I was planting today and began to wonder how others do it. I use my telescoping trowel to dig the hole where I want it. Once I release the plant from its container, I gently place it in the hole and then fill in around it with the trowel, righting it as necessary. I tamp down around it with the back of the trowel. (This is, of course, when the nine-year-old BassetDaughter is not around to steal the job from me...)
Any other approaches to this challenge?
Gardening from a Wheelchair
It sounds as tho you have a pattern of action worked out very well. Congratulations on your ingenuity.
Telescoping trowel? I don't know quite what that is or how it functions. It has moving parts?
It is a trowel that has a 36" handle. You twist the handle to extend it to about 4' and then twist to lock in place. It gives me lots of extra length to reach those hard to reach places. You can get it at most Home Depots and Lowe's.
Thanks for the info...I will look for one. Should be quite helpful for me when using the tractor seat.
I read an inspiring story about a man who built gardens for people with disadvantages. And one of the things he'd do for gardeners in wheelchairs was to build raised beds at just the right level that the gardener could simply reach over and plant and weed. He made the bed wide enough that the middle of the bed could be reached from each side. And the bed could then be as long as you want it. I thought that was very nice of him. He got govt grants to pay him. His services were free to the gardeners.
hi, i am new to this forum. have tried gardening with ine hand, kinda tricky!
my problem is temporary (i hope), but it is helping me understand limitations & what can be overcome & what has to be left undone.
one of my gardening fdreams is to have a community garden of raised beds for people with special needs, including but not limnited to the handicapped, elderly, low income, single parents, learning challenged, or those going through a terminal illness or an emotionally draining situation.
i had just about decided on raised beds 10 x 10, but now se they need to be MUCH narrower!
i will also be looking into govt grants once i get a business plan drawn up. i can see i have a lot ofreading to catch up on in this forum. i have been so busy that i kept putting off getting started. you know what i mean, when a 30 minute meal takes an hour and a half to prepare & an hour to clean up!
so my posting may be limited, but know I am lurking about & appreciate input too
butterflychaser, i'd love to hear where you read that story. i have been looking for a book about such...
tf
I've been in my wheelchair for four years now (paraplegic)..I have used the telescoping tools also..they are great!..Just use your imagination and think outside the box..if there is a will, there is a way!!!
AMEN! I learned this year how to husk corn & other things with one hand! anything is possible, using the right tools, or iother appendages :-)
I have severe MS and have been a wheelchair user for about 10 years now. My husband [who, clearly, is nuts about me] built me a raised bed on the far side of the yard, then he built me a walk way from the driveway to my little raised bed. I only have 2 problems now. 1) how to lean far enough over; I have to lean past my feet and my lap and the front of the wheelchair . In the kitchen I have a kick space under the counters. 2) my desire for flowers is growing faster than my husband's ability to build plasces for them to be grown. Planting them in the yard is no good - I need to enrich the soil tons and tons. Which reminds me. I FILL my patio with container gardens, pots of annuals, pots of perennials, mixed pots, plants from inside: it's quite visually effective as well. I can move stuff around [or get someone to move it around for me].
I thought I was the cats meow when I found a long handled bulb planter. Telescoping tools!!! WOW!!! Lemme attem!
Good for you, Carrie! And, Welcome to DG!
Carrie, you are so blessed ot have a helping mate!
i have seen plans for raised beds with kickspace below, adn also n arrow enough you can reach from either side
well, i haven't found that link yet, but here is one on container gardening, with all kinds of info and other links...
http://journeytoforever.org/garden_con.html
congrats on your love for gardening (and finding DG!)
tamara
TF - thanks for the link. Great info!
tf, my raised beds are 4' & 5' wide which I now think is too wide. I think 3' is actually plenty wide enough. If someone is in a wheel chair that may be too wide too. You will almost have to custom build them to allow for shorter people, tall people, etc. Ours are just one concrete block tall but I also have clothes washer and dryer tubs/drums that we use for growing veggies in each summer. 50-55 gallon metal or plastic barrels cut in half either way would be good too. I have several metal ones cut in half lengthwise and the top welded on that we use.
I agree with the 3' choice, leaflady. In theory, we can reach halfway into a 4' wide bed, but I find that requires me to lean too far forward from my tractor seat so that I tend to lose my balance. I've been investing in a couple of 3' x3' sided beds each season from Gardener's Supply. Not cheap, but they last indefinitely and they're easy to rework by hand for frequent replanting for crops like salad greens. They can be doubled up for greater heights, too. This far, I'm just using them as singles - a little more than concrete block high. Yuska
AGREE! 4' WOULD be [sorry] too wide. I have an electric wheelchair, I can't fit at our kitchen table because there's so much in my way - legs, feet, lap (thighs I guess) would all have to disappear - and that's just eating. Digging, cultivating, weeding - everything has to be superclose. And how do folks carry around what you're planting, mulch, fertilizer, other stuff? I guess most of what I do now is deadhead and tuck little annuals in among the estalished perennials. We are planning a cutting garden and trying to figure out how I'll be able to reach it. Maybe from the side? I put my contacts in from the side so I can see them in the mirror. In fact I think most serious tasks I do from the side as oposed to head on.
