allotment /gardeners

newbygran

Hi everyone, :roll: I would like some help no don't run away, (If possible,) O H does all of the hard work, I do the seed's and potting up, As my arthritis has got worse in my hips I have slowed down a pace or two, does anyone have Idea's / Tip's how to help with bending down to plant and harvest crop's, I want to be as able as possible, (don't want to wear out OH just yet) I have a garden stool thingy with handles, which helps, we grow organic crops, and I do love my allotment, as I live in a flat nearby with no garden : would love to hear from all you green fingered folks about any thing about gardening, floral/ veggie/ or fruity. oop's :oops: some of you may have read about me /a bee sting /a greenhouse/ agony and OH in stitches of laughter we do see some funny things, there are tales to be told, :roll:

frogmorton

Heyho Newbygran

I too adore my gardening

We do have a gardening thread which I will try to 'dig up' for you over the growing season. It was started by Tillytop originally...we usually share progress in our gardens as well as nip behind the compost heap for a quick tipple if it's cold

I have the same sort of stool thingy as you I think and often get on the floor and stay there crawling around the beds. Some of mine are now 'raised' and like you I do a lot of seed plating as well as potting on.

A bee sting?? Oh dear I do hope you are ok?

Love

Toni xx

barbara12

Like Toni says we had a good gardening thread going..I bet our Elna could help she and her OH have allotments....you will laugh at this.my OH does heating...and I asked if he could make me something to put seeds in...its a piece of tubing I rake the trenches out then roll the seeds down the tube...and scrape the soil over with my rake..its works for me
I have always been the gardener in our house ...I cant do much now...the other things we are looking at are the raised troughs..
Hope you get more tips...xx

daffy2

Hello Newbygran
A couple of ideas. If you can't get down to the plants, get them up to you, either by growing climbing varieties of crops - eg french beans, courgettes, peas, rather than dwarf ones, to make harvesting easier, of by having crops in containers at a more useful height.It does make for more work with watering, unless you can fix up an irrigation system of some kind, but it can also mean easier pest control and cleaner crops as they are away from the soil. It's also an opportunity to get creative and see what you can recycle/design from junk/personalise etc.
The other thing to consider is what you can do from a standing position. An old boy on a nearby site has found that one of the sticks he uses to support himself can also be used to dibble holes to plant spuds, bean seeds and module raised plants, and shuffle soil over after. It's slow, and not as well done as he would like, as he has to use one stick for support while he's poking around with the other, but at least he can do something. Raising the plants for putting out(rather than sowing direct as he used to) also gives him a chance to potter in his greenhouse when it's too wet or cold to go out.Another old boy used a potato/bulb planter to plant brassicas. If they went in a bit crooked they soon righted themselves and they were planted good and deep to avoid wind damage.

Airwave!

eh dunno, I'm not qualified for the pretty bits, I do all the hedging and ditching and if it doesn't involve a power tool, it soon will! Seriously though, those planters that have all the different levels (strawberries?), potato sacks etc etc, make it easy for yourself and use them for everything.

LignumVitae

Raised beds and a potage/ square foot approach were the only useful things I could think of. I think gardening is a wonderful way to spend time so I really hope you find a way forward. As for the allotment, I'm very jealous!xx

pot80

It depends rather on how big an area you wish to cultivate but the ultimate solution is for a purpose built unit at the height you want it. It is not uncommon to see growbags sitting on some form of staging. You can grow many different crops in grow bags.Root crops are a limiting factor although you could grow mini-turnips I think. Other suggestions include growing Tumbler tomatoes in hanging baskets which can be successful,Carrots in one of the large rubberised buckets is also a possibility.Cost of setting something up could be a limiting factor and also having help to set the system up in the first place. It might be worth your while to look at a set up for disabled chair users as they obviously need every off the ground and get ideas.

newbygran

Thanks for your idea's O H is doing raised beds for me and a few large tub's, now he's retired he will have more time, I can't help but notice the shed has turned into a big boys retreat, chair, table, radio,pack of cards, bucket in corner, curtains I suspect he will take sandwiches, a flask of tea and a book and it will be a quiet summer for me I have found the other gardening thread so thanks for that. i will look on that thread.

frogmorton

Ooooh he is a cheaky chappie Newbygran

Probably a good thing though if he is retired.....lots of renegotiation needed while you both adjust to him being there more

and if he is going to help you access your garden more - he souns like a good-un

love

Toni xx