Is it possible to garden with compromised mobility or limited upper body strength or when in a wheelchair or using a walker? Absolutely!
As we grow older, we experience decreasing physical stamina and/or the development of other limitations in our physical abilities, forcing us to reduce the magnitude of tasks that we take on. We learn to slow down, but we don’t have to give up.
In my lifetime, I’ve worked with several dedicated direct care providers to introduce, or reintroduce, youth, the elderly, and disadvantaged, disabled, and special needs clients and friends to the satisfaction and tranquility of gardening. Cornell Cooperative Extension provided training, informational materials, and limited funding, while local farm and garden centers provided seeds, starter plants, and assorted building and gardening materials.
I’ve also had the good fortune of knowing several devoted gardeners with limitations, who crafted and tended remarkable gardens; cultivating their own food and ornamental plants for years; even decades. They remain an inspiration.
Mountain Gardens Galore
By Jackie Woodcock
It’s prime time here in the mountains to witness fruits, berries, and vegetables hanging from lush greenery. In the small towns that make up the western gateway to the Adirondacks, gardens of all sizes are thriving and abundant. There are several reasons people in these small towns choose to garden. Some find it therapeutic and gratifying, with the greatest reason being that we live in what is called a food desert. No, we don’t live in an area strictly covered by sand and scorching temperatures, rather we live in an area where access to fresh food is greatly limited. Thus the action of planting gardens becomes paramount to community health and well-being.
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