Senior gardening. Toning it down and dealing with fatigue

5 years ago

I have been gardening my whole life, including seed starting under lights. The last few years, due to pain and fatigue of chronic Lyme disease, my gardens have gotten out of control with weeds. The rodents eat all my food and I need a new fence. A third of my indoor started seedlings never got planted.

I fear I will be giving up my gardens soon, to just container plants and it is hard to accept and deal with. I already miss the veggies I grow.

How do you seniors make gardening easier and productive? How do you deal with the WORK?

Featured Answer

bossyvossy

5 years ago

One thing that is very important to keep in mind is that for ME, It is a hobby/labor of love. For whoever I hire to help, it is a JOB. Two entirely different perspectives and one must be tolerant of a person that doesn’t get excited about this little bitty plant that finally cropped up after two years. Or yanks only the visible part of weed rather than pulling every bit of root, as we would. Finally, if these folks could work in an a/c office rather than sweating buckets, they would. So, tolerance and graciousness goes a long way when looking for garden help. If they love gardening as one does, then you’ve found the gardening unicorn and must thank the Garden Gods, ha.

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Comments (57)

Saypoint zone 6 CT
5 years ago
I had to cut back at my old house, where I had an acre with a lot of garden area. I had eliminated one border (about 8 ft. X 70 ft.) completely, and gradually transitioned another to more shrubs and fewer perennials. I also gave up the veggie garden. Then we moved to a 1/3 acre lot where I promised myself I wouldn’t start planting a lot of stuff, lol. I have a small shade garden next to the patio, four small mixed beds, and the POs profusion of KO roses in beds that I’m going to reduce in areas that are not visible from the patio. New areas that I’m planting for privacy are easy care shrubs. I plan to try to limit myself to some patio containers, we’ll see how that goes. I planted 4 window boxes this year, but I’m taking them down at the end of this season. I only see them when I leave or arrive home, what’s the point of the extra work and expense if they’re not where I can enjoy them?

I’ve also hired some help for the first time. I have someone do spring and fall cleanup, mow, edge, and most important, mulch, which really killed my arthritic back. He is doing all of my new shrub plantings, something I always did myself. Though he has a mowing service, he has a degree in hort and is able to do just about anything I need. He’s willing to plant, weed, anything. This leaves me the puttering, fertilizing, deadheading, so I still can enjoy it without having it gets away from me.

If I couldn’t afford the extra help, I would further reduce the planted areas to what I could manage and focus more on shrubs with fewer perennials. And relax my standards of neatness. My mother is 93 and still mowing her own lawn, has flowers and veggies, and puts out about 200 lbs. of birdseed each winter. I don’t have her genes apparently.
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mxk3 z5b_MI
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
Good advice above. Also, raised beds have come a long way -- some of the planters are large and really nice, like this one. Something like this would allow you to still enjoy some vegetables and allow for ease of planting and tending.

Totally agree with cutting back to what is manageable, though -- I think if you sit down and put some thought into what is important to you and what it is that gives you joy out there, you'll be able to figure out a way to still partake in it. Maybe that's hiring out the "heavy lifting" or routine lawn care, or maybe that's more containers, fewer annuals, investment in equipment and tools made for aging/disabled, etc etc.
susanzone5 (NY) thanked mxk3 z5b_MI
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gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
I downsized 10 years ago, as both my heavily planted garden and an older house were getting too much to maintain with the time and $$ I had available. And since virtually ALL my design clients want a low maintenance landscape, I am pretty familiar with what plants in my area fit that bill. So most of my inground plantings are pretty low maintenance shrubs, dwarf conifers and groundcovers. I do include a few perennials I would not be without but they tend to be pretty low maintenance as well. Most everything else is in containers and while they do require more maintenance than inground plantings usually, at least I do not need to schlepp them indoors for winter!

And I do get help as needed. My property does have a lawn service and I am not fanatical about a pristine lawn anyway. But I have more skilled help that will come in a couple of times a season to do a clean up and dig up or plant larger items. And mulch or spread wood chips. I also restrict any edibles to a couple of tomatoes, an assortment of herbs and two containerized raspberry plants. If I want anything else, I just buy it at the farmers' market!!
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donna_in_sask
5 years ago
You can build raised beds that allow for better access...I'm talking about something almost table height. Think about what you actually eat and what can be purchased in-season for cheap. I would just grow enough for my immediate family. A lot of people with large gardens are giving away a lot of their produce anyway.
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User
5 years ago
I'm still pre-senior (by a decade) but I find it hard to keep up with the yardwork while holding a full-time job and dealing with painful osteoarthritis. Over the last two years I've made some changes in anticipation that things will only get worse.

