Accessible Gardening: #19 Practical Matters for Physically Challenged Gardeners , 3 by BetNC

BetNC wrote:
Hewllo y'all. . .I'm still "here". . .I've been pre-occupied with. . . many things.

Until I returned and read about the grieving , bitter angry disabled syndrome, I thought there was something wrong with me...that it waws a personalality problem of mine that was rare and unusual. I've srtruggled alone through alot of it but there are strill timews when it's so overwheklming, it's berst just to hole up and wait til it passes.

My Tomato Jungle is going like gangbustersd.. .everyday Igive my surplus to 2-3 neighbors, relatives, maintenancde staff...if they can't use them, they help me out by passing the 'maters on to someone THEY know! I've even tried to give some to myu maiolman! (He laughed and told me he's in the same spot: he has over 30 tomato plants!).

Y'all may remember that I live in subsidized housing (thanks to the federal and state governments for shafting their employees. . but that's amnother topic). You'd be surprised to learn that many of my neighvbors here are retired government workers! Anywho....the Exec/ Director retired and the new one is busily "making her mark" with new, draconian rules. My apartment is nice and I've channelled my energy and etc into gardening. . . . . it's the one and only thing I have that I can stillk do, albeit with adaptiopns. This new "regime" has" cut down unexpedctantly the huge oak tree that was making me a front shade garden (which I had mature lenten roses and a finicky Daphne): disaster averted by covering my sun-shy plants with tablecloths for the 3 days it took until my garden helper came and moved them to a new side garden he hastily made. I only lost 3 mature plantws. That waws last fall. They made me wait over the winter for a decision on if/how many tomato/vegetable plants I could plant in my back gard3en: after a 2 1/5 month wait, the new Director arrived with a ruler to personally give me the decision. . . she used the ruler to cut my back garden from 17+ square feet to 7- and purred that she didn't think I had enough room for even one tomato plant, but that I had LOTS of room on my back patio for a few pots or containerws: and my Tomato Jungle was born! The final straw for me came in the middxle of spring (when most who garden have already planneed and purchased for their summer gardens): a new set of planting rules were issued to "save RESIDENTS (I'm a TENANT!!! I pay rent!! Tenants have rights!!!) money buying/planning for their summer garden". Harumph!!!! Only flowers no more than 18 inches were allowed now. . .for the past 3 years, I had followed the old height restriction of 36 inches, so (like many) had flower beds of mature prohibited plants. . plus had ordered/paid for plants that were now prohibited. The ordered plant was traded for future consideration. . . my garden helper transplanted ALL my prize collection of oriental lilies to my grandmother's (who's so pleased to have a new beautiful view) and I scrambled re-doing my summer garden plans (thankfully, I had oversowed on this first indoor seed starting and had over 100 SHORT French Marigold seedlings). And I aedmit, I just let my ol stubborn self take hold then and just BALKED!! The remaining plants (now prohibited) I defiantly left in my garden.

UPSHOT: I am researching WHERE I will move to, once my 99 yr old grandmother dies. I'm thing out West: maybe the San Joaquin Valley of California (I used to live in Stockton) but a small, inland town where the rental prices aren't so high. Wants/don't wants: handicapped friendly, level (non-hilly), temperate weather (NO SNOW!! Not sweltering hot in summer, either ie Death Valley but the high desert of the Sonora Desert was rather nice) and not a bunch of trees everywhere (I have allergies, too). In short, someplace that;s the OPPOSITE of here!

Amargia, I read with interest of yoiur ability to consider a list of handicapped friendly places to consider. (I'm saddened to hear of your being forced to move or accept the unacceptable.) Would you be willing to share the link or sourdce of this info??

BTW, whoever's considering Albequerque, as one who;s lived there, let me clue you in on a few things. It sits in a "bowl", surrounded by higher land, so one can see a "haze" over it several times a year - as the smog routinely gets trapped. It's no where near level (in large parts it is) but has hills (particularly near the center, where most- if not all- the amenities are). The city SPRAWLS: the center is somewhat crowded but as you go further out it beomes sparsely populated even though still within city limits. Since there's little wind movement in that area of AZ, there's often a temperature inversion effect (is that the proper term??) so the city is usually hotter than its surrounding environs. If you still want to consider, it: please GO and look first!!!

Life's too short to have to live under unacceptable conditions. And it's only going to get worse.