Yuska, are you literally talking aboout a tractor? A tractor-mower? An Amigo-type-thing?
Carrie
This message was edited Oct 9, 2005 12:30 PM
It's a seat shaped very much like those on a tractor, curved for support, and it swivels in all directions. It's on wheels and stands about 20" high. I have a problem maintaining balance sometimes - doctors can't tell me why - and the shape and movement of this seat is better for me than a flat bench or a kneeler. Is that like an Amigo?
Here are some suggestions for wheelchair gardening:
http://snipurl.com/iasr
This message was edited Oct 9, 2005 4:14 PM
Yuska, where'd you get it?
Carrie
I ordered it from Lee Valley. Here's a description and picture.
http://www.leevalley.com/garden/page.aspx?c=2&p=45921&cat=2,2120
Wow, Yuska, that looks great! I wish I could use that - my torso's not strong enough any more to sit upright alone. But that's just what I need, or needed. My DH says we should get it anyway, he'll figure it out. If I could lie down, fix a lawnchair on top.... the tires are perfect.
xxx Carrie
This message was edited Oct 10, 2005 1:29 PM
Several other DG folks are using it, too. Only problem is the wheels won't turn directions. I have to rise to turn a corner. I hope someday that can be changed, except it might mean the seat would lose some steadiness.
Hi, yes I found my 3x3 beds much easier to work with, even before i hurt my hand! And since i did square foot gardening, it looked neater having one center square than 4!
the 10x10s i mentioned up there were oging to have narrow walkways in between, making it into four smaller beds. but when i startd thinking about using them for folks with special needs, that plan has to change completely!!!
Perhaps i should think more along the lines of several different bed designs, according to needs. Instead of all beds being the same...
Some will certainly have to be built up high for wheelchair access...
Will keep reading your posts, love the info i get from this forum...
tf (please call me tamara, it is just hard on my left hand using that pinky to type my full name...)
Tamara,
My step-daugshter's name is Tamara too, but she goes by Tammy. Partly because people don't know whether to say Ta-MA-ra or TA-ma-ra.
In your last post, you mentioned beds with narrow walkways in between. NARROW WALKWAYS!!!!!! The narrower the walkway, the fewer people will be able to use it. Starting with pregnant women, moving through all the forms of assisted walking (one cane, two canes, one crutch, two crutches) and ending up with manual wheelchairs, electric scooters and wheelchairs, we need more and more space. It's a good idea to plan ALL walkways at least 3' wide. The ADA (Americans w/ Disabilities Act) of 1990 has lots of specific info about how wide is wide etc. Lemme see if I can find you a site.....ok here. 3' is enough for one wheelchair. you need 5' for two WCs.
http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/ada/reg3a.html#Anchor-18203 ? I guess you have to copy and paste.
Be warned though: the ADA is under the dept. of justice, and enforced by lawsuits. Many many places are "grandfathered" and it only applies to PUBLIC places, as a law, that is. If you want your private garden to be accessible, wonderful. If you want it to be at all publically funded, I think you need to be in compliance with the ADA.
The amazing thing about the ADA when it was first passed was that it applied to workplaces and that it came up with the term "reasonable accomodation". For instance for someone who works in a commercial greenhouse with a learning disability, a reasonable accomodation might be to color code flats of different colors of alyssum seedlings, or for a Deaf employee to have her instructions written down. It would be UNreasonable for someone with no arms to want this fictional greenhouse to redesig the whole facility so he can transplant using his toes. These fine (or not) lines are being worked out in the court system as one rube after another sues the us gov't.
Sorry to run on so long - this is a topic dear to my heart.
xx Carrie
Narrow walkways don't work very well for those of us who are still more or less ambulatory. If you have a bag of potting mix or a bucket of manure tea that you're carrying along, it impedes your access to the next section of the bed after you've set it down. I started out with wallways barely 18 inches because I wanted to conserve as much space for growing as possible, but soon realized that small space would be quickly overrun by the vigorous foliage of the plants in the beds, and to navigate between the beds meant stepping on and damaging my crops.
oh, yes no kidding! my origianl plan wasn't for diabled, so i was just going to use stepping stones or boards. then i tried walking on mine LOL even before my surgery, that was a trick, so i just stayed out of there afterwards!!!
thanks for ht e info, i will check that out soon. right now i am just trying to keep my head above water, can' teven think about gardening myself, much less for thers...
