Gardening activities like digging soil, lifting small pots, ranking leaves, or trimming bushes offer a unique opportunity for daily exercise. As such, it improves physical strength and heart health.
Considering cardiovascular disease, immune system health, and high blood pressure are common concerns among the elderly, gardening is one of the safest ways to keep them active. The whole routine also cultivates a purpose and adds to mental stimulation by increasing serotonin production.
With that said, gardening is a great option for seniors looking for a fun activity, and here’s our guide to help you get started.
Adapting Gardening Practices for Seniors
While many understand the basics of gardening, a few adjustments are crucial to regular practices when considering seniors. Here are the main components to ensure seniors get the most benefit from the gardening experience.
Ergonomic Equipment or Tools
Apart from gathering basic tools like gloves, forks, hand trowels, loppers, spades, rakes, etc., opting for ergonomic ones is crucial. These reduce discomfort and strain from performing gardening tasks, making them extremely beneficial for people with limited mobility or joint stiffness.
When purchasing tools, consider factors like weight, handle design, length and reach, and grip. Padded or cushioned handles with textured or non-slip grips offer comfort, better control, and stability, ensuring seniors have a safe and easy gardening experience. Similarly, long-handle tools minimize stretching or bending.
Assistive Gardening Devices
Assistive devices offer additional accessibility and support for seniors who wish to garden but have physical limitations. Kneeling when gardening is common, so seniors should use garden kneelers to provide additional cushioning or flip them over to use as low seats for added support.
Raising garden beds also eliminates excessive bending or kneeling, making gardening more accessible for seniors. Similarly, using wheelbarrows with handles to transport tools, plants, soil, or other gardening material reduces strain on the back, wrists, and legs. Don’t forget about lightweight but durable watering cans that offer impeccable balance to make watering the plants easier.
Easy, Low-Maintenance Plants For Gardening
- Spring Bulbs: Crocuses, tulips, and daffodils require minimal care and effort to produce colorful spring blossoms every year.
- Evergreen Shrubs: Low and slow-growing evergreen shrubs like holly and boxwood require minimal pruning while adding a defined structure to the garden all year round.
- Hostas: Naturally deer-resistant and low-maintenance, hostas come in various shades of blue and green, with flowers ranging from deep purple to pink-infused white.
- Succulents: With varying shapes, sizes, patterns, and colors, succulents are some of the most trendy yet resilient plants. They require minimal water, well-draining soil, and sunlight to stay healthy.
- Herbs: Mint, chives, parsley, basil, oregano, thyme, sage, and chives are great options for a kitchen garden and easy to grow.
Additional Tips For Senior-Friendly Gardening
Apart from adapting gardening practices, here are other factors to improve the overall experience for seniors:
- Warm up your muscles by stretching for a few minutes before gardening. Start slow in short sessions and gradually increase the duration between breaks.
- Use proper body movements for safety. For heavy objects, lift with your legs not your back.
- Avoid over-exertion and ask for help when needed. Even when purchasing gardening materials, use moving services over long distances so you don’t put your body through the driving, lifting, loading, and unloading.
- Wear loose but sturdy clothing that covers your legs, arms, and neck for protection. Apply sunscreen and wear wide-brimmed hats to shield your skin and eyes from the sun.
- Stay hydrated by drinking sufficient water before, during, and after your gardening routine. Always keep a bottle of water nearby.
- Avoid gardening when it’s hot. The ideal time to garden is 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. but as a general rule of thumb, early morning and late afternoon works perfectly.
Sustaining Gardening in Assisted Living Communities
While small-scale gardening at home involves one or two older adults or family members, the dynamics of assisted living communities are different.
So, here are five ways assisted living homes can practice and spread awareness about sustainable gardening in their community.
Smart Garden Layout
Your garden’s layout also impacts its sustainability, so consider natural factors like wind patterns, topography, and sunlight when designing it. Take advantage of damp areas for plants that require more water. You can also position taller plants to create natural windbreaks to protect the delicate ones. When dealing with larger plants, placement is crucial because their roots can get in the way of other plants or even paved surfaces. If you already have juvenile tall plants, install hard plastic sheeting belowground to contain the roots.
Water Conservation
Since water is a critical resource, you must conserve it, especially when gardening. One common technique that directly delivers water to the roots of the plants and reduces water wastage or evaporation is drip irrigation. You can also choose drought-resistant plants to minimize water usage or group plants with similar water requirements to control the water you use.
Using Natural Resources
Harvest rainwater to utilize available resources, especially if you’re located in a region with regular rainfall. You can install a rainwater harvesting system, which collects and stores chemical-free water from your roof and supplies it to the garden. You can also start composting to manage your garden or kitchen waste; this will give you a rich compost that provides your garden with essential nutrients and reduces the need for chemical fertilizers.
Sustainable Pest Management
Chemical pesticides not only contaminate the soil but also harm local wildlife. For natural pest management, introduce beneficial wildlife like praying mantises or ladybugs that control the pest population by feeding on them. Similarly, growing garlic and marigolds in the garden will naturally repel unwanted insects.
Eco-Friendly Tools and Energy Resource
Reduce emissions by choosing hand tools over gas or electric-powered ones. You can also install solar-powered lights to reduce conventional energy use. Mulching regularly is also another practice that reduces weed growth, conserves moisture around the roots, and improves soil health. You can use natural materials like wood shavings, hay, grain straw, garden clippings, or wilted foliage.
With that said, use our guide to help you embark on a fun, relaxing, and creative journey of gardening. Following these tips will ensure you keep yourself healthy and help you grow a beautiful garden!