CULT: disabled gardeners
- Subject: CULT: disabled gardeners
- From: L* M*
- Date: Wed, 16 May 2001 12:16:25 -0400
Bill Smoot said:
<A handicap, disability, or the effects of increased age shouldn't
keep us from gardening. .... I know that some of you in this group have
found little "tricks" that you've learned through experience that allow
you to keep gardening.>
Little sit down scooter/cart thingie on wheels greatly helps reduce
fatigue & 'getting up and down' dizzy spells. It needs a cushion.
Before next season I will glue on a rectangle of closed cell foam (one
of those cheap garden 'knealing' pads would be the perfect size and
shape). I bought a small one - the bigger, wider one at Kmart looks
more comfie, but looked like it would be more likely to whack into bloom
stalks while rolling between rows.
Lots of plastic lawn chairs in the shade.
Shade around the edges of the garden patch.
A long-handled hay fork instead of a spade fork. The tines are lighter
and thinner, so they are easier to get into my gravelly ground and the
long handle provides a lot more leverage. Disadvantage is that the
tines bend much more easily. One of these days, I'm going to put a
longer handle on a spade fork and see how that will do.
Long handles on everything - more leverage & easier on the back.
Lots of water. Cola bottles full of water kept in the freezer to thaw
slowly outdoors keeping the water cool. Don't fill the bottles
completely - leave room for the ice to expand.
Aleve.
Selecting care-free cultivars (for whatever your particular growing
conditions).
Adjusting goals & learning to 'tune out' what others think you ought to
be able to do. In other words, figuring out what size elephant is right
for you. Learning to be realistic about what is possible (paying
attention to how much of the elephant can be eaten each day & learning
to enjoy the taste more than the goal of getting the whole elephant
eaten).
A lightweight plastic snow sled - these are <$20, are very 'slippery'
and great for dragging dirt, pots, tools etc around the garden. Also
good for mixing sand with potting mixture. Comes with holes suitable
for attaching a rope for dragging. Only shortcoming was trying to
convince the 4 month old 20 lb puppy to quit dragging it up and down the
driveway. I drilled some holes in mine this year, filled it with sandy
potting mix, and am using it to stored heeled in Oz intros and
leftovers from our spring show and sale.
Big wheeled plastic carts - great for hauling and storing potting mix.
Afternoon naps.
Like you, my split and bleeding allergized fingers would be happier if I
used gloves, but also like you, I prefer to provide first aid
afterwards. Trim with nail clippers and sand off with nail manicure
boards rough & broken bits of skin, then lots of Neutrogena Foot lotion,
Bova Cream, and/or Straight Arrow's The Hoofmaker.
Regular 5 minute workouts with 3 pound weights to keep shoulders, neck
and back moving.
That's all I can think of for the moment.
Linda Mann east Tennessee USA zone 7/8
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