Products that can make gardening easier

By Kimberly Blaker

Gardening offers many excellent mental and physical health benefits. First, it’s a healthy form of exercise. At the same time, it boosts your emotional health when you spend time outdoors while tending to your plants’ needs as they grow.

Unfortunately, all the bending, extending, kneeling, lifting and other tasks gardening requires can become painful or difficult.

If you find gardening is taking a toll on you, there are many handy products out there that can help. Gardening gadgets and equipment can reduce strain and support you through various challenges to make the experience more enjoyable.

If you have arthritis

Arthritis can make it difficult to grip and maneuver traditional gardening tools that put your hands and wrists in uncomfortable positions. But there are a few great alternative tools.

Consider the Radius Garden five-piece tool set or the Bear Paws Cultivator Claw, tools specifically made to be lighter weight with a more ergonomic design.

For knees and backs

Some products are designed to reduce discomfort or eliminate the need for gardeners to kneel and bend.

If you struggle to put pressure on your knees for extended periods, you might want to try the Abcosport deep-seat garden kneeler. It can be used as a garden seat or kneeling pad.

There’s also the AMES Buddly Lawn and Garden Cart, which doubles as an easy-to-pull wagon and a sturdy seat from which to garden.

A bad back makes it hard to bend over to pull weeds to keep them from taking over your garden. With Grampa’s Weeder, a stand-up weed puller means you can remove these invasive plants from the root without ever having to bend down.

Limited reach

Do you struggle with limited reach because of mobility issues? If so, there are tools to make it easier to tend to your plants from farther away.

With the Ymachray Long Handled Planter, you can easily plant your bulbs and seedlings in the ground without having to kneel down and reach into the garden.

You can also bring the garden up to your level with the Keter Easy Grow Raised Garden Bed that you can use while standing. There are many other types of raised beds of various heights and sizes to fit your specific needs.

Balance and strength issues

For those who struggle with balance problems or limited strength, gardening can put you in a dangerous position, increasing your risk of falling or sustaining an injury.

Cart tools around safely with a rolling mobile tool storage system like the Vertex Super-Duty Yard & Garden Cart. This will reduce heavy lifting and the need to carry gardening tools around.

Home care

From page B-10

Note that there may be some overlap in the provision of in-home care services. For example, a home healthcare company may also provide non-medical homemaker and personal care services if you identify a need for household assistance in your care plan.

Watering with a hose or heavy watering can may throw off your balance and be difficult to lift. To avoid this, install a drip system like the Raindrip Automatic Watering Kit. It automatically delivers an efficient amount of water to your hanging plants and containers.

Thinning skin

Plants can be particularly rough on thinning skin, especially when dealing with rose thorns or spiky weeds, which can quickly tear your skin up.

When you have more delicate skin, you want to make sure it’s protected. Think about investing in thorn proof rose pruning gloves that extend farther up your arms to protect yourself as you reach into thick growth.

Need for sun protection

With outdoor gardens, it’s vital to keep your skin protected from too much sun exposure, which can lead to sunburn and increased skin cancer risk. A Lenikis sun hat with a wide-brim and neck cover keeps you protected from UV rays.

You might also consider an indoor gardening system, like the Smart Garden hydroponics growing system, if you need to stay entirely out of the sun.

Kimberly Blaker is a freelance writer. She also owns an online bookshop, Sage Rare & Collectible Books, specializing in out-ofprint, scarce, signed and first editions; fine bindings; ephemera and more at sagerarebooks.com.

Originally published on AgingCare.com, this article was reprinted with permission. AgingCare.com is an online resource that connects family caregivers, shares informative articles, provides answers and support through an interactive Caregiver Forum, and offers search capabilities for senior living options for elderly loved ones.

For more information, visit agingcare.com.

LIVING ALONE VIRTUAL SUPPORT GROUP

Sibley Senior Association (SSA) invites you to join a discussion group on coping with living alone. All are welcome to share their experiences. This group meets on Mon., April 17, at noon on Zoom. For the link, register by calling SSA at (202) 364-7602 or by emailing Ken Gordon at kengordon@alum.mit.edu.

GRANTS FOR HOME MODIFICATION

DC’s Single Family Residential Rehabilitation Program (SFRRP) administers grants for home accessibility modifications for persons with mobility or physical impairments. Join this free webinar on Tue., April 25, at 2 p.m. to learn about the SFRRP program from application start to loan closing. Register at housingetc.org/webinar-registration. For more information, email training@housingetc.org or call (202) 667-7606.