Disabled and Wheelchair Gardening

Paths with a good sound even surface are almost essential in a garden if you are using walking sticks, walking aids or a wheel chair. They should be at least 3ft (two 18" slabs) wide with a turning circle large enough to turn around in. Gravel is a no no, even compacted gravel makes walking with sticks or driving your wheel chair really difficult. Remember even rivened slabs are slippery when wet or icy. Having a slight slope for water run off is a good idea.

If your garden path is going to run over different levels, gradual slopes are better than steps. Its also a good ideal to fit handrails on the slopes.

Planting

Choosing plants that wont need much maintenance will make life easier but will restrict choice and maybe all year round colour. Probably best to buy plants that are slow growing, most trees grow slowly as long as you avoid leylandii type fast growing trees. Ground cover shrubs will help keep weeds down and add interest .Low growing fruit trees give colour and the obvious benefit of the autumn harvest. If you are not sure what trees, shrubs and plants to plant it might be a good idea to fork out for a planting plan and stick to it.

Hedges are mostly fast growing and will need a lot of pruning. You might be better of with panel fencing, single panels that get damaged are easier to replace if you use slotted posts. Grow vine type vegetables like Runner beans or fragnent vines like Clematis,Climbing Rose, Honeysuckle ,Jasmine to cover the fence.

Digging and weeding.

Digging helps break up the soil and lets air into the soil and it can help to loosen weeds. Regular hoeing, light forking and adding well rotted compost from your composy heap ,make the old fashioned back breaking annual dig almost redundant. So if bending because of a disability or bad back is a problem keep it simple. Light work and often is better for your back ,your general well being and your garden. So instead of sitting in front of the television on a dry day , you could be out in your garden keeping yourself and your garden healthy.

Raised beds make digging easier but if you are digging beds at ground level using a lightweight long handled trowel or fork to turn over the soil will make it a lot easier. These are available on the net or if you still have one, your local ironmonger will sort you out.

Large Garden centers charge a lot more for them.

Digging and weeding is easier If you keep your beds narrow or accessible from both sides, If you install raised beds, if you have retaining walls in your garden cultivate the area that runs along behind the wall, if you use specially designed gardening tools, if you lay down a weed suppressing membrane and plant through slits cut in the material, If your garden soil is clay keep adding grit sand.

Weeds.

Getting rid of annual and perennial weeds keeps your garden beds tidy and your plants healthy. Weeds take up the moisture, nutrients your plants need to thrive Once again little and often is best and more enjoyable. A overgrown weedy garden is a daunting sight and you may prefer to stay in front of the television. So little and often especially if you have a bad back or disability that stops you bending easily is the way to keep on gardening.

Watering

During long dry spells watering is a time consuming must but can be made easier if you have a disability or bad back that makes bending difficult. A light plastic, flat sided watering can is easier than a round one and putting water butts and stand pipes at convenient places around the garden make watering saves your back.

Grouping your containers together and placing saucers under them, mulching the soil and watering in the evening, when there is less evaporation all save water and time. If you haven't got stand pipes in convenient spots around the garden leave the hose pipe rolled out during long hot spells weather.

Sowing seeds

Save money and grow plants from seed, you will also have spare plants to share or sell at your local car boot. I get a lot of satisfaction from growing from seed, sometimes it dos'nt work out but even at my age its still one big learning curve. You can grow seeds direct into the garden or in the greenhouse, Its easier on your bad back if you can sow direct into the place in your garden beds where the plants will grow on, especially if your beds are designed as narrow reachable borders or raised beds as we have talked about in this article. Mixing fine seed with sand makes it easier to sow if your hands are a bit stiff.

When and what to sow tips can be found on my simplelife and gardening tip pages.

More gardening tips for gardeners with a bad back or disability that makes bending difficult on my disabled gardening page.