gardening with disabilities forum?

I asked the question Dave on another post about the possibility of havinga place for discussion of gardening with disabilities. For those of us who cant get up and down or around as we oncce used to because of illness or injury or as in my case old age and arthritis it would be nice to be able to share tips on getting things done while living with inability to gardden as others may be able to do. I talked to an older lady somewhere and lost her address who had a number of things she was able to do to keep gardening in spite of bad knees and bad hips. Anyone out there have suggestions.

I hear you!
I've been seeing an occupational therapist who is helping me learn how to work around my rheumatoid arthritis. I'll see her again today and am supposed to get some gardening aids. I do have a catalog from a place called Gardenscapes, I think, from Canada. They have a lot of ergonomically designed tools and kneeling pads etc. I'll dig it out and get the address on here later.

There's that new "container gardening" forum that should help some. Less bending over,etc.

That's a good idea to have a forum, since it's hard to find information applicable for gardeners with disabilities. There was a landscaper putting in a garden for a handicapped client, and she had a hard time finding ideas. If they were pooled here, it would be that much easier to bring gardening to those people with challenges.
Trish

Thanks Kathleen and Ivey I cannot kneel so benches are no good even for me and if i get on the ground to sit I cannot get up without assistance and i live alone so all my gardening has to be done in a standing/stooping position shich gets hard on the back after awhile. But I am still gardening and will until im not able to do it any longer. Thats why i wanted to get perrienels in this year and next so the maintenance would be lower for me in coming years. Anyone else out there with problems or suggestions?

Can't remember the issue, it's been a while ago, Organic Gardening mag had a raised-bed garden a guy had all the beds basically built on sturdy wooden tables, with wheelchair-wide runs between. They were just the height for him to weed or pick. I'll try to find a link.

This message was edited Thursday, May 31st 1:12 PM

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Hey All..besides the fact the gardening styles are a little different and sometimes difficult for those with disabilities..believe me when I say, there is a theraputic result from gardening.In a nut shell..22 yrs ago i broke my back..couldn't walk for 3 years..now..when I walk(albeit slowly) or do anything in and around my garden I seem to take less pain medication and not think of my troubles, but rather my accomplishments in my garden. The simple splendor of gardening is very theraputic...for me at least.
Sandy

I totally agree with you guys! Both my DH and I have back problems, but we find ways to work together to do what needs to be done. I can't get the shovel into the ground very well, but he can; he can't stoop and bear weight to scoop, but I can. He gets the spade into the ground, and I scoop! And with my recent torn ankle ligaments incident came the realization that I'm definitely in need of diggers this whole season! I'd love to see peoples' ideas for making gardening more accessible and lower maintenance. Great forum idea!!

Karma~ Didn't know about that book, but thanks for the tip, we can always depend on you for some good input, you're a good'un.

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the catalog is Gardenscapes Garden tools -
http://www.gardenscapetools.com
It's a Canadian company, but they sell in the US, too and the prices are very good.
I'll let you know if I find any more.
kathleen

grab a grandchild and stake them in the yard with a shovel...telll them dig or else...you can get alot done that way even if you can't do it.........they might even like it!!!!!

I too have had my back broken but was able to get around with a back brace. One of those metal ones that start in the back and comes around and up the front, under the neck and below the stomach. Felt so akward in it and what was the worst is if someone happen to bump into me they would look at me as if I was an alien or something. Didn't do much for my self confindence at all. Couldnt get around too good but still got around. Also I have arthritis in my knees. So I guess you would say it is two fold.
My DH has fixed a few flower beds for me that is raised. They are on the beginning of our hillside but he has fix them so where I need to stand is pretty well level ground and all I have to do is reach and plant, pull weeds or whatever needs to be done. Although most of them are on level ground so I work alittle , rest a little and let the joints get back in shape :-) Sometimes I do sit on the ground to do some of the work but like marclay I cant get back up without assistance so I have to do that when the DH is around so he can pull me back up LOL So I would love to hear any helpful hints of making it easier.
drcaseyjr --wish I did have a grandchild to put in the yard with a shovel ---still hoping soon maybe :-)

hi all,
this sounds like a great forum for me. right up my ally. i have a chronic pain disease and although it has changed my life dramaticly, the one thing it did bring into my life recently is gardening. i take a lot of breaks. work for 10 to 30 minutes and rest. when i'm wiped out i take a nap and awake ready to do some more gardening or not. :-)
i've also been known to just take a rest right there on the grass. :-) until the bad pain passes to bearable pain.

i too have found that gardening takes my mind off of the pain and anything that does that, has to be good for me. :-)

debi'z

Dr. Casey,
They do very well, and so far I haven't had to stake them out. the little one is very good at telling me what WE need to do. The older on has learned about evasion, but he's still pretty willing to help out. Get while they're very young and tell them it's just like playing in the sand box, only better!

I saw a gardening special here in UK recently about this very subject. Its message was "if you cant get down to the soil, bring the soil up to you". The principal was simple. Raise borders using timber piles, old railway sleepers, even turf/peat blocks to the desired height. For wheelchair access that would be somewhere between 2 and 3 feet. The beds can be as long as you like, but no more than 4 feet wide (difficult to reach any further in a wheelchair or with a bad back). Leave enough space between borders for a wheelchair and/or a companion to lean on as you walk. The program was keen to point out this is a good form of gardening for the able bodied too. Becuase they are raised, these borders are well drained; it is almost impossible to get them waterlogged. You can also import the type of soil you need. For example, if you want to grow rhododenrons or heathers but the soil ph is totally wrong, put the right type of soil in the border for the purpose.

Hope that helps, and good luck.

El Tel

Talking about help getting up..I have labrador retreivers and while they are not professionally trained asistance dogs, they are helpful. I take hold of a color and they help pullme up by backing up. Another two will stand right there so I can put my hands on their shoulders and push my weight up. Sometimes they are all the assistance I have and all they ask for is clean water, good food, and love....oh yes..and a little brushing. It's almost as if they know that i need them as much as they need me.
Sandy

i was window shopping on the net and i spotted this seat that turns over into a kneeler, with sides on it to help you up. check it out. if this is sturdy it would be great. right now i use this old aluminum folding seat, with no back but this would be great for kneeling. anyone have anything like this?
http://www.overstock.com/cgi-bin/d2.cgi?PAGE=PROFRAME&PROD_ID=22391&fp=Tswitches
debi z

Sounds like quite a few of us are in the same predicament..if you want to call it that
S

It looks like this idea of a new forum sort of turned into a general thread about disabled folks' gardening.

Do we still want the forum, or is using Garden Talk, etc, going to be sufficient? Let me know and I'll do what the membership wants!

Dave

My folks have a kneeling bench/seat like the one at the link. They also have a little garden cart that is about tool box size, on wheels and doubles as a seat. Mom loves it. I think it's a rubbermaid product, but I have no idea where they got it.

Dave, I was just thinking about ALL the forums, and I see that the brugs/datura folks are after you (KHT will getcha, LOL), so maybe this could be better incorporated into this forum. My only reservation would be keeping it readily available without this particular thread getting to be 800 messages long. You are a whiz-bang genius at keeping us all happy, so I'll just let you chew that over for a bit.
Kathleen

Done!! The forum has been created.

Dave

Thank you, Dave.

Thanks Dave

thanks dave