- I reduced the number of large containers -- I'm phasing out potted roses and hydrangeas.

- Plants that die or struggle in any way are not replaced -- no more coddling. Instead I divide a star performer and plant it in their place. I'm going Darwinian!

- I'm not growing veggies that require extra work -- e.g. handling tiny seeds, thinning, dealing with elaborate supports, pests, etc.). Instead, I chose easy to handle crops like bush beans and hybrid tomatoes. Nothing that needs to be harvested all at once and preserved. And no heirloom anything -- resistance and productivity is a must.

- I'm getting rid of strawberries -- I can't keep up with the !@#$% runners and critters. But I'm keeping blueberries and late raspberries which require minimal maintenance.

- I'm seriously considering replacing some perennial borders with mixed shrubs, including landscaping roses, and mulching heavily.

- I've always let my grass go brown in the summer, so no adjustment necessary here :)

That's my plan so far...
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susanzone5 (NY)
Original Author
5 years ago
Garden helpers. I have to make a lot of phone calls because the calls I've made so far (co-op, high school, etc) don't have helpers. Gotta find a pro, maybe put an ad in the paper.

Thanks for the ideas.

I think it's the veggies I miss. They take so much work weeding, trapping rodents and insect pests, and regular watering. It exhausts me.

You're right that shopping for veggies is easier (and enjoyable!) but growing peas, beans, and greens is so gratifying. Gratifying to the animals, too.

Phone calls...I want a personal assistant. Too many answering machines, menus, and waiting for callbacks and redialing.

I think flowers are what make me happy and they're easier, especially the perennials and fragrant shrubs.
Saypoint zone 6 CT
5 years ago
This was posted a long time ago, and is still in the gardenweb FAQ section. It’s a good read.

https://faq.gardenweb.com/discussions/2766806/how-do-i-create-a-low-maintenance-winter-garden-in-colder-zones
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holleygarden Zone 8, East Texas
5 years ago
Have you read this? It's a classic on Gardenweb, and has a lot of great suggestions. I try to go back and re-read it every so often just to remind me of what I should be doing.

Your Aging and Winter Gardens
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holleygarden Zone 8, East Texas
5 years ago
Saypoint, I think we posted at the same time! Great minds think alike! LOL
woodyoak zone 5 southern Ont., Canada
5 years ago
I have already done most of the things - or something like them - that were suggested in that link....! Spring and fall are the killer times :-) I kept track of the number of hours it took DH and I to do the spring clean-up this spring - 27.... Fall will likely be less but something totaling maybe half that. The rest of the season is mostly manageable with deadheading and weeding paths the main chores - paths are effectively 'bare ground' which causes too many weed seeds to germinate! (We didn't mulch the paths this year to reduce spring chore time - even with the weeding - scuffle hoe - it took less time and effort than adding mulch would have (and there still would have been weed seeds germinating in the mulch....)! The major summer chore is watering the veggie pots DH has on the driveway - when that gets to be too much work, we could just stop planting the pots.... If we returned any of the garden areas to grass, that would actually result in more labour than the keeping the beds - although it would be easier to hire out lawn mowing than bed maintenance :-) So, spring and fall are my big sticking points. Spring clean-up happens before school is out and fall after students are back in school - so those labour sources are not available when they would be of most use. I wouldn't trust most lawn services to touch my garden! :-) I need someone/people to work under our direction. The only local business I have found that looks suitable is very expensive! I guess I need to keep looking but I'm not sure where to look!
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Labradors
5 years ago
Just a thought about your garden being a fair walk from the house. Mine is too, but I have a shed that's not too far away. Someone came up with the bright idea to place a mailbox in the garden to house things like pruners, string, etc. etc.

I have a veggie garden as well as planters (for compact tomatoes) on the deck. The planters are easier in a way, although they need a ton of water this year as it has been so hot and dry..... I will have to cut back one of these days!

