Gardening positively impacts bodily, psychological, dietary and even social well being. Spending time in nature contributes to leisure, stress discount and psychological readability. Pleasure in accomplishment can accompany all phases from making ready backyard beds to watching vegetation develop, harvesting and making ready backyard contemporary produce. Sothy Eng in UH Manoa’s Division of Household and Shopper Sciences has studied the affect of Dwelling Backyard Networks (go.hawaii.edu/VEN), or networks of three to 4 households who work and study collectively as they develop and keep gardens of all sizes. Working collectively might happen at in-person actions, at shared backyard plots or nearly. Profitable backyard networks use areas and instruments that enable all ages to take part and profit.
The College of Guam Cooperative Extension makes use of the time period “enabled gardens” to clarify gardening practices that enable folks of all ages and talents to get pleasure from and profit from gardening. Enabled gardens are locations the place younger kids could be as profitable as adults with mobility or different bodily or psychological challenges. College of Guam’s nine-part sequence contains photographs, tutorials and tips for adapting instruments, choosing and planning backyard websites, making ready soil, managing weeds and pests and harvesting flowers and produce. For extra data, go to go.hawaii.edu/9EV.
The next are some methods to think about as you intend your accessible backyard:
• Handle your physique. Gardening is a type of bodily train, so earlier than starting any new train program speak together with your well being care skilled. You will need to heat up prior with gentle exercise and stretching earlier than getting shifting within the backyard. Frequent breaks for water in a shaded space will stop dehydration and overheating. Breaking gardening duties into smaller, extra manageable items might imply that you just prune at some point, hand-weed on one other or work at 30-minute intervals. Mild or heavy lifting could also be required and correct lifting strategies can stop pressure in your again and joints. Whereas lifting, hold the burden near your physique and use your legs to raise up from the bottom.
• Use the fitting instruments for the job. Start with gardening instruments you already personal and retrofit to ease pressure on joints within the fingers and wrists. Add padding by wrapping foam pipe covers over backyard instrument handles and duct-taping in place. Lengthy-handled instruments help you work the soil with out bending over, and smaller headed shovels or rakes are a lot lighter and extra manageable. One thing so simple as an previous fork could be very light-weight and works effectively for digging and raking. Cut back wrist pressure by selecting light-weight however sturdy instruments product of aluminum, plastic or fiberglass. Smaller instrument sizes are useful for youngsters and adults with smaller fingers. Contemplate keiki-size gardening instruments — they’re often inexpensive and do the identical job. Use the smallest watering can doable; attempt repurposing a milk or juice jug.
• Modify for security and luxury. Sit on a five-gallon bucket or stool so you possibly can work the soil with out bending or squatting. Use a wheeled cart or seaside wagon to keep away from carrying gadgets lengthy distances. Be sure you rinse off cart wheels earlier than taking it again out on the sand to keep away from carrying pests from one place to a different. Use a chunk of PVC pipe 3-4 ft in size for planting seeds. Somewhat than bending over, “slide” the seeds down the pipe proper into the soil!
• Use containers. Backyard containers are straightforward to handle when positioned close to the home. Get artistic — a kiddie pool, empty plastic containers and even an previous shoe could make nice planters. Elevate containers on an previous sturdy desk, stacked pallets or shelf so you possibly can safely stand or sit to work.
• Handle your instruments. Preserve pruning shears and different reducing instruments sharp and instruments with shifting components recurrently oiled. Correctly maintained instruments last more and require much less effort to make use of. Disinfect instruments after every use with cleaning soap and water or alcohol spray. Go away gadgets like shears and pruners open to dry. This prevents cross-contamination from one space of the backyard to a different, and prevents rust.
• Keep organized. Preserve all gardening instruments in a single place — for instance, in your gardening cart. Preserve walkways and backyard work surfaces away from obstacles to permit totally free motion, and to stop journeys, falls or different damage.
• Begin small. If you’re a starting gardener, attempt beginning with a pair containers, or plant a single row alongside your fence. You possibly can at all times develop, however by beginning small you possibly can keep on high of weeds/pests, and make sure the healthiest, best vegetation.
Have you considered beginning or increasing your backyard this yr? What steps can you are taking to make sure that your backyard is accessible for all ages?
* Heather Greenwood Junkermeier is with the College of Hawaii Manoa Cooperative Extension, Maui Intergenerational and Getting older Applications. Getting older Issues covers subjects of curiosity to the getting older Maui neighborhood and seems on the third Saturday of every month.
