Mobility in the garden

When we moved into this house about a year and a half ago, I could move around fine but now it’s hard to bend down, so I have to get Sarah (my wife) to plant things. Raised beds and planters are really useful if you can’t bend down.

I have a raised bed beside my shed that's easy for me to use. Also, it has a lip around it that I can use as a seat, super handy! I'm going to get another raised bed to replace my veg pots soon which will be easier to water and contain more plants. I’ll probably get one that is about 2’ high which seems like a good height for me to sit on. 24-34 inches tall from the ground is a good height if you are in a wheelchair, with about a height of 36” to allow for your legs to fit underneath.

I absolutely love this mat thing. My co-ordination has declined so I use this constantly to avoid getting soil everywhere when I pot up. Its super light, fastens at the corners, and easily rolls up to store away.

I bought this walker (below) to help me move around the garden and I love it. For a start, it has this carrying space under the seat where I can put things, or if it's a big thing I can just set it on the seat (which is totally flat and easy to wipe down). The wheels are a bit more rugged which mostly works well on our lumpy lawn but I often have to lift it a little bit over lips. I use it to walk the dog round the block too. This thumb grip thing is useful as it helps you apply pressure though I didn't consider it when I bought the walker. I got mine on Amazon.

I keep it outdoors but under a covered roof, so it’s protected from the worst of the elements. It would probably rust otherwise.

I also use this bag a lot because it's super light. I’m not even sure where it came from but I'm pretty sure it was free. I found it can hold lots of dead leaves in the fall when I'm collecting them for my compost or mulch. In the spring, I put my seedlings in a little cardboard box in the bag to transport them to the basement. The box protects the seedlings, making them less likely to fall over in the process.

I got this gardening foldout kneeler thing and I've found that if I use it like a seat and straddle it, I can get a lot lower. I must admit when I did this I had a chair there for balance too. I bought mine on Amazon but there might be better ones. Mine folds totally flat and I hang it on my shed wall when I’m not using it.

These tubs can be bought pretty cheaply all over the place but I got mine here. I like the fact that it’s light and most importantly can be easily bent, meaning I can hold it with one hand using both handles. It carries 10L (38 gallons) but you can get them in lots of sizes. I use it for compost, weeding, garden debris and probably a lot of other things. When I’m not using it it’s light enough for me to put on a high hook in my shed out of the way.