More answers from Ms. Cassidy will be posted next Wednesday. This feature is now closed to new questions.
For Those With Arthritis
Q. Would you recommend a company that manufactures a line of tools for gardeners with arthritis? — Thurgood
A. While many elders complain of arthritis and how it inhibits their gardening, keeping a positive attitude and developing new habits can keep you at it for a long time.
First, be sure to consult your doctor or health care provider about your physical abilities and limitations.
Be aware that after sleeping, the older body needs more time to “reactivate” its muscles and tendons. Waiting a few hours before digging into the garden is wise. Occupational therapists can recommend appropriate exercises before you begin.
Pace yourself. You should break your garden tasks into smaller steps. Every 20 to 30 minutes change your position and activity. If you were raking leaves, switch to sitting as you deadhead the mums.
Boomers represent a huge market for all sorts of new products and the garden industry is taking advantage of this. The range of gardening tools and new designs to choose from can be overwhelming. While the term “ergonomic” is often associated with specially designed tools to meet the needs for those with arthritis, be aware that some designs are better than others. When investing in new tools, be sure that you can take them back if they don’t fit your needs. What may work for someone else’s arthritis may not suit yours.
Buy lightweight tools; expending your valuable and limited energy hauling around heavy things is not wise. For example, Fiskars makes sturdy but featherweight plastic hand tools.
I agree with the reader R.M. Weisman from PA who recommends Radius tools. While there is a large array of hand tools and shovels to choose from online, you should go to a store so that you can handle the tool to feel its weight and to see if the design fits your hand.
Look for hand cushioning. For tools that require us to grasp, most arthritic hands require and appreciate more cushioning. Many hand tools like trowels, weeders or pruners now come with foam rubber or some soft materials. If you need more sponginess, buy inexpensive pipe insulators (long gray tubes) that are easy to cut and wrap around handles, and secure with brightly colored duct tape.
Keeping your pruners sharp reduces the stress on your hands and wrists as well as ensures that you make a healthy cut on the plant. Look for lightweight pruners with comfortable handles.
Many tools like rakes, trowels and forks come with handles than can be adjusted to fit the length you need for the job. Customizing the tool to meet your physical needs enables you to work within the bounds of your arthritis.
Q. Do you have suggestions that don’t require a considerable investment in structural changes for modifying gardens for seniors? — Jordan, Long Beach
A. Modifying a garden can be as simple as not planting high-maintenance plants and looking instead for those more drought tolerant. In some geographic regions, planting natives can relieve the gardener of a lot of work. Review what you have in the garden and perhaps remove some of the shrubs that require yearly pruning or tall floppy flowers that need stalking.
Switch the in-ground bed gardens to containers and position them near your door for easy access and harvest.
Replace heavy hoses with lightweight brightly colored ones that are easy to move and see. Position hoses so you don’t have to haul them around the garden —perhaps get a new water faucet installed nearer to the garden. Add quick-release hose attachments so you can quickly exchange hoses without stressing your fingers and hands.
Make sure your pathways are safe for walking. Perhaps installing a handrail in hard-to-reach areas would help.
Add lighting so you can see the walkway or steps.
Vertical Gardening
Q. I would like to learn about vertical gardening. Crawling around is getting hard. — Mike, Santa Barbara, Calif.
Q. Is there a way to construct a vertical garden that is not tremendously expensive and labor intensive? — Cathy, pdx
A. Adding vertical structures can add a whole new dimension to your experience and to the look of your garden. Not only do they enable you to do a lot of your tending and maintenance standing up, thus putting less pressure on your back and knees, but they are also great space-savers on decks or porches. Vertical structures are versatile and come in many materials and shapes for a wide variety of plants.
If you have an existing wall or fence, this can be the start of your vertical garden.
Just be sure that there is safe and ample space for you to walk into, turn around in, and carry a small bucket for tools or harvesting.
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