yes, it is TA-ma-ra. I went by Tammy till i moved to Texas, then switched :-) i don't expect folks to pronouce or spell it right. apparetnly i can't even say it right, i often leave messages, then people call back asking for Pam or Pamela LOL
tf
Hey, guys, what do I do when my sort-of-able-bodied husband is too tired or too busy or it's raining and meanwhile there are expensive live plants, bulbs, and bare-root purchases losing valuable fall rooting time? Do you depend on able-bodied folks for help?
xxx Carrie
everyone able-bodied i iknow is too busy. :-(
try staring it yourself with him in plain site. my mother always does that to get me to help her. i still can't get her to just ask LOL, cause she thinks Im too busy...
you could also make some temporary pots from plastic jugs. i saw a thread somewhere with a link for that...
everyone able-bodied i iknow is too busy. :-(
try staring it yourself with him in plain site. my mother always does that to get me to help her. i still can't get her to just ask LOL, cause she thinks Im too busy...
you could also make some temporary pots from plastic jugs. i saw a thread somewhere with a link for that...
http://members.tripod.com/toppertwo/pop_bottle_pots.htm
and
http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/453535/
even if you can only do a little, it's better usually than waiting :-) hopefully you have a good table setup for this...
tf
Carrie, here are some ideas that have worked for other folks. Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts earn merit badges for special projects, and Master Gardeners fill several hundred hours annually in service contacts. They sometimes work directly with individual gardeners and/or can recommend dependable helpers for hire. For heavy duty jobs such as replacing a gatepost or assembling a compost bin I contract with my yardman who maintains the front lawn. I'm certainly willing to pay for assistance but feel that by working with ag students and others who need the credits we are filling a need two ways. Also, my hunch is your DH might find garden work more intriguing if other folks are out there doing it. Yuska
great idea Yuska!
Only problem is, my DH isn't disinterested, he's in pain! He actually broke his back this last spring. Just one vertebrae, but enough to make almost everything, and I do mean everything, uncomfortable. In fact it was while he was out on Workers Comp that he got so into gardening!
xx Carrie
:-( poor thing, sounds like you both could use the help Yuska described...
Oh, golly, I am sorry...now I understand the term "sort-of-able-bodied". Certainly the bending and stooping of gardening is no fun while in the grip of back pain! One other thought...you might ask the manager of your favorite nursery to recommend good helpers. If you're paying for assistance, the stronger the skill level of the workers the faster and better the work will go.
I'm very fortunate....my next-door neighbors have two sons in high school...both fine young men who are a joy to be around. The parochial school they attend periodically sets service assignments for the students, and I've been the recipient of their good deeds several times. While I'm careful not to overwork them, knowing that I can call on them in a pinch is a special bonus.
And especially shoveling. Yet he does it when he can..... He had a nightmare last night that he was shoveling snow in the driveway! LOL. The problem is, I have two perfectly healthy daughters who don't yet appreciate the joy of gardening. "Oh, Mom, not MORE bulbs!" The HS sophomore even has a community service program at her HS! How weird would that be, if I requested a student (or students) to help us with gardening and s/he came over while my HS student was loafing around? I guess I should talk to my DD; ask her how she feels about it.
xx Carrie
Hi Folks!
Greetings Carrie and from not too far north of you either. Like you, I’m now in a wheelchair from severe MS and we can probably trade some war stories; I have fallen out of my wheelchair so many times it isn’t even funny. I have somewhat solved that by taking the legs and foot rests off my chair when I garden. That changes your entire center of gravity and lessens the chance of toppling when you lean forward.
On the days that I feel particularly weak or unsteady, I wouldn’t even think to do the smart thing and actually stay in and rest… (it would be impossible for me to go out and not putter)I use a long Velcro belt and belt myself in. I run it around the back of my chair and my waist – keeps me from leaning too far out. (I am loathe to offend anyone but I got it at a Big& Tall shop ages ago. A 3XXX holds my 140 lb body where it needs to stay so I don’t take a header.
Another trick that is especially helpful with MS… I always garden in the rain. You stay cool, you don’t have to water anything, and there are no mosquitoes, wasps or flies. I wear heavy duty rain gear over sweats and it keeps me dry enough and warm enough. The only thing I hate is that my gloves get wet and my hands get cold. I got some big blue rubber gloves and that solves that problem to a point - they are too big but they are the smallest I could find. They are heavier duty than kitchen gloves and have good gripping power though. And for work where I need more dexterity, I use latex exam gloves.
My hubby and I planted 18 roses in the torrential rain storm we had 2 weeks ago. We had ordered bare root roses that came the day of the storm and had to go in the ground. He helped and honestly, we had a blast. DH is a psychiatrist and I shudder to think what people driving by thought about the two idiots in rain gear, one in a wheelchair, in flood gear, planting roses.
