Gardening can be a great hobby for anyone, but it’s certainly not the easiest activity to carry out, especially if you’re not properly equipped and prepared. Caring for your plants is even more challenging when you have a condition that affects your mobility. If you’re disabled, wheelchair-bound, or afflicted with a disorder that makes a conventional approach to garden setup and maintenance unfeasible, you’re probably looking for ways to improve accessibility so that you can continue or begin your gardening efforts. Here are a few tips to help you get started.

1. Install a Lift

If the door that leads to your garden has steps, you might want to consider the benefits of having a lift installed. You could also install a lift in your greenhouse or garden area to help you reach taller plants or planters that are stacked on shelves. Whether you’re having trouble reaching something or getting in and out of your home easily, you should be able to find a suitable solution by browsing the catalogue of a popular lift provider like Terry Lifts

2. Choose a Convenient Location

Selecting an ideal spot for your garden is the first step you can take to ensure that any other suggestions on this list are easier to implement. If your garden is currently a significant distance from your home, you may want to hire a crew to relocate it. If you haven’t yet built your garden, consider the advantages of constructing a lean-to greenhouse that is directly attached to your home. Of course, you’ll also need to take sunlight and shade into account when choosing a spot for any garden. 

3. Strategically Position Walkways

Moving around your garden in a wheelchair will be very difficult without a network of paths. Even if you’re not in a wheelchair, it’s better to avoid rough terrain when you’re dealing with any sort of mobility-reducing condition. Ideally, you should be able to access every area of your garden without having to leave the paved walkways at all. 

4. Place Tools and Equipment Within Reach

If you just recently became disabled and now all of your garden tools are out-of-reach in your shed, re-positioning them to a lower height is a mandatory step that you should have one of your friends or family members help you with. An easy way to take care of this is to have a short fence built around your garden and then hang the tools on the fence at a height of about 2-5 feet. 

Gardening Can Enhance the Healing Process

If you’re having trouble finding the motivation to get out there and start gardening, consider the fact that the literal fruits (and vegetables) of your labour will give your body the best chance to power through whatever disabling condition you’re dealing with. Even if your physical prognosis doesn’t significantly improve, eating healthier and having an active hobby are two ways to keep yourself occupied and build stronger mental resilience. One could argue that every disabled person should have an accessible garden simply because it’s the healthy thing to do.

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