Beginner Gardening: Gardening as a 66-year old Polio survivor, 1 by GoldenDomer

GoldenDomer wrote:
Since there seems to be some ongoing interest in this thread, I thought I'd post an update and talk about the gardening I've been able to do this past summer with the mobility I have - all while working seated in my electric scooter.

Since I enjoy a good baked potato for lunch and I love seeing hummingbirds dance around in the air, those two items have been my main priorities.

To attract hummers, I have planted Dropmore Scarlet Honeysuckle (which grew 8 feet taller the first summer), Scarlet Trumpet Vine, Bee Balm, Cardinal Flower, Butterfly Bush, Red Hot Poker and various Hostas to name most of them.

I also planted a 4 X 16 foot garden to give me a big splash of red to attract hummers to my yard since hummers are hard to come by in South Bend, IN. This being my first year I made a mistake by choosing hybrid Red Impatiens. Though it gave me the beautiful red I wanted, I found that Impatiens are not hummer friendly, and even if they were, hummers don't like feeding that close to the ground. Come spring, I'll try a different strategy.

My potato patch was also 4 X 16 feet and it was a great success. I planted Norkotas and harvested 100 pounds from the patch. To make this much easier for me, I grew them under a black plastic sheet which eliminated all the tedious labor of "hilling" or mounding the potatoes as they grew. These Norkotas are sweeter and more moist than any potato I've ever bought at a market.

I'm including a picture just taken showing where my potato patch was with the hummingbird garden behind it. I'm getting a new digital camera so I will be able to post better pictues later.

All in all, I'm pleased with the success I've had this summwer and the many, many hours of pleasure it has given me.