Linda
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Josie23: Zone 5: WI
5 years ago
Mulch, Mulch, Mulch! Tomatoes, peppers, cabbage, broccoli, Zucchini etc are planted into black landscape fabric. Sometimes you can get 2 years out of it sometimes it needs to be replaced every year. I need to every year because the multitude of deer trash the fabric from walking on it all season. Onions, spuds, beans etc get hay around them. Preen can help with weeds too.

Cut back of course or plant more perennials that can have rock or wood mulch around them. If you go smaller try to can/freeze on a cycle. One year grow extra tomatoes and preserve enough for 2-3 years, the next year plant extra beans and preserve enough for 2-3 years, the following year extra cucumbers etc. That way you won't have to preserve everything every year just one or two items each year to restock your pantry.
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User
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
Grief, I am having a horrible time trying (and failing) to manage 3 gardens, 2 of which are not nearby. The woods have set me on a steep learning curve (although I am still meandering in the foothills rather than scaling summits of garden majesty)...but are pointing me in a possible direction. The allotment is a complete mish-mash and testament to my ADHD approach to gardening - a continual experiment which lately manages to reach fruition, maturity, any sort of restful solution and a desperate jumble of various styles, schemes and mad projects. It is a mess...while roses and trees, planted 15 years ago, are all of immense stature, impossible to get past, move without intense effort or even sit in peace because it is a dire mix of lovely things and complete weed infested horror. I have been pitting off the huge overhaul for 4 years because I am stuck in a limbo of owning land too far away to effectively garden...while renting my allotment with the continual hope that some magical force will propel me off my idle arse and do a house swap nearer the wood. Consequently, I have been reluctant to spend any $$$ )actually £££ but)...and the allotment is also going downhill.

So.. I am giving up containers and vegetables.

Seed sowing can be done directly in nursery beds (former vegetable beds)...so plants can reach a decent size before an autumn transplanting (in the wood). So all plants can be grown in rows while the garden can be planted with a shrubbier plant list allowing just a few seasonal container treats - auriculas and bulbs...which need replanting/repotting every year anyway...whereas many of my other containers are showing exhaustion...while I have barely a single square metre to attempt repotting and refreshing the obviously knackered pot mix.

I am going to spend my gardening budget on a fogging system for cuttings...because when I really get down to it, it is the growing of plants rather than owning/arranging/maintaining them, which really floats my boat.

The biggest obstacle (for me) is financial. I cannot afford any help. I can barely afford to garden at all, unless I grow my own plants from seed I have saved, swapped or scrounged. Much as I wish it were not so, having a fat purse is definitely one of the most effective ways of reducing work.
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vgkg Z-7 Va
5 years ago
I sometimes daydream about starting a gardening class where the students do all the work as I teach them everything I know. It would be a 3 seasons gardening course, spring, summer, autumn, and parts of winter lasting 10 months. No fee other than seed money donations, and of course everyone takes veggies and fruits for homework.
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gumby_ct
5 years ago
<daydream about starting a gardening class where the students do all the work>

Find the Master Gardener Coordinator in your area and ask (call or email) - often the students will work for a reasonable price. Just keep in mind they are students and many are also seniors.

Also worth noting that gardeners tend to live longer - it is thought to be do to the exercise they get. So following some of the excellent ideas mentioned here is good advice.
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mxk3 z5b_MI
5 years ago
"Much as I wish it were not so, having a fat purse is definitely one of the most effective ways of reducing work."

Ain't that the truth...
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CA Kate z9
5 years ago
At 73 I have hired help doing most of the yard, especially the hard work part. I have pots of the few things I do love fresh. Since there's just one now I rarely can, and only do small amounts of things like freezing fresh corn.... a big difference from what I used to do. My life as an elderly single with bad knees sure has changed a lot about the way I live life. And, other things have taken priority, like grandkids.
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Jay 6a Chicago
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
Susan, I can relate. I'm not a senior citizen yet, I'm 59 and was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer 9 years ago. I have hernia issues too. I'm now staying with my friend and caretaker, and have started a couple gardens over here. My main garden at the other house probably looks more overgrown than yours. I have an old wooden fence that has seen better days too. I do have some weeds over there, but mostly its my native plants that have multiplied exponentially beyond their bounds. I had surgery last September which took about 3 months to recover from, so never had an oportunity to do fall cleanup and deadheading. My hernias were causing issues which made me almost entirely imoble,early this spring, and then I got better, but it caused me to get a very late start with gardening this year. I can't do what I used to be able to do, and very heavy lifting is out of the question. I try to go out and garden maybe an hour or two a day. I try not to overdo it. I still love my overgrown garden. There are so many plants in it that it feels like I'm exploring some jungle. Always find cool little surprises as I explore. The one problem is protecting my coveted plants from tall unwanted volunteers.I was on a mission to totally eradicate my Campsis radicans, and now I see its nearly reaching the roof of the house. I live to garden, and and if I expire while I'm out there, just bury me in the compost pile, which is quite large and desperately needs to be turned. I just got my medical cannabis card today, so a nice edible, and then spending time in the garden, precious!
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cearbhaill (zone 6b Eastern Kentucky)
5 years ago
At 63 I'm not at the difficulty stage yet- and hoping to delay it forever, lol.

