As we grow older, or because of illness, accidents, or other reasons, many of us
cannot continue gardening as we once were able to do, but we do not want to give up entirely its pleasures. There are many ways we can continue, even if on a limited scale, and following are some ideas to consider. Some of these we can do ourselves, but others may require assistance from others.If you no longer have the ability to work at ground level because your knees, back, hands, legs and/or arms may not lend themselves to performing what used to be routine skills, there are some innovative and practical actions that will help overcome any physical limitations.
By building raised beds, or using containers of various kinds, we can bring the garden up to a more comfortable working height. When arranged in a variety of heights, they are an attractive solution to avoid working on your knees, stooping or straining your back. Raised beds can even be made wheelchair accessible so that gardening can still be done by persons who cannot otherwise garden.
Raised beds also have the added benefits of enabling you to control soil quality by filling beds with a good soil mix, and to plant sooner because the soil warms up earlier in raised beds and containers. Many new varieties of vegetables and flowers
are bred especially for growing in confined areas.If you prefer to stand and work without bending, 24 to 30 inches is a good height to make raised beds. If you work from a seated position, a garden raised to 18 to
24 inches is a good height. Raised beds can be constructed to include a seating cap around the perimeter. The maximum width of a raised bed is around 2.5 feet if you have access from only one side, or 5 feet for access from both sides--2.5 feet is the maximum a gardener can reach to work comfortably, unless special tools are used.Raised beds do require initial expense and labor, but ready-made units can be purchased by mail order (with built-in watering and fertilizing systems), but by building or having built, or purchasing only one unit, you can decide if this method will work, and later more units can be added.
Instead of raised beds, large containers, such as sewer and chimney tiles can be
utilized. Window boxes, hanging baskets are also possibilities to consider. Also, vertical gardening, using fences, trellises and arbors can be used to grow many vegetables, such as squash, cucumber, cantaloupe and watermelon, as well as many flowers, such as roses, clematis, morning glories, to name a few.Stay tuned for another article, when more ideas will be presented.