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Don't let an injury sideline you from the garden this season

Jun 28, 2010 | Barbara Barger | The Eagle Tribune

Q: Last winter, I managed to slip and fall and break my arm and shoulder on an ice patch in my driveway. I need some suggestions for ways to make my gardening a little less complicated this summer. I can make my plans simpler, scale down the plantings and cross some of the major projects off my list. But how can I make normal chores easier, too? I don't want to give up my garden.

A: Spoken like a true gardener. No need to abandon the garden. Gardening is for everyone, no matter your limitations, whether permanent or temporary. You may just have to change the way you do things.

Manufacturers of garden tools and products are beginning to acknowledge that most of us need a little help with garden chores. That doesn't mean only us older gardeners, but the boomers, too. No one wants to give up the joy of gardening because of age, illness or injury.

Look for lighter-weight tools with better shaped handles that are more comfortable and far easier on the wrists and hands, whether you have arthritis or just get tired planting dozens of plants. Burpee has a whole line of simple right- and left-handed tools for both men and women in colors that can be seen easily, I'm a tall gardener and I appreciate longer handles. Many tools are being made with handles in varying lengths that make them more suitable for smaller beds as well as container gardening.

Lighter pots are also great. I once thought clay pots were the only thing to grow plants in. I still love them, but just can't lift an 18-inch clay pot full of wet soil anymore. There are wonderful plastics now that don't look like thin, inexpensive grower's pots, but rather resemble the stone textures of a fine piece of Italian pottery. They're colorful and less expensive than clay or ceramic. And because they are lightweight, the containers can be moved around the steps, deck or porch to follow the sun or shade and benefit the plant.

Container gardening is perfect for people with time or energy restraints as well as physical limitations. Containers are not simply flowerpots. They come in many shapes, sizes and materials. Last year, we helped a gardener with multiple sclerosis who wanted to grow vegetables, flowers and vines. We found her a raised table with an 8-inch deep box on top for her garden. It allowed her to continue gardening, even from a wheelchair. She grew carrots, lettuce and tomatoes as well as flowers. A raised table can also be used by people who want to set pots at table height and garden in a chair, which is much easier on the knees.