I do work out fairly hard to stay capable and also took up running last year to help keep old age at bay- I'm going into it fighting my hardest. I spend most of each winter working out specifically in preparation for spring gardening- I tend to overdo it and need to keep my back healthy and staying strong is what does it. Stretching and yoga, too.

All I can say is work out and stay as fit as possible within the limits of your physicians recommendations. Mine is a "use it or lose it" kind of philosophy.
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katob Z6ish, NE Pa
5 years ago
I like the one hour a day guideline. I've always been lazy by nature, but lately when I manage to get up and back to work there are an awful lot of aches that come with it... and I'm still just short of 50!

This year I'm eying groundcovers and longer handled tools that let me avoid the crawling around on my knees and constant bending over. Weeding is what gets me the most so a nice sharp hoe and plenty of mulch are my best friends. Unfortunately I'm too cheap to use my gardening dollars on buying wood mulch and I'm nervous about the termites I keep finding in it so the mulches I use (leaves and grass clippings) don't last as long as I'd like.
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ilovecucumbers Zone 6b, NE PA
5 years ago
Or you could be mentors to a to a school that is starting a gardening program, to a prison program that has a garden, or to someone like me, who has only a few good years left to Garden, who is trying to establish a client Garden in a homeless shelter. I feel you guys. I am 55 now and I dread the day when I can't bend stoop stretch and dig. And that's when I plan to pass on whatever I've learned, which is admittedly not much, to anyone who shows an interest.
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schoolhouse_gw
5 years ago
I agree with everyone's comments. Good suggestions too. Also find that Spring is the hardest for me now days. This year I never really got the chores done until the second week in July. I've made myself do one job at a time per day instead of two or three.

And I've been collecting cordless garden tools. No more dragging long electrical cords around, getting them caught on rocks, tripping over them, CUTTING them accidentally.

A hand held cordless reciprocal saw for pruning and cutting privet hedge branches too thick for loppers (and not having to use the pruning saw) and other woody stems, even small branches of trees. Cordless weedeater, hedge shears - small hand held ones for boxwood, and a 24" hedge trimmer for other, and my favorite - cordless leaf blower! It's small and lightweight and does a terrific job. All Black and Decker which means chargers are interchangeable. Plus the run times are fine, not hours, but surprisingly long enough.

Now all I need is a cordless edger! I can use the weedeater but that doesn't always cut the grass growing over the edge but I'm still learning how to do that. A cordless shovel would be nice too.......
susanzone5 (NY) thanked schoolhouse_gw
gumby_ct
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
< Also find that Spring is the hardest for me now days.>

When this happened to me I figured that it came from being "couped-up" all winter - (cabin fever) and not using those muscles all winter long.

What helped me more than anything (ie medications) is doing yoga and finding a store (large enuff) to walk inside daily - Walmart, Home Depot, etc., I don't like malls. No shopping just walking the perimeter and parking farther away from the front door.

It is the yoga that really helps my arthritis where sitting idle just aggravates it.
susanzone5 (NY) thanked gumby_ct
vgkg Z-7 Va
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
I often felt that tipping toeing, stretching, reaching, squatting, bending all within a 500 sq ft area while picking ripe watermelons was kinda like yoga .....combined with a game of Twister.
susanzone5 (NY) thanked vgkg Z-7 Va
gumby_ct
5 years ago
AND the reward is fresh fruits n veggies along with an extended life.

Said another way - the rewards of gardening are many.