I have an old klunky wheelchair I use outside a lot of the time. (Not my lightweight regular chair.) I throw dry cleaning bags over it and hold them in place with duct tape or clothespins in bad weather. It works. I also have a terrific electric chair with heavy duty wheels that can go through mud and sand but for the life of me, I can’t find new batteries for it. Anyone have a clue where I might get some replacements?
I also have the added problem that I’m not just confined to a wheelchair, I also have a feeding tube and respiratory machine that needs a power pack, so gardening for me is something of a logistical nightmare no matter how you cut it. But I have found a garden wagon almost impossible to live without. I can set everything on it and pull it along with me. I push myself backward in the wheelchair with my feet and pull the wagon. It rolls very easily, much more easily than I thought it would, and even long handled tools are in easy reach. I just have to be sure the tubes and hoses don’t get tangled.
I also have one of those little rolling garden seats that Rubbermaid makes (less than $20). It is about 18 inches by 9 inches and has a storage area under the seat for tools and gloves. I can transfer to that from the wheelchair and push myself along the walks to trim the hedges. The hedges are only a foot or so high so pruning them from that height is easier on my back.
I do the same thing you do to plant small plants, BassetMom. I haven’t found anything better or easier (except getting someone else to do it lol). But I will say, Martha Stewart makes a set of children's gardening tools that are very good quality. The shovel is the perfect size for me to dig a hole, but you have to be right beside where you are going to dig.
Sorry for being so longwinded. I so enjoyed reading your posts and got some great ideas.
Cathy
This message was edited May 25, 2006 7:07 AM
Hi Cathy,
I know I can make your gardening a lot more enjoyable by suggesting www.earthbox.com I am also disabled and if it were not for my Earthboxes (EBs) I would not be able to enjoy as much as I do. I have PPS known as post polio syndrome. The EBs can be used to grow anything especially roses without weeding and excess fertilizing and no fear of overwatering. They can be placed on the ground, patio or even on low tables. On tables they would be very accessible to you as you can sit in your chair, comfortably and enjoy your gardening without straining yourself. I find I can grow anything this way and have gained a new lease on gardening that otherwise could be prohibitive. I have fourteen of them and I grow tomatos and all kinds of melons. Living in So. Fl gives me twelve months of gardening and my EBs have made all this possible.
Go to their website and see for yourself? What they say is true! There are many of us on DG that grow with this system. Try it as it is a blessing. Let me know what you think?
re carrielamont's post:
a privately owned garden doesn't have to be ADA accessible just because you let the public in.
for private property, the ADA doesn't kick in unless the private property is a business open to the public that has fifteen or more employees. even then, there's an exception for undue hardship, so if your business doesn't really make much money, you don't have to spend gobs to make it ADA-accessible. period.
access for "public places" generally refers to property owned by local, state, and federal governments. they have to comply with the ADA no matter what.
check it out yourself: http://www.ada.gov/q%26aeng02.htm
scaremongers will tell you different but they are mistaken.
This message was edited Aug 11, 2007 9:50 AM
lupe ~
I don't think I posted on this thread about the ADA and "reasonable accommodation." In my old life I was even an ADA compliance inspector - not the right words, but you know what I mean. I can't count the # of times I've tried to explain to tiny, family owned businesses that smoothing out their 2" bumps inside does NOT immediately invoke the ADA and all its micro-regulations. (Or the # of pictures I have of shopping carts stored in the HP spot, newspaper racks blocking the wheelchair curb cut, yadda yadda yadda.) No, I'm not a scare-monger, I'm on the other side. In fact, I am woefully ignorant of the regs as they apply to Braille signage, or how wide is wise enough for Canadian crutches. I just care about ME. Nowadays.
xxx, Carrie
Carrielamont,
I understand your frustration. And I did not mean you were a scaremonger. I meant that others can be, which makes everyone frustrated. I am grateful for your insights and experience.
Disability is an interesting thing. You can go from being a full participant in life, with friends, outdoor activities, and social interactions, to a person with a disability in the blink of an eye. That is all it takes a drunk driver to t-bone your car. And it can happen to anyone -- literally, anyone. I know a man who is paralyzed from a sinus infection that traveled to his spinal cord.
If something like that happens and you wake up disabled, it's a whole new world. Even if you feel like exactly the same person, others treat you differently. You often can't get into restaurants, stores, or even into to your best friend's house for dinner, like you used to. (and yes, sometimes it's because of the carts blocking the disabled spot) :-) Sometimes it's easier just to stay home, and many do. Others tough it out, but you do have to be tough.
That's why I think accessible gardening is so important. So many of us love gardening and would hate to lose the solace and satisfaction it brings. While it may be frustrating to take the extra steps to make things accessible to others, it's not all that hard once you learn how. And it's nothing compared to the joy you may bring. We should all be so lucky as to have gardening in our lives until we are old and gray.