1996 my family and I passed through on a visit, and Grandpa handed me a Metamucil bottle full of seed, saying, "Here, keep these going for me."

The last to or three years that Grandpa gardened he simply had a little patch tilled in mid-summer and spread turnip seed. It was something, and it was satisfying to eat turnips when frost starting nipping their leaves.

There are ways to garden creatively and one needs to adjust according to limitations. I do like the raised planter idea. That should enable someone with some disabilities to grow when they otherwise could not.

George
Tahlequah, OK

CC, one thing you may want to try. When my wheelbarrow got too hard to use (and needed repair anyway) I took the bed off and ran a small cable through the two front holes in the upper front of the bed and installer two cable clamps. I then attached a hook to the back of the lawn mower. I can roll heaver items into the metal wheelbarrow bed and slip the cable over the hook attached to the lawn mower and drag the material,tools, stool or any other supplies to where I want to work. It works great if I am potting up or just moving rocks. The rounded back on the wheelbarrow bed also makes it easier to dump.

Larry

@Jess I struggle with mulching because I'm unable to buy anything. I can use newspapers and cardboard but it seems they blow all over the yard no matter how much weight I put atop. But surely, that's what I'll be doing again. I can't bear weight on my wrists for reasons you describe. I often find myself resting my entire forearm on the ground bearing my weight normally carried by an upper back. I bet I look weird. Being "lady-like" is just not an option. It's funny, I do listen for the vehicles or trucks coming up the road and try to sway my big butt out of view before it approaches. lol

@macmex Thank you for sharing such a beautiful story. It reminds me to keep my kids in mind, too. What a wonderful generational experience. I bet Bill could fashion up some special canes. Man, I get so weary from bending over to pick up sticks and stuff in the yard when I cannot enlist my son's help. The "grabber" cane type would work. I was trying to use a pitchfork today and it just wasn't happening. I have occasionally considered knee pads. I think it's time to take that thought seriously. I can't bear being on my bare knees, but bending and stooping make my back so sore. The knee pads would allow me to bear my weight on them instead of bending over and provide longevity to my back. Excellent advice! The more I think about it, the more I realize I need to do this.

@Larry Hooking it up to the lawn mower is a GREAT idea. Those rounded bottoms are SO much easier to work with, aren't they? I was out moving cut saplings and dead wood today and my hips got so sore from walking back and forth. Tomorrow I will hook up a barrel to the lawnmower and fill it up and haul it to the section of the yard it needs to be. Presto!

CC - If you shop for knee pads, be sure to put them on in the store and get down on the floor with them on. I can tile a floor on my bare knees, but I can not use knee pads. You may find the sides of your legs are sore if you have back trouble, and the knee pads may hurt more than doing without them.

My husband has some and they work well for him. He insisted that I try them. I got down on the floor and was almost crying before I could get up and get them off, so they are not for everyone.

I like my kneeling stool in the garden because it keeps my knees off of the wet dirt, provides a little knee cushioning, gives me something to hold on to, but most of all gives me a way to help lift myself from the ground.

The disadvantage is that it puts me a couple inches above the ground, and since I have 9 inches of stainless steel in my back and I don't bend at the waist at all, that means I have to bend forward more to reach the ground. Now you see why I either must hold on and why my arms get sore from pressing on the stool with one arm to hold myself up while using my other hand.

Every time I write about this, I think how helpless I sound, and that really isn't the case. I gave up horse back riding and water skiing, and that is about all. I can still do almost everything that I could do before, but I had to find a new way, a new tool, or a new position, to help me adjust to the change. I was cautioned to never lift over 40 pounds even after I healed. (They pack those gardening bags just for me. HaHa) Still I wouldn't carry one across the yard or garden, but I can have the store load them, when I get home I roll my wagon to the back of my SUV or truck, and kind of roll them out on the wagon and pull them to where they are needed. I only lift them when I must.

If you have to change your life to cope with your illness, then eliminate something that you don't enjoy, but gardening sounds like something you do enjoy. It was always hard for me to take out the trash, not because I couldn't carry it out, but because I couldn't stand in the position I needed and pull at the same time to get it our of the kitchen trash can. It would always hurt. I could load the dishwasher easy enough because I could pop down for a minute and put something in, but it was hard for me to unload. If I started to pick something up and it hung on something else, I would have to let go and pop back up, or I would fall over. My youngest son said, "Mom, from now on, the kitchen trash is to be left until I get home from school, and I am tired of hearing dishes break so I will keep the dishwasher empty." He did those two chores until he left for college, and that was a big help to me.

My floors aren't shiny, and you could probably write your name in the dust, but my garden looks pretty good, and that dust will still be there tomorrow while it is raining. It is all about choices. It is also about not feeling guilty when you can't do everything you once did. Most of all it is about finding pleasure in your life and maintaining your health to the point you can continue to do things for yourself and your family. I believe that discouragement is Satan's very best tool, and if we aren't discouraged, we will keep plugging on, and we win. He loses! Just keep trying and you will find a way to cope. Carol

@grandmom Your son sounds very very special! My son is only seven but knows his primary role is to help take care of his younger sister when Mom can't. He's a huge blessing. She's four and when the three of us go out big brother is on her tail every second. I'm terrified I cannot move fast enough if something happened. What a blessing a loving family can be! I'm enjoy our intimate relations while working the garden. One day I spotted empty seed pots lying on the ground. Someone had strategically placed a ground-cover blossom about three inches tall in every pot. My daughter has the bug. This year's excess grape hyacinth brings her joy and seeing her amongst them I cannot decide which flower is more beautiful. Her cutting vases are full and she wants pink flowers, too. "Can I have more, Momma?" I agree. "Have ta wait 'til they grow, 'ight? Next year?" I sometimes wonder if we'll start the pink and white peonies or American rose bushes she'll carry on her wedding day. I wonder if she'll grow her own garden in a day and time these monstrous corporations and government officials force-feed us their dangerous chemicals and vaccinations. OH wait. They're already doing that... Another forum, Bon. Another forum.