Its been said the reason sky divers wear parachutes is in case they like it and want to do it again.
susanzone5 (NY) thanked gumby_ct
kitasei
5 years ago
What I learned as a volunteer gardener at the NY Botanical Garden is to do the spring clean up in the fall. Cutting down the dead plants went against my instinct to protect the crowns (and add winter interest) but the gardener explained that it was otherwise impossible to get everything up and going in time for opening in spring. I reaiized how pleasant it is to be outside in the fall, and the occasional warm days that punctuate even a brutal winter, while spring is frantic and I shouldn't be stepping on warm soil anyway. So I now really try to clean up the garden in fall.
susanzone5 (NY) thanked kitasei
schoolhouse_gw
5 years ago
I am not idle during the winter, just on "vacation". : )
susanzone5 (NY) thanked schoolhouse_gw
woodyoak zone 5 southern Ont., Canada
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
Since I don't need to be concerned about getting the garden neat and tidy for spring visitors on a particular schedule, I let the garden's needs dictate the schedule - and that means a lot of stuff gets left until spring. In the fall, fallen leaves get raked into the beds (particularly in the backyard) and left to rot down over winter to feed the soil. The woodland plants, in particular, would not be happy with 'raked clean' beds as their natural environment would include a lot of fallen leaves. By leaving a lot of organic matter in the beds (and planting densely), I avoid the need to add organic matter via mulch - which avoids a lot of work! In both front and back the main fall cutting-things-down entails cutting things down that have stiff stems that don't break down easily or would be too messy-looking (e.g. phlox, hardy hibiscuses and veronicastrum) or would uproot the plant when the stems are pushed over by wind or snow (e.g. Persicaria polymorpha), cutting back anything that seeds too much (e.g. Phlox 'David', asters, daisies and coneflowers - which get deadheaded regularly and then the remaining stalks removed in fall) and anything prone to disease (e.g. peonies). Most of the rest are left in place until spring so the dead foliage can feed the soil. In spring any obtrusive dead stuff is removed (e.g.the central stalks of Solomon's Seal and Kirengeshoma, dead grassy iris foliage, etc.) and, if necessary, remaining dead foliage is pulled away from the crowns. So fall is busy but spring is busier. I don't worry too much about stepping on soil compacting it as there are a lot of paths in the garden that let us do a lot of the work while standing on a path. So I've done what I can to minimize work but it's still an issue these days - particularly in spring - because of the size and extent of planting in the garden.... *sigh*
susanzone5 (NY) thanked woodyoak zone 5 southern Ont., Canada
defrost49
5 years ago
Just recently I suggested we do a CSA next year because I was so sick of weeding. I did not go to the gym last winter and I suffered for it. I pay a monthly fee that gives me unlimited use of the gym and most classes. The morning classes are usually filled with retirees. As Lone Jack suggested, a motorized cart is a big help. I have a very old riding lawn mower, mower deck removed, with a little cart hitched. The cart might have been new but the mower was bought used. Fortunately my husband can do almost all the maintenance. I use 5-gallon buckets for weeds and compost. A spading shovel, spading fork and hoe are always in the cart. I put away a scuffle hoe since I like a hand weeder a lot. I can't understand why they aren't sold in all nurseries and plant centers. My first one was a Cape Cod weeder. The current one is similar to a cobra head weeder. I also wear inexpensive gloves with the rubberized palm and fingers that grip better.

We don't have a perfect lawn. It gets mowed and sometimes I ask my husband to bag the clippings so I can use them for mulch.

Regarding budget: Craigslist! Our aged horse manure was free. The grass clippings and old newspapers are free. (I put wet newspaper down on paths then cover with grass clippings to keep them weed free.) Also, end of season sales. The local supermarket had organic bark mulch on sale for 99 cents for 2 cu. ft bags. Trouble is, the bags weighed 40-50 lbs so I had trouble getting them into a cart and into the car.

Water source: life was made a lot easier when my husband installed a yard hydrant next to the vegetable garden and the hose is on a reel. The hydrant was actually free but installing the water line from the house required a backhoe. We are lucky to own one.

