Gardening can be a relaxing and enjoyable way to improve the value of your home. With the right plants, you can also reduce your grocery budget. For those who deal with chronic pain, many adaptations can keep you growing your flowers and produce.
Add Steps and Paved Paths
If your yard is sloped or slanted, you can reduce the fall risk by adding paved steps and paths. Consider using pavers that are light in color along the edge of your steps and paths to reduce the risk of a trip or fall. Solar lighting can also be a lovely accent on a paved walkway.
Put In Raised Beds
If bending and stooping are hard, put in raised beds to bring the work closer. As you lay out your raised beds, consider the space between them. If you have a grassy pathway between your beds, leave plenty of room for your mower to pass.
Containers along the edge of a patio or deck can also give you the chance to try out new plants, and hanging pots can allow you to garden standing up.
Improve Rainwater Management
If rainwater capture is legal in your region, consider putting in barrels on stands so you can easily get a bucket under the spigot of your rain barrels. One of the challenges of watering by bucket is the weight of water; at 8 pounds per gallon, moving more than that may be hard on arthritic hands.
Look for ways to drain your rain barrels directly toward trees and shrubs that will benefit from a slow soak over time. A lightweight coiled hose can help you direct rainwater resources without having to carry a lot of water.
Put in Soaker Hoses
To make sure that your gardens get the water needed, lay down soaker hoses before you add plants, seeds or mulch. Make sure you wear gloves; the surface of soaker hoses can be tough on the skin of your hands.
Quality soaker hoses can make it possible to grow edible plants and other plants that support pollinators. They also lessen the need to drag hoses and sprinklers around your yard, and will allow you to create an oasis in dry conditions.
Choose Low Maintenance Plants
If you live in a dry region, try to put in a lawn or groundcover to hold down your soil that won’t need a lot of care. In regions that get heavy rains in the spring, make sure that you contact a professional to aerate the sod well before the deluge hits. This will protect the roots of your lawn from the stress of saturation and help it survive the hottest parts of the summer with little work.
Boost Your Curb Appeal
There are many home updates for those with mobility issues that don’t add value to the space. However, if you can grow flowers in hanging baskets or build a raised garden along the front of your porch, you’ll both have an easier time gardening and improve the value of your space.
Those with large garden areas on their property have even more options to garden comfortably and boost the value of their home. Raised beds of brick or concrete can be laid out in a formal pattern for both beauty and ease of care.
Chronic pain doesn’t mean that you can’t have a healthy garden. It may mean that you have to change your gardening focus and adapt the landscape to suit your limitations.
Author: Brittany Cotton
Published by: International Pain Foundation, iPain Blog, Team iPain
