Later life Independent living


Making gardening easier


If you’re finding it harder to dig, mow, sow and pull up weeds these days, we have tips and tools that may help you enjoy tending your garden again


Now that the weather has improved it’s the time when many of us start thinking about tending our little patch of land – in other words, our gardens. Indeed, we’re a nation of gardening fans. Just take a look around any garden centre at this time of year, and you won’t be able to move for trolleys laden with bedding plants, compost and fertiliser. However, it’s not just the gardens that benefit from this frenzy of


horticultural activity. Countless studies confirm what all green- fingered devotees already know – that gardening is good for you, both mentally and physically.


Top gardening tips As you get older it can become more difficult to enjoy gardening. Thankfully, the charity Thrive has lots of advice to make gardening easier if you’re older or disabled, including the following:


• Raise the soil level or use raised beds to improve access.


• Use old carpet (face down) to create level routes across a vegetable garden.


• Avoid fast-growing plants that will require frