Gardening with a disability can be difficult especially as I get older. When my sister and I were little, we helped our parents tend to our backyard vegetable garden. I loved getting my hands dirty and watching the vegetable grow and change until we could pick them. I was in elementary school then, and the ground wasn’t as far as it is now. Today, getting myself off from the ground is strenuous and sitting on my knees leads to painful and uncontrollable spasms. This makes gardening independently difficult (at least gardening from the ground).
Reaching the Plants
A few years ago, my family and I found a solution in raised gardens and found a raised planter box . To fit my needs, we got the tallest option, standing at 33 inches with the shelf at the bottom. By having a taller raised garden, I don’t need to lean over while working which limits the chance of me losing my balance or using up extra energy to stay upright. There are so many different raised garden designs out there to accommodate different needs. Before looking at designs, I would recommend deciding if you are going to stay standing while you tend to your garden or sit in a chair or in your wheelchair. Then, decide how tall the garden needs to be in order for you to comfortably work in your garden.
Watering the Plants
Another challenging aspect of gardening with a disability is how to water the plants. I don’t have the hand strength to turn on and off the water hose. Instead, I go to the bathroom attached to the patio, and fill up a pitcher with water to water my plants with. Though, recently it has been raining enough, that I don’t need to water my plants. If that doesn’t work for you, you can find irrigation systems online for raised garden beds.
Banana peppers, tomatoes, cilantro and rosemary
Tomatoes, bell peppers, and jalapenos
Banana peppers, tomatoes, cilantro and rosemary
Transporting the Plants
Another struggle that I have come across when gardening is carrying the plants from the table to the garden without risking falling or dropping the plant. As a solution, I converted one of my old walker into a portable gardening station. Back in college, my dad modified one of my walkers to be able to carry a cafeteria tray, which I now use to transfer the plants. The walker also has a basket below the tray, where I store a plastic pitcher that I use to water the plants, a soil moisture meter and a gardening shovel. This way everything is in reach.
With the right tools, I have learned that gardening with a disability is possible and doesn’t have to be a strenuous activity.
How do you make your garden accessible? Share in the comments.
This year, I planted some tomatoes, banana peppers, bell peppers, jalapenos, cilantro and rosemary. Find out they turned out by checking my blog in a few months.
