How to Make your Garden fit for you!
Adaptable gardening demonstrates how to adapt gardening practices to make gardening enjoyable and successful for people or different ages, levels of ability, interest, and needs.
Adaptable gardening is using the tools and techniques already used in gardening to fit the needs of people of various physical abilities. Gardening adaptations can be used for the elderly, people with limited range of motion or mobility, anyone wanting to reduce stress on joints, or those who find gardening mentally beneficial and enjoyable.
Any garden can be an adaptive garden if it fits the needs of those using it. Adaptable gardening often requires some creativity and problem solving to find the right set up of plants for an individual’s needs.
Adapting your garden requires assessing yourself, assessing your garden, consulting resources, and making necessary changes to your garden space.
Assess yourself:
- What are your current physical limitations?
- Time and money resources?
- Availability of assistance if needed?
Assess your garden:
- Evaluate current accessibility and size.
- Determine soil and drainage needs.
- Assess available water source.
- Assess sun exposure and climate appropriate plants.
- Think about how you want to use your garden.
Consult resources:
- Use your local extension office: talk to our master gardeners and adaptive garden experts.
- Organizations you belong to.
- Online resources, books, and catalogs.
Changing your garden space:
- Make it functional and adaptable to you with current and future goals in mind.
- Plan for convenient location with easy access.
- Select appropriate plants, adaptive structures, irrigation, and accessible pathways.
- Make comfortable and shaded rest areas.
- Use the right tools.