In a recent article from the Associated Press, author Dean Fosdick offered some tips on how aging gardeners can reduce the stresses gardening can put on their bodies. How do we define mature gardeners here at Skillin's; well, a mature gardener is someone only a little older than Terry Skillin. Here are some of the tips that Dean offered:
• Start by knowing your limitations. Rest frequently and pace yourself while occupied with extensive and repetitive garden chores. Gardening is all about puttering. Take your time and enjoy it.
• Keep gardens or flowerbeds small or sized in scale with your capabilities. Don’t overdo or become overwhelmed by a too-optimistic workload.
• Plant gardens near a water source or lay out a system of hoses conveniently near the work sites. Store tools in a nearby shed, cabinet or perhaps a large mailbox. Build trails wide enough for wheelchairs, wagons and walkers to pass. Add handrails for balance and place benches at various points for rest and reflection.
• Wrap tool handles or stuff gloves with foam padding to make grasping more comfortable. Adding a cord to the grips makes them easier to retrieve if dropped and conveniently at hand when looped around your wrist or neck.
• Choose low-maintenance plants that don’t need much in the way of deadheading, watering, spraying or pruning. Vegetables trained to climb a trellis will eliminate the need for bending when harvesting. Lighten the spring planting routine by selecting perennials, which will bring many happy and unassisted returns.
• Use equipment that makes everyday gardening chores easier on traumatized soft tissues and joints. That includes kneeling stools, long-handled “reacher-grabbers,” kneepads, potting benches, seed dispensers and wagons. Wear a smock or tie on a carpenter’s apron. Both are equipped with numerous pockets for seed packets, notepads and tools. Carry a magnifying glass with you to help read the fine print on planting stakes and seed labels.
• Confine your gardening to raised beds or containers, which will minimize stooping. Make the beds small enough so plants in the middle can be reached without an awkward stretch. Place large containers on wheels so they can be shifted to wherever they're the most convenient.
• Weed and cultivate after a rain when the soil is easier to work.
• Use large sprinklers that cover wide areas and require less moving around. Drip irrigation or drizzler hoses are easy-care water systems for thirsty plants.
• Carry a cell phone or whistle while working alone in distant corners of the yard. Don't hesitate to use them if you run into any kind of trouble. Better yet, garden with a buddy. You can share some ideas and keep one another company.
• Minimize risk. If a certain job places you in an uncomfortable position, like reaching, then figure out another approach or find a tool designed to serve.
• Super-size your tool collection. If you know you'll need two hands to make a cut with a pruner, then upgrade and reach for a lopper instead. That still may require using both hands, but the squeezing effort will be minimal.
• Start by knowing your limitations. Rest frequently and pace yourself while occupied with extensive and repetitive garden chores. Gardening is all about puttering. Take your time and enjoy it.
• Keep gardens or flowerbeds small or sized in scale with your capabilities. Don’t overdo or become overwhelmed by a too-optimistic workload.
• Plant gardens near a water source or lay out a system of hoses conveniently near the work sites. Store tools in a nearby shed, cabinet or perhaps a large mailbox. Build trails wide enough for wheelchairs, wagons and walkers to pass. Add handrails for balance and place benches at various points for rest and reflection.
• Wrap tool handles or stuff gloves with foam padding to make grasping more comfortable. Adding a cord to the grips makes them easier to retrieve if dropped and conveniently at hand when looped around your wrist or neck.
• Choose low-maintenance plants that don’t need much in the way of deadheading, watering, spraying or pruning. Vegetables trained to climb a trellis will eliminate the need for bending when harvesting. Lighten the spring planting routine by selecting perennials, which will bring many happy and unassisted returns.
• Use equipment that makes everyday gardening chores easier on traumatized soft tissues and joints. That includes kneeling stools, long-handled “reacher-grabbers,” kneepads, potting benches, seed dispensers and wagons. Wear a smock or tie on a carpenter’s apron. Both are equipped with numerous pockets for seed packets, notepads and tools. Carry a magnifying glass with you to help read the fine print on planting stakes and seed labels.
• Confine your gardening to raised beds or containers, which will minimize stooping. Make the beds small enough so plants in the middle can be reached without an awkward stretch. Place large containers on wheels so they can be shifted to wherever they're the most convenient.
• Weed and cultivate after a rain when the soil is easier to work.
• Use large sprinklers that cover wide areas and require less moving around. Drip irrigation or drizzler hoses are easy-care water systems for thirsty plants.
• Carry a cell phone or whistle while working alone in distant corners of the yard. Don't hesitate to use them if you run into any kind of trouble. Better yet, garden with a buddy. You can share some ideas and keep one another company.
• Minimize risk. If a certain job places you in an uncomfortable position, like reaching, then figure out another approach or find a tool designed to serve.
• Super-size your tool collection. If you know you'll need two hands to make a cut with a pruner, then upgrade and reach for a lopper instead. That still may require using both hands, but the squeezing effort will be minimal.
Mike Skillin
Skillin's Greenhouses
February 7, 2008
2 comments:
Wonderful suggestions Mike and since I am one of those "mature" gardeners, your ideas are much appreciated. Thank you. Betsy
Betsy,
The way my back feels after the snow shoveling that is going on tells me I am right there in the Mature Gardener department although it is fun to poke fun at Terry!
Thanks for the kind words. This article was a quick late addition to the Garden Log; I thought it really represented some very practical advice for gardeners of all ages and abilities!
Mike S.
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