A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion Landscape trials and triumphs Gardening With Disabilities Inventive Gardening

I think whether or not a person has a permanent disability or a temporary injury, there is often a time when a little inventiveness goes a long way. This thread is a spot to share your ideas about "inventive gardening" -- or -- clever ways you've overcome some sort of difficulty in the garden.

Have you moved a rock that was too heavy for you? Have you used other tools when your regular ones broke? Have you used alternate methods for watering? If so, here is the place to brag on yourself about it!

I'll go first....

When Maxi still had his big garden at our last apt, the year before we had a hose, there was a big problem getting that large garden watered. He was a small kid and I am disabled.... neither one of us could lift a big pot of water, let alone carry it to the garden.

So....

We put one of my biggest stock pots in his big red wagon. Filled it. Then I punched holes in the bottom of a coffee can so the water would sprinkle. We'd pull that wagon across the yard to the garden, Maxi would carefully water all his rows of seeds. Back and forth we'd go between the house and the garden with pots of water. When the plants came up and were established, he stopped using a can with holes and used a regular can without holes to give each plant a "big drink!"

It was clever, it got the job done although neither one of us was very strong in those days. True, it was all a LOT easier once we got a couple of hoses hooked together to go across to the garden.

Your turn....


JUST HOW DID YOU DO THAT, ANYWAY?!

Merme

Okay...I'm accepting my turn, now.

Thank you and kudos to Merme for posting while I sat for 91 year-old Peggy. I thought, "OMG, how am I going to do this?" Well, necessity is the Mother of Invention, so I put on the positive and asked how I would do this. Luckily, Peggy has a stairway lift, is wonderfully pleasant (She looks at me now and then and says, "I love you. You're my boy!"), and gives me hope because she can get around. At first, it was difficult to get Peggy to understand that I am 55 and bore three children, but the "I love you" and her smile makes her win her argument. Now, I don't care if Peggy thinks I'm Ronald McDonald!

Since I am a "newbie" at gardening (anything green!), I had to find some way to turn the soil. Much of it comes from how I feel that day. If the knees aren't too bad, I'll start pulling out what doesn't belong there and tossing it in the same place. Then, I stretch out the legs, sit on my bum, and use the pitchfork. It surprised me that I can slide the tongs into what I tried to loosen by hand and turn the soil. I kind of "sifted" a forkful and just slid the fork alongside me and pulled off the stuff that would not go through. Then, I tossed it in the pile...My aim is improving.

I tossed the rocks I found up onto the neighbor's wall that separates the backyard. After I treat the soil for weeds (when I can find a place that sells pickling vinegar), I'll cover the soil with newspapers--Wrennie's suggestion--and use those rocks on the wall to hold it down. The rocks are now at shoulder level on the wall and easier to just drop where I want them.

All of the "stuff" I tossed, I raked over to the ground I cleared, and it is finally dry enough to break up and put into cardboard cartons until I get my composter going. I also asked our tenant on the other side of the house to save kitchen peelings, coffee grounds, etc. in a large container with a lid which they leave on the porch. I have been burying that directly where I cleared. I also put shredded paper on top before I covered it up. It's still really hot and humid here in Scranton, PA.

The last two years, frost did not occur until mid-December! So, I think I still have time to get the composter started.

That's it for now. Thanks for sharing

kat

A pitch fork and sitting on your bum seems to be working, Kat. Good idea. Maybe one day you could invest in a ScootAbout or something similar. One year I laid flat on my tummy to get some planting and weeding done because I couldn't kneel. I often wondered what the neighbors thought! Now I can kneel but it isn't very comfy. I also used a claw but I think your pitch fork is probably a sharper tool.

Merme

Here is a photo of a Scoot About in use:






Merme

Hi, Merme....Neighbors? Here's one...

As I was sitting with the fork and tossing the brush, naturally, it rained dirt for awhile. Our neighbor came over and curiously said, "Cleaning that up?" I said, "Trying to, anyway." I realized she was kind of staring. When I got in the house, they told me my hair was covered with dirt!

I think we've all earned stares from our kith and kin and nearby neighbors, Kat. If you stick around a bit, I'm sure you'll hear some of the classic Afgreyparrot stories....


Merme

By the way, I grew up just southeast of you in Yardley, PA.


Merme