Arthritis friendly gardening aids and tips

[sarah9786]

Just wondered if anyone else carries on regardless in the garden despite arthritis or similar long term tiresome condition and if there's any tools or tips you'd like to share or recommend?

I describe the need to go in the garden as like being a salmon called to swim upstream when my husband rolls his eyes at me hobbling off with garden gloves - over wrist supports at times.

I can't say I don't get a lot if help because I do and I'm grateful.. but I'm a stubborn so and so and like doing as much myself in the garden as I can really, maybe you could say I'm my own worst enemy at times because of it but I maintain that gardening is much cheaper and productive than any physio or other therapy!

[lottie dolly]

well done to you for carrying on,it may take a lot longer to do things,but hayho,i get issues with the old body at times,my motto is squeek and carry on,now your question,i not know of anything to help,only sheer determination,and go easy,also,you mention wrist supports sometimes,maybe make it every time,good look and carry on lass.

[Thelma Sanders]

I also refuse to give up
I don't know where you would buy one now, but I inherited from a plot holder who passed away (RIP Ian) a spade with a normal Tbar handle but the bottom/metal part is only 4ins wide. I've made the holes in my weed control fabric, just slightly bigger than that, so transplanting is easy, I just drop a plant in the hole, and trickle some compost around it to firm in.I grow most veg in modules to start with as it's difficult for me to get down near the soil for direct sowing.
I don't deep dig any more, just loosen the top inch or so, so that I can work in HM compost or chicken manure pellets, which seems to work ok. Bulk manure is much too heavy for me to barrow/lift, nowadays.

[lottie dolly]

I also refuse to give up
I don't know where you would buy one now, but I inherited from a plot holder who passed away (RIP Ian) a spade with a normal Tbar handle but the bottom/metal part is only 4ins wide.

that one is easy sorted,IF you know a body that will cut a small boarder spade foe you,MR did 1 a few years ago for me,do yoy know of a builder with a cutting disk,thats what is usually used for cutting brick,blocka concret ect.

[burnie]

Arthur Ritis is well known individual in our house(my wife had a hip replacement in her 40's and suffers badly), so pretty much everything is geared to dodging the side effects, from buying a bungalow, to a car that is easy to get in and out of. Special taps and household gadgets are plentiful on the market, but outside seems less so. I built my big sided raised beds with ease of use in mind, because they are made from railway sleeper sized timber, we can sit on then whilst we weed etc and being higher(double height of sleepers), we don't have to bend much either.

[happyhumph]

Some of my customers have small trowels and hand forks on long handles - the lighter weight tool is a lot easier to use. Another vote for raised beds if knees/hips/backs a problem.

[veggiechicken]

Long handled bulb planters are good too.

[Guest]

Unfortunately my only contribution is outside lever taps. There are a few on the market but not very common. Mine came from plumbcenter.

https://www.wolseley.co.uk/product/m...n-bibcock-1-2/

[Soupmaker]

Get a vegtrug. Best thing in the garden. No bending, enough room to grow plenty of veg including tumbling toms, strawberries, lettuce and dwarfbeans. I love going out in the morning, complete in nightie and dressing gown to check plant status!

[1Bee]

I'm not an arthritis sufferer (yet!) but I'm struggling with a knee injury and back pain that can be limiting. I've been using a low stool for getting close to the soil and making sure I push a fork or spade into the soil next to me when I get down so I can get back up again!

A neighbouring plotterer has a very nifty very long handled fork, and another uses a garden stool thingy. I think it's as much about planning as anything else - where can I position myself, what do I need, how often can I move....?

Don't know if this site might help? Garden Tools For Arthritis Sufferers

[rary]

As has been said higher than normal raised beds, I also use long handled hand fork and trowel and by long handled I mean 5ft in length and the best tool I have is a lightweight hoe, it has a stainless steel blade which is kept very sharp with a hollow aluminium shaft, worth its weight in gold (I have a heavy steel rod that could be fitted inside it if someone wanted to pay that way for it) a really good garden tool to have also a long handled shovel purchased from li_dl saves having to bend the knees but more than enything consentrating on the garden you can forget the pain, we'll until you go to bed