GUIDELINES MAKE GARDENING MORE ACCESSIBLE
Wide, safe access and the right tools help those with special needs
Many San Diegans want to spend more time gardening outdoors, but they may experience or anticipate challenges. For example, they can’t bend down, they need the right tools to extend their reach or they just want to learn how to minimize trip hazards for seniors or small children.
Having spent more than 30 years in a wheelchair, I have learned a lot about adapting a garden to yield multiple benefits. By following a handful of guiding principles, anyone can experience the rewards of growing f lowers, fruits and vegetables at home or in a community garden.
Some helpful design tips:
• Choose low maintenance plants and grow vertically along a trellis, to cut down on bending.
• If you have the room, make pathways 5 feet wide to accommodate wheelchairs, wheelbarrows or grandkids wanting to play in the garden.
• Create easy slopes and shaded spots to rest. Out-of-the-way seating also offers the chance to spy on critters that come and go.
• Keep cactus and agaves far from walkways, where someone can get poked, and stay away from groundcover that is not easily navigated with wheelchairs and walkers, such as wood chips, pea gravel and gorilla hair compost. Try decomposed granite mixed with a binding agent to ensure smooth travel along walkways.
Binding agents can be costly upfront, but they pay off in the long run.
As you journey through your garden, you may come across a few tight spaces where the right tools
will make all the difference. For someone with compromised mobility, a light and expandable rake extends reach, while ergonomically designed shovels, pruners and hand tools take the pressure off arthritic joints and a seat or small table attached to the side of a raised bed gives you a chance to rest in between garden chores. A wheeled trolley filled with garden tools can minimize back-and-forth trips to the garage. And at the end of the day, store your tools on easy-toreach hanging racks.
If budget allows, install a drip irrigation system attached to a controller with a moisture sensor. Then add a fertilizer injection system. Both save a lot of the time and energy required to keep on top of watering and fertilizing.
When creating a garden for the visually impaired, be sure to eliminate all trip hazards (e.g. hoses, leaf litter, pebbles and forgotten tools) and use plants that people can taste, feel and smell, including scented geraniums, lemon verbena and a kitchen herb garden with basil, sage and tarragon.
It’s especially important to avoid all poisonous plants that can trigger harmful reactions and send someone to the hospital. Children and pets are at risk of encountering shrubs, succulents and even vegetables that pose a real danger. Check out the University of California Cooperative Extension Plant Safely website for a comprehensive list of toxic plants: ucanr.edu/sites/plantsafely.
For more information on Friendly Inclusive Gardening, send an email to help@MasterGardenerSD.org. Fall is a great time to get outside and explore your backyard. With the right approach, gardening offers limitless possibilities that all can enjoy.