Disabled Gardening

Hello.

I am new to this board and wondered if there was a thread regarding disabled gardening? I have had a quick look but to no avail. Here is a quick synopsis of my plight.

I love my garden but due to a disability I find it both difficult and painful to kneel down. This has caused a headache when it comes to weeding/planting. The other day I used the support of the garden table and managed to lower myself down till I was laying on the patio. I was happily weeding when my next door neighbour came running through to tell me everything was all right.

While she tried to put me in the recovery position I managed to inform her that I hadn't collapsed.:dh:Anyway after a cup of tea and my grateful thanks knowing that should I fall I would be well looked after, she said I should get some proper tools. Dose anybody here use such aids or have any tips on how to tackle some of the routine gardening chores?

Sorry, that wasn't that quick after all.

Pete.

 

My Partner, Anne is disabled and wheelchair bound and I have built a number of raised beds so that she may plant, weed and generally take part in the garden..also the garden is level access so she can maneaovere her chaiir around it...it s a work in progress and is by no means complete yet (the link below this post "My garden project" shows the gardens development)

She has a few tools that where gifted to her that are telescopic so she may choose the length she uses them at...I'll get some photos of them tomorrow so you can see them, then if your interested in them I'll find where my father bought them from.

Steve...

 

Pete there are a few good websites that offer information on this subject that are worth a look,raised beds are a good idea as Steve has said.
http://www.carryongardening.org.uk/top-tips-for-disabled-gardeners.aspx
http://www.gardentoolsforallseasons.com/disabled%20gardening.php

 

Would a mulch (bark, for example) help with the weeding?

 

I too am disabled and use a wheelchair, I would go with what Steve Rmentioned, the telescopic tools can help to weed out little weedsso you can do them standing up or in your wheelchair, and you can get many attachments for them aswell.

though I understand what you mean, I too have to get on the ground sometimes to do alot of the gardening as I dont have raised beds, gives a right headach.

 

{Im in chair and amongst my 3acres i have 2 3sqm raised beds. To be able to do 6sqm amoungst my 13,000 is great. Good luck.

 

Thank You ever so much for taking the time to reply. I like the idea of the telescopic tools and will be looking into them further. I have looked at the idea of raised beds and might have to go down that route when the wheelchair becomes full time. They can look so beautiful edged with trailing fuschia.

I am off to the garden centre soon to look at the mulch products availible, though I do like the look of nautral weeded soil.

Thanks again for the replies. I will let you know how I get on, maybe with some photo's to back up my product review.:thumb:

 

I wonder if a special subforum would be appropriate?

 

I think that would be a good idea Daisees.:thumb:

 

My thoughts exactly Daisees. It would concentrate all information for some most important members of our forum
robert

 

Speaking with experience on disabled gardening, I urge caution with creating a topic or forum area "Disabled Garden", it would be best ...as MrTwosheds has done to come along and ask the question as he has done.

Living with a severely disabled partner has made me realise that they are just normal people who wish to remain that way, labeling disabled people as disabled, actually disables them further than their disability already does.

Anyone can start a topic here on pretty much any subject anyway.

Just an FYI for you.

Regards

Steve...

 

"I do like the look of nautral weeded soil."

Off to experiment with fibreglass fake-natural-weeded-soil effect sheeting :D

"I wonder if a special subforum would be appropriate?"

Seem to be a fair few people with disabilities here (surprised me, but I suppose I just hadn't considered it). I think it would make a useful resource for others coming along in the future. Disabled people are not a "race apart", and I can see the importance of not stigmatising (or whatever the word is) but people become disabled and then suddenly have the need to look for information, and to have a single forum here jam-packed with useful posts and information would make "research" a lot easier. Similarly as folk progress to their twilight years that information would become useful to them too.

My mother had a lovely, large, garden but now in her late 80's she hasn't been able to maintain it for some time. She doesn't need a chair, just a stick, but with the benefit of hindsight I could perhaps have "equip" her to maintain it for longer than she did by using a chair and some telescopic tools.

 

Well, I've started using special tools to help me garden (including a gardener!) and I would love to have a place where such things are discussed, tips shared and such. I'm not 'disabled', just have dodgy knees and sometimes a bad back and there must be a few hundred or even thousand people out there looking for tips on how to make their gardening easier.

Perhaps we just need to come up with a generalised title for the forum. How about "Disability Gardening", "Gardening made easy(er)" or "Genteel Gardening"?

 

I vote for "Gardening Made Easier".