healthy habits for gardening

Healthy Habits for Gardening

Gardening is one of the most popular & loved pastimes. Taking a sensible approach to how you do things in the garden can give you more time & energy to devote to this pleasurable, creative & satisfying activity.

Here are some tips on doing things wisely & safely in the garden.

Rationalise & keep tasks simple

Collect all the materials and tools you need and have them ready at hand in a bucket or wheelbarrow, to save traversing the garden back & forth endless times. Save your energy for gardening.

Decide beforehand what tasks you will tackle and try to stick to them, so that you have the satisfaction of seeing fruits of your labour. Avoid branching off into a myriad to halfcompleted tasks, which can be demoralising, as garden tasks can seem insurmountable!

Be comfortable

Gardening when sitting is often most comfortable. Avoid bending over excessively or
awkwardly. Protect your joints. Avoid using muscles or holding joints in protracted
positions. Change tasks & posture frequently and avoid awkward positions & postures than cause muscle strain & fatigue.

Work at a comfortable pace. Take regular breaks to rest & admire your work.

Drink water to keep you hydrated.

Sun & skin protection

Especially in summer, garden at cooler times of the day, early morning and evening. Avoid the heat and high ultraviolet exposure of the middle of the day (11 a.m. to 3 p.m). Always wear a broad brimmed hat and high SPF sunscreen on exposed parts of your body. Wear clothing that is comfortable, but protects you from sun, insects.

Choosing Tools

Finding the right tools to use to make gardening safe, comfortable & enjoyable can be difficult. Finding just the right tool depends very much on the individual gardener’s
abilities, the nature of their garden, and the tape of gardening they want to do. When
possible handle the tool before you purchase it. Check that the weight, & size of the tool are suited to what you want it to do. Whenever possible, test tools before making your purchase.

Here are some guiding principles for tool selection & use:

• Choose tools that are the correct weight for your body, build and strength.

• Choose lightweight tools (e.g. newer metal alloys & durable plastics), especially
important for tools that extend your reach.

• Enhance comfort & grip by modifying handles with padding (e.g. foam insulation
that can be slipped like a glove over too handles) especially helpful for those with
reduced gripping strength or arthritis. Even wearing snug gardening gloves can help
grip & protect your hands.

• Ergonomic tools are designed to work with your body’s mechanics. Long-handled
tools save you having to bend & stretch to out-of-reach parts of the garden. Longhandled tools are most effective when gripped with both hands close to the body rather than extended, so adjust the length of the tool appropriately. Long-handled tools improve leverage. A range of long-handed tools is available, including watering wands and pruners.

• Assistive devices which make tools user friendly are available (ref). For gardeners
with very reduced or no hand function, use rehabilitation equipment such as cuffs,
braces & utensil holders. Attach garden tools & modified eating utensils to cuffs &
splints, to function as garden tools.

• Keep cutting tools well maintained & sharp to mimimise the force needed to use
them.

• Try children’s gardening tools as these are smaller & lighter & require less strength
to use. Such tools are often suitable for gardeners who use wheelchairs or who work
from a seated position.

• Kneelers & knee pads are an option for gardening tasks at ground level.

Re-design your Garden

Sometimes it is necessary or desirable to change the layout and nature of your garden, sothat you can garden with greater ease and pleasure. Simple changes, such as incorporating a raised garden bed, using container plants, or vertical structures, widening garden paths, can make gardening easier and less strenuous.

Mulch improves soil texture, suppresses weeds & conserves soil moisture, and so is a labour-saving strategy on several counts. Minimise time & effort associated with weeding by smothering the soil with mulch or better still, groundcover plants.

A No Dig Garden

Digging the soil can be arduous. It also disturbs healthy soil micro organisms. It is better to bring the soil to a comfortable working height (e.g. with raised beds), appropriate tools & posture and then create a no-dig garden with layers of mulch.