About WVATSAccessible Gardening: Tools & Resources for Green Thumbs
Time in a garden can be a critical part of an active lifestyle, and can also help ease some of the chronic aches and pains many of us experience as we grow older.
With the right tools, some simple adaptations and a little ingenuity, one's time in the garden can provide fresh air, exercise, peace of mind and many other benefits.
Finding the right tools includes careful selection of the right tool for each individual. Using a tool that does not fit the hand or for a purpose that it was not intended can lead to injuries like carpal tunnel syndrome or tendonitis, as well as muscle strains and aggravation of existing conditions like arthritis.
Many ergonomic and assistive devices are available from West Virginia AgrAbility for loan through the WVATS Loan Library
For more detailed information on tools, tips and modifications available for gardening with a disability, as well as resources on wheelchair accessible gardening, call West Virginia AgrAbility at 800-841-8436 or e-mail agrability@hsc.wvu.eduAn Overview of Accessible Gardening
Tools and Tips
* (NOTE: Refer to the numbered list of vendors)
Bringing the garden to you
- Garden in raised beds, trellises or containers that minimize bending and stooping. Raised beds can be built from scratch or with raised bed kits. * 1, 4, 7
- Use plant supports to help keep otherwise ground-sprawling plants more upright and easier to reach. * 1, 4, 6
- Use a seat on wheels (commercially available as Tractor Scoot ® to move around beds without standing and crouching repeatedly. * 1, 4, 5
- Use a stool, foam pad, or kneeling pad with handrails while working near the ground. * 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Watering
- Achieve a longer reach while watering hanging baskets and raised beds by attaching watering wands of various lengths. * 2, 4, 6
- Try a commercially available seeder for gardeners, including syringe-type dispensers or a Seedmaster® trowel with a built-in seed dispenser. * 4
- Use one of the many brands of self-coiling hoses now available. * 1, 4, 6
- Improve your grip on the hose spigot with an enlarged knob or faucet adapter. * 4, 5
Tools
- Make use of tool carts for transport of tools, materials and soil products. * 4
- Wear gloves to protect your hands and joints. Some are specifically made for people with arthritis. * 3, 4
- Reduce hand fatigue and increase leverage while pruning with ratchet pruners. * 4, 6
- Choose ergonomic tools with large grips, such as NRG Radius® hand tools. * 2, 3, 4, 6
- Try long-handled and telescopic tools that allow people to extend their reach to the ground from a sitting position. * 2, 4
- Use D-grips and fist-grips, which are beneficial for those with arthritis or chronic back pain. * 2
- Keep your wrist in a neutral position by using Fist Grip® or GT® tools, which are designed for individuals with arthritis and other upper extremity limitations. * 2, 3, 5
- Try the E-Z Reach Grabber® as an aid in planting bulbs, harvesting fruits and vegetables, and picking up odds and ends around the garden and yard. * 2, 4, 6
Vendors
Below are a few of the many sources of ergonomic and accessible gardening aids:- Gardener's Supply Company
128 Intervale Road
Burlington, VT 05401
800-444-6417
www.gardeners.com/default.asp
-
Gardenscape Tools
2372 Queen St.
East Toronto, Ontario Canada
888-472-3266
www.gardenscapetools.com
-
Hand Helpers
P.O. Box 324
Center Valley, PA 18034
888-632-7091
www.handhelpers.com
-
Lee Valley Garden Tools
P.O. Box 1780
Ogdensburg, NY 13669-6780
800-513-7885
www.leevalley.com
-
Life With Ease
P.O. Box 302
Newbury, NH 03255
800-966-5199
www.lifewithease.com
-
Walter Nicke
36 McLead Lane
P.O. Box 433
Topsfield, MA 01983
800-822-4114
www.gardentalk.com
-
Raised Garden Beds
30181 King Lane
Hermiston, OR 97838
800-265-1209
www.raised-garden-beds.com
Selected books, web sites and other resources
(Those with an asterisk can be borrowed from the CED Resource Center; call 800-841-8436 for more information.)
*Adil, J.R. 1994. Accessible Gardening for People with Physical Disabilities: A Guide to Methods, Tools, and Plants. Woodbine House, Bethesda, MD.
*Berry, S. & Brasley, S. 1995. The Practical Guide to Container Gardening. Storey Books: North Adams, MA.
*Greenstein, D. 1997. Easy Things to Make Things Easy: Simple Do-It-Yourself Home Modifications for Older People and Others with Physical Limitations. Brookline Publishers, Cambridge, MA.
*Greenstein, D. 1993. Backyards and Butterflies: Ways to Include Children with Disabilities in Outdoor Activities. New York State Rural Health & Safety Council, Ithica, NY.
Inman, K. 2002. Hoe, Hoe, Hoe - Gardening is for Everyone. AT Journal, Vol. 50.
*National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. 2004. Easy Ergonomics: A Guide to Selecting Non-Powered Hand Tools. California Department of Industrial Relations and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Cincinnati, OH. Available at www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2004-164/default.html
Rothert, G. Home Enabling Garden: Parts I-III. National Center on Physical Activity and Disability, Chicago, IL. Available at www.ncpad.org
University of Missouri-Columbia. Gardens for Every Body.
University of Oregon Extension Service. Making Gardening Easier (Publications EM 8498-EM 8505, a series of eight fact sheets that deal with arthritis, low vision, and other limitations). Available at http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog/
*West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources. 2005. The Burden of Arthritis in West Virginia. Statistical Brief No. 14. Available at www.wvdhhr.org
*Woy, J. 1997. Accessible Gardening: Tips and Techniques for Seniors & the Disabled. Stackpole Books, Mechanicsburg, PA.
This publication is printed with support from the WV Department of Health & Human Resources, Osteoporosis & Arthritis Program.
West Virginia AgrAbility
959 Hartman Run Road
Morgantown, WV 26505
800-841-8436
e-mail: agrability@hsc.wvu.edu
www.cedwvu.org/programs/agrability