I am longing for a pear tree but I'm not sure that's going to happen. (Looking at a 3 in 1 tree). We are lucky to have PYO strawberry, blueberry and apple farms so I don't need to grow my own. I think I need to be realistic about what I plant because the uneaten greens (i.e. kale) just end up in the compost pile but they needed seeding and weeding time. It would be smarter to buy those things. What I decided was worth the investment was last year putting in two asparagus beds (25 crowns each). My husband helped with the digging and planting but weeding was up to me. It took a lot of hours to weed those two beds this year but then they got fertilized and a thick layer of mulch added. I read that asparagus is sweetest within 4 hours of picking and it is true.

I think garlic is an easy crop. After fall planting it gets a thick layer of straw mulch. Very little weeding is needed after that. I'll have a year's worth of garlic to harvest soon. Potatoes also get a heavy straw mulch. The beetle problem isn't too bad if I patrol daily. I have a container in the garden cart so it's always handy or I leave one with a cover in the garden. Instead of squeezing bugs and larvae I knock them into a container.

The trellises are permanently in place until I want them moved so there's no yearly hassle of erecting them. They are panels of concrete reinforcing wire held upright by three steel posts. Eventually the anchor to the posts rusts away but it takes years.

I suggest replacing vegetable garden with lasagna style beds. If they are weedy this year it doesn't matter. Mow the weeds. Put down layers of wet newspaper or cardboard. Cover with anything that will compost. In the spring I top with a layer of composted manure. You'll have hardly any weeds the first year. Borrow the book because you should pile up layers of greens and browns about 24 inches tall. It will compact over winter and you will get tons of earth worms. When I did my first one I just built it slowly over the summer and fall when I didn't have time to put in a garden.

I do beds with wide grass walkways which my husband mows. The bad thing is the weeds with runners that try to invade the beds. Sometimes I put down an edging of wet newspapers covered with grass clippings.

I just do small batch easy water bath canning. We don't care for canned beans but must have canned tomatoes, salsa, etc. I also dehydrate some things.

Yes, my back is aching and I'm having a problem with one shoulder. But I don't think I can stop entirely.
susanzone5 (NY) thanked defrost49
gumby_ct
5 years ago
<Yes, my back is aching and I'm having a problem with one shoulder. But I don't think I can stop entirely.>

IMO, Stopping allows the muscles to atrophy beginning immediately. And allows the arthritis to get worse. Keep the joints moving to keep them loose.

This is why doctors now get knee & hip patients up and walking immediately after surgery - to keep muscles from atrophying and it reduces the therapy needed in the long run.
defrost49
5 years ago
My gp said if I felt more flexible after starting out stiff, that was a good sign. I also don't have a problem with my shoulder when I'm working (I'm careful about how I use a spading fork) but when I'm resting. And it might be aggravated by how I sit in front of the computer. LOL
cyn427 (z. 7, N. VA)
5 years ago
Even back in the early days of hip replacement, Dr Rothman in Philadelphia had my mother up and walking immediately. We were so surprised, but it is necessary!
User
5 years ago
Senior here & I hate that I can't get down on the ground very easily to plant & weed anymore. I am very slowly (with my hubs help) digging up the few things that either were passed on from my mom or other plants that are especially special to me & moving them where I can get to them easier. I am going to plant more shrubs. I wish I could continue what I did for 40+ years but no way. Also, planting more annuals from seed by scratching the dirt & sprinkling seed.
Jay 6a Chicago
5 years ago
I can relate. At least you have a little help. Getting down to weed and plant takes a little effort. It's the getting back on my feet part thats the real bear!
defrost49
5 years ago
I skipped going to the gym all winter and that was a big mistake. I started doing better as the season progressed but I don't get down on my knees. I crouch or bend over but I don't kneel. BUT we need to keep in mind that if we can't get up off the ground we won't be able to get up off the floor either. Sis takes care of our parents and has had to call 911 for help getting one up off the floor if they fall. When I take classes at the gym, I have to think real hard about getting down on a yoga mat and back up again but it's something I have to do.
gumby_ct
5 years ago
<Getting down to weed and plant takes a little effort. It's the getting back on my feet part thats the real bear!> +1

For me going down is no problem it is getting back up. Yoga does help not only with flexibility but relieves the arthritis pain and also improves balance. Give it a try esp. over the winter.
R Joy
9 months ago
I love all I've read. I'm indoors for recovery myself after soreness of branch trimming yesterday. I don't do veges. Just maintain existing flower & shrub gardens.

A few tips:

1 Reduced the need to mow one awkward area beside a fence by laying Goodyear garage flooring 2 yrs ago. Pinned it down to make a walking path & it's working well.

2 Reduced horribly weedy area behind & in front of gazebo by laying down artificial turf mat.

3 Drink Emergen-C or other electrolyte drink with collagen to help body

4 Weed whack weeds instead of pulling them. Mark Cullen said that once and if it's good enough for him, good enough for me though weed whacking is still hard on the back.

I use a 24-V Worx that is fairly lightweight and the battery also fits in a blower I use for cleanup.

5 For an extra fee Dirt Cheap near me guys will pour the dirt or mulch where you assign. (I've done a variety of options over the years including free Chip-Drop for cost savings). Front garden full of Crown Vetch I will no longer mulch, only weed whack as mulching didn't prevent it for long even with layers of cardboard under.

6 I let a large area of our front go natural trimming it into a nice shape (we are rural). Saves gas & time.

Still looking for more ways to reduce the work. As others said, it's hard to find the right person to hire. I've done it a few times, but our gardens are specific to us.
rosaprimula
9 months ago
Totally agree with weed whacking. And as a bonus, my awful eyesight reduces it all to a lovely, velvety green 'lawn' rather than the horrendous weedy ankle grabbing nightmare I usually experience. Plus, no vegetables...which nicely coincides with no more sodding earth-mother cooking fantasies. O, and as for the distant wood, I built a raised deck so I am elevated above the permanent sea of waist-high weeds. Multiple chairs, including one in the shed and greenhouse...and tea-making facilities. Finally, I have embarked on a massive propagation programme of tough, largely evergreen, ground-swallowing shrubbery which I intend to install all round the edges of my allotment, as a sort of cordon-sanitaire to avoid the sight of my neighbours shoddy efforts and weed incursions. All-in-all, I am pleased with my labour reducing efforts.

I did have quite high hopes of the offspring but they are largely useless unless bribed or threatened (which I will obviously resort to, should I get even more decrepit.
R Joy
9 months ago
Yes, a raised deck here too helped ease a sloped lawn area.

As others have mentioned limiting their time, I do 2 hrs a day mostly with breaks. I'm 64. I try to take the weekend off.
catherinet (5IN)
9 months ago
Wow.........this is a great thread! I thought I had already commented on it, awhile back but I don't see it. It is soooo hard giving up things that we love and things that sort of "define" us. I'm 73 and 1/2 and I still garden (vegetable and water), but the water garden is suffering. My big problem is that I'm a hermit and feel uncomfortable hiring people. My husband does some things for me, but he's still working full time, and doesn't have the same interests as I do. But, .....I finally got my bad knee replaced and able to take care of my garden this year! DH does weed-eat the ground around most of my raised food-grade stock tanks. I just couldn't bend over any more and went with the raised beds. Unfortunately they need watered every 2 days if it doesn't rain. I also grow butternut squash, cucumbers and pole beans up trellises. I highly recommend trellis growing. I've really narrowed down what I plant now and always use the same varieties. A good fence and a solar electric fence charger have kept the animals out. I do grow a couple things in the back yard in big pots, and that's definitely an easier thing to do. There are a few things that I have given up on, since organic greens/spinach, etc., are easily available. For me, feeling like I'm "less" than I used to be is something I need to work on. I guess I need to learn to define myself in different ways, but that's hard. I know this thread is old but hopefully you all are still doing well and getting at least a little bit of joy out of your gardening. Thanks for listening.
a2zmom_Z6_NJ
9 months ago
I'm turning 67 and I'm gardening more than ever. There are somethings I don't do. I have a service cit my lawn and they do fall and spring cleanup. If a plant has extremely deep roots, they'll dig it out for me. I do all the rest myself. As long as I can, I'll keep doing.
lat62
9 months ago
'ankle grabbing' - I know that feeling lately, my Iris have flopped into the path, so step on the tips and then the other foot gets caught in the resulting loop... haven't fallen yet, but must remember to be mindful - or, hello self, trim the flopped iris foliage. I'm 60 but feeling older because of rheumatoid arthritis catching up . .

The Worx trimmer sounds useful! I'm getting into electric tools - husband and I now have an electric chainsaw and electric clippers and of course the electric lawn mower.

Not giving in yet!
Heruga (7a Northern NJ)
9 months ago
last modified: 9 months ago
Jay, I hope you are doing better. All your nice plant pics tell me you are.