Odd how those knee pads worked out, innit? I understand the precarious nature. Thank you for reminding me to experiment first. Just as soon as I find something that does work my back will take a different turn or for the worse and the solution becomes a problem, a hindrance or even creates a new obstacle! Even so, there are days it seems I'm perfectly fine but those days are few. Attitude plays such a huge role and gardening has changed me. Some mornings I awake with a dismal outlook not wanting to suffer any more and think a .45 a better option than a pill. I know my kids are hungry, but I cannot even get out of bed. But, then, I look at the window, see the sunshine and wonder if those beautiful little seedlings are doing okay. Did they grow much over night? How about those I haven't checked in a while? Before I know it, I'm up, outside, my hands are dirty and everything is right as rain while the kids have helped themselves to the poptarts and orange juice. I plan to have indoor plants this winter including some bulbs to force reminding me of spring. Maybe an indoor tomato plant, too.

I had several mini strokes last month. Ever since, I have heart palpitations under emotional or mental stress. Just a simple old gnarly thought can bring it on. When that happens I focus on the herb growing in the window or walk out into the garden. Content passes over.

I'm never giving it up. If a nursing home is in the forecast for the future they had best allow potted plants.

blessings
bon

Another tip on knee pads: my knee pads at home work pretty well, but they tend to ride down my legs when I walk, which is quite annoying. At work, they have these black foam rubber knee pads, with only one strap each. They have sort of a cup design. They look like they wouldn't stay put. But they never budge. I find myself putting them on for some specific task and then leaving them on the rest of the day... because they feel so good. At home, I end up taking them off because I get tired of hitching them back up again.

George

I was looking around and found this website that might be useful. It links to other sites that have all kinds of tools for people with arthritis.

I want to second vertical gardening. I am turning most of my garden vertical just so I don't have to bend and get down on the ground so much.

I ran across some telescoping tools a while back, if I can find the link I will put it here.

Hope it helps!

Here is a link that might be useful: Click here...

I found a thing at a garage sale. If you turn it one way it has handles to help you down when you need to kneel or lift when you stand back up. It has a nice stiff foam pad. If you need to sit turn it over and it is a small bench.

I seen then on tv years ago and I think they sold them at ACE hardware too. It sure helps my back and my knees too.

My kneeling stool is another brand but it is a lot like this one.

Here is a link that might be useful: Stool

Hi Plantermunn, I just wanted to say it is very nice to see you here. I've missed you.

Dawn

Plantermunn What a stroke of luck to find at a garage sale, huh? And it sounds very much like something I could use. I'll keep an eye out for one.

And Ezzirah.. girl, I NEED a couple of those tools they have there. Thank you! When I get paid, I'm looking forward to getting me three items. I thanked them profusely and asked them for a catalog hoping they have more, but no, just what's online.

I did have a chance to peruse the accessibility forum. I really love the spirit of some of those gardeners have - especially those in chairs. Wow! There I found a few more ideas, but not as good as these were. :) Mostly, I was reminded to plan ahead while building this garden of mine; keep things level and plan for accessibility with crutches or wheel chair. It would be pathetic to build it and need to restructure it later. So, I should start now. Mostly, I think the raised beds (3 foot or more) got the best reviews for accessibility.

Another idea I read from a gentlemen that was on another board, he could not get down on the ground to direct sow seed. So what he did was carry out with him a stick and a piece of pvc pipe. He poked the stick in the ground to make the hole to put the seed, rolled the seed down the pvc pipe into the hole, then would tap the dirt over with the stick. Rather ingenious idea I thought.

Here is a link to telescopic garden tools....

Here is a link that might be useful: click here

You got me going Ezzirah. I found a few very helpful links to some VERY important tools including some more telescoping items. I must put these links here in case someone stumbles across this post looking for some solutions, too.

I absolutely must have some of these tools they make such as the garden trowel and weeder that have forearm attachments placing the weight from force onto the upper arm rather than the wrist! With these tools I can do some things I can't do without. Way cool

{{gwi:1088720}}

Here is a link that might be useful: Fist Grip Easi-Grip Tools

I have been out trying to stir my soil to let the sun and wind dry it a little.

Although I don't consider myself disabled, I can not do a lot of things I once did with ease. I can hardly use a shovel or spading fork and most often have to get on my knees or on a low stool to do weeding.

The tools shown are inexpensive and easy to use.

Larry

I have degenerative Disc and arthritis in my back as well. I pace myself. 15 minutes weeding, then 15 minutes doing something standing, 15 minute break with ice tea on the deck. It seems to work for me. Also, a shower chair is a great help. It has adjustable legs. It is waterproof and I just leave it out in the garden all summer long.