Summer is officially here! When you think of summer, one activity that comes to mind is gardening. But for some individuals gardening can be difficult due to aging, injury or disease.
The following is just a few of the adaptive gardening tools available to individuals with disabilities to enable them to gain access to gardening.
- Garden Tools
These easy grip tools are adapted gardening tools which are ergonomically designed to help prevent injury by maintaining a natural grip. Individuals who have difficulty holding standard gardening tools, who experience increase wrist pain or limited hand mobility and strength will find these tools more comfortable to use.
For those that tend to lose the garden tools among the green foliage, black dirt, or for those with a vision impairment can paint the handles of the tools in a bright fluorescent color.
- Long Handled/Extendable Tools
These type of tools can help reduce the strain of bending over, or minimize the risk of injury to the back when bending down into the garden. With these type of tools, look for a rubberized, textured or those with wide handles to make the tool easier to hold.
- Watering Options
Watering wands are an extra long watering handle that will allow someone to water anywhere; to reach plants up high in hanging baskets or deep into the garden without stepping into the plants.
Soaker Hoses are another nice option to consider when keeping the garden watered. A soaker hose can be placed in the garden beds and left in place for easy watering all season long.
- Gardening Stools
Garden stools are a comfortable work seat to provide support while working close to the garden bed. Many garden stools are made with wheels and seats that rotate to reduce the need for getting up and down often. This will eliminate putting pressure on knees while weeding and trimming.
- Elevated/Raised Gardens
Raised gardens and containers allow people to sit or stand while they garden, bringing the garden to the individual. This is an ideal option to limit bending, kneeling and allowing it to be wheelchair accessible.
Finding the right gardening tools can make gardening accessible to all. Let Assistive know if you are looking for something specific to help in your gardening needs this summer, and we will do our best to research the right tool for you!