I just came across this thread just when I’ve started to feel a little overwhelmed maintaining everything in my .75 acre garden by myself. Wife is bug phobic so will not do a thing outside. I’ve only been at my current house for 3 years and the first 2 years was nothing but installing all my gardens(rock garden, woodland, meadow, pond, wetlands, 2500 sq ft zoysia sod, 3 raised veggie beds, foundation planting, growing and planting trees in open field, propagating plants). I basically removed every pre existing plant including trees that was here and started from scratch. But I thought it would get easier after that but little did I know.. daily rounds to check on all my plants, endless maintenance, and something is always happening that I end up having to take care of(diseases, pests, some plants going out of control). When I moved into this house I thought I’ll be living in this house forever. I’m not sure about that anymore. Not to mention everything that also needs to be done inside the house too. But at the same time I will never want to give it up because I treat all my plants like they are my kids. I can’t possibly imagine someone else moving in and possibly getting rid of/neglecting my precious babies.
a2zmom_Z6_NJ
9 months ago
last modified: 9 months ago
@Heruga (7a Northern NJ) I have to admit, that would be too much garden for me! My entire lot is a bit under half an acre, obviously that includes my house and my back yard which I don't do anything with (it's bisected by a Norway and two silver maples, I refuse to fight the tree roots). But just maintaing my front gardens is more than enough work. My goal for this year is too get rid of all the major weeds and mulch everything. So far two beds are 100% done.
Heruga (7a Northern NJ)
9 months ago
Hmm.. well I guess that is the reality I will be facing in the future. If you consider maintaining just your front yard enough work then I honestly don’t know how I will possibly get through in my gardens in the future. Who knows I may be found lying dead in the middle of my yard one day. I hate to hire a landscaper because most of them don’t know what they’re doing and just don’t care because its not their yard. I can’t stand anyone touching my plants without my consent either. I wouldn’t even have a master gardener come either since I have very specific ways I maintain my plants and it would just confuse everyone.
a2zmom_Z6_NJ
9 months ago
last modified: 9 months ago
I agree that most supposed "landscapers" don't have a clue. My forner next door neighbor ran a lawn service so his wife signed on as a "garden designer". She told me proudly that she had planted a bunch of Norway maples as part of the design in front of a nursing home. I kept my mouth shut. My sister hired supposedly the best landscape crew in her town (South Orange). She was livid when they ripped out all of her hellebores.

Be aware that my front yard has five separate beds and two of them are twenty feet long, ten feet deep, so I do have a lot of garden. (Unlike everyone else on my street).
djacob Z6a SE WI
9 months ago
So many of you have mentioned raised beds. I wonder if you mean beds like this:

These are so easy for me to manage considering the bad back, hips and knee I am dealing with. There is ananother oone back along the fence.

debra
defrost49
9 months ago
Catherinet, change in health slowed me down. i think you made a good decision to grow tried and true veggies amd to ise trellises. i had my husband build a raised bed with hardware cloth bottom two years ago when we had a vole problem. since there are only two of us, a four foot row is more than enough for some things. I still like to try new things like hurakei turnips and this year's fun jen Chinese cabbage. For us,

garlic amd potatoes are staples. planting potatoes late reduced number of potato beetles to deal with. heavily mulched garlic doesn't need much weeding.

it's weeding that takes all my time and energy. I recently visited another's garden for a class. He mulches heavily with wood chips and starts a bed with thick wood chip mulch that turns poor soil into better soil. i also watched a video by Frith Farm in Maine that also relies on thick mulch. when it's time to plant a row, they push mulch aside to open up a row. So I recently bought 7 bales of spoiled mulch hay!

Perennial gardens still need an overhaul. My husband is supposed to help with this but it has been too hot and humid and he has been too busy restoring old trucks.

Less humid weather starting tomorrow. Purslane sprouted in my small high tunnel and someone said she would like it. it's a weed to me but a favorite vegetable to her.
carolb_w_fl_coastal_9b
9 months ago
last modified: 9 months ago
That technique from Frith Farm seems like the Ruth Stout No-Till method - she wrote many years ago about using spoiled hay very thickly, and pulling it back to plant. I think she was in New England too.

I wish thick hay mulch prevented nutsedge from spreading - it's become really bad in my veggie beds over the past year.

Senior gardening. Toning it down and dealing with fatigue

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