Gardening Should Never Grow Old

From the Richmond Times-Dispatch (VA).

"Gardening is one of America's most treasured pastimes. Working outdoors in the fresh air, tenderly caring for flowers and vegetables is therapeutic for many people.

But physical limitations and the aches and pains that come with getting older sometimes cut down on how much time we spend in our gardens.

Lola White, 64, said she doesn't do much gardening anymore, but she used to. The home she and her husband bought in Richmond's East End more than a decade ago had a beautiful garden, and for years she worked to maintain it.

To help ease the stress on her body, she used athletic-style kneepads when kneeling on the ground, and she always had something to sit on, even if it was an old bucket, so she wasn't bending over all the time.

White said she also used a cart that she could sit on and use to carry her tools.

Back then she used a push mower to cut grass; she recalls how the vibrations would cause her hands to be sore the next day.

"Most of my gardening now is taking pictures of the garden," she said jokingly.

Whether you're pruning roses or cutting grass, the name of the game is energy conservation, said Jose M. Vivaldi, an occupational therapist and director of outpatient therapy services for Sheltering Arms. "People underestimate the strenuousness of gardening."

There are ways to reduce the stress on the body while gardening. There are also myriad tools that can make gardening easier for people with disabilities and those who suffer from arthritis, back problems and other ailments.

Getting started

Vivaldi and Claire Terry, a gardener at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, said there's one easy way to cut down on the work — simplify your garden. Rather than growing flowers or vegetables that require lots of maintenance, use bulbs and perennials that come back each year and don't require as much upkeep.

And build up beds 8 and 14 inches high to make digging easier.

Terry suggested building a ledge around that raised bed, giving gardeners a place to sit while working.

"It minimizes the degree to which you need to bend over," Vivaldi said. If you don't have a ledge to sit on, he said a chair or rolling stool works just as well.

If possible, try to have access all the way around your garden so you don't have to step inside. Vivaldi said gardeners increase their risk of injuries when they have to walk through their gardens because the ground may be soft and they can lose their footing, or trip over plants.

If you have to walk through the garden, make a clear pathway using pavers or steppingstones that are decorative and useful.

Rather than having a large garden, try growing plants in containers. Put the containers where you want them, then fill with dirt and seeds. Get creative and use flowerpots, old buckets and other items that have outlived their usefulness. Also popular now are top-down flower and vegetable planters that suspend from ceilings and don't require any bending.

Get the right tools

One of the most common mistakes people make is using too much energy to operate tools, Terry said. Gardeners should "let the tool do a lot of the work. Just hold it lightly. Be in control of it, but you don't need a monster grip on it."

Part of that means having the right tools. Never use tools that are too heavy, Terry said. Find a lightweight tool that's ergonomically correct to reduce stress on your wrists, elbows or back.

Terry said she uses a trenching shovel, which has a smaller spade — about 4 inches wide — rather than a normal shovel. It's lightweight and "you can do everything with it," she said.

Along those lines, she also recommends getting tools like pruners and hand shears that fit comfortably in your hands. She said one of her favorite companies is ARS Corp., which makes tools such as pruning shears and long-reach pruners that are lightweight and easier on the body.

According to the company's website, two types of pruning shears offer features such as a rotating handle, which moves with the fingers as the cut is made, reducing friction between the handle and skin and prevents blisters. They also have rubber-coated grips and a locking system that can be opened with one hand.

Long-reach pruners are ideal for everything from pruning roses to picking fruit, and the ARS brand has comfortable hand grips and a revolving arm that allows the user to turn the pruner blade without moving the hand grips.

Terry also said kneeling pads work for some, though she prefers Monster kneepads. They are professional-grade kneepads that offer durable support for your knees and can be found at local hardware stores.

Gloves are a must, and not just to protect hands from things like thorns but also from fungi in the ground, Terry said.

Vivaldi said handle extenders will work in some situations but not others. For example, extenders on pruners or garden snips would make them easier to cut through branches or trim flowers. But on a hoe or a trowel, for example, "longer handles would actually make them more difficult to use," he said.

Gardening and your health

A rule of thumb for any outdoor activity, from gardening to sports, is to know when to do it.

"Work in the cool of the day," Terry said. That could mean early in the morning or early evening, when temperatures are lower.

Always drink plenty of water, and if you will be in the sun for any length of time, wear some kind of hat to protect your skin.

Think about when soil conditions are good, such as after a rain, when it tends to be softer and easier to work with.

"At the end of the day, it's about taking down the barriers that prevent people from doing the things they like to do," Vivaldi said."

And my own recommendation for people old before their time (like me from arthritis) is ratchet-handle loppers, which substitute the arm strength I no longer have to trim tree branches. Raised beds are also good for someone with a bad back, or who has trouble bending (like me). I also use a small chef's high-impact mat for kneeling on when I'm planting or pulling weeds out of the garden plot--I bought 4 for the kitchen, and wound up with an extra, so it went out in the garden (where I kneel the most when I can get down).