Gardening for the elderly

What challenges do the elderly face when gardening in their senior years? The most challenging common disease among the elderly is arthritis, according to Jane Stoneham and Peter Thoday, authors of “Landscape Design for Elderly and Disabled People.” A reduction in one’s mobility is the key restriction to keeping up the tasks needed for gardening.

Correspondingly, people need to change the way they garden. Containers and raised beds can still give elderly or disabled people an opportunity to grow some of the things they want without having to walk out into the landscape. Considering plants such as patio vegetables bred for containers and even raised beds gives them the fresh food they need without a lot of effort.

Then there is the issue of water. Built-in water reservoirs prove helpful to reducing the frequency of watering, but having some form of automatic irrigation is the most efficient way to ensure success. In general, containers or raised beds need to be well-drained and have an adequate amount of soil to withstand extremes in temperatures. Having less soil in these structures means they will dry out faster.

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