Accessible Gardening: Adapting The Garden To Us

Photo by Mira Pavlakovic

The past two days have been busy ones. I've been interviewed about accessible gardening by Diane McLain for her internet radio program.  In addition, I've been interviewing experts Dean Geyer about raised bed gardening and Frank Kilgore about growing tomatoes using vertical gardening techniques.  Thanks to Diane, Dean and Frank for some great interviews. All of this activity is part of  writing my next gardening ebook.

That said, I haven't spent much time outside other than watering and deadheading the flowers. I had planned on taking a picture of the portulaca (rose moss or pursulane) for the blog.  Unfortunately it was dark and the flowers had closed for the day.  So my thanks to Mira for sharing her photo.

Accessible gardening or adaptive gardening is finding ways to adjust tools, gardens or ourselves to make gardening easier.

Why easier? Well, at some point in time most of us will experience sore knees or a sore back.  Others of us may want to garden while using a wheelchair, walker or cane. Still others want to garden despite arthritis, carpal tunnel syndrome or other physical limitation.

Luckily for all of us there are methods of gardening and adaptive tools that can let us garden even with bodies that won't cooperate as much as we like.  I've been gathering the information together and will be sharing more in the days to come.

Some of those adaptive gardening methods include container gardening, and vertical gardening.  Raised bed gardening can be modified to be accessible gardening.  Hydroponic gardening can be both adaptive and accessible.

I'm also gathering tools and devices  that can make gardening easier. So lots of exciting plans and I have much to share.  But tomorrow is a day to repot some of those Boston ferns and trim back the ground cover.

All in the day of a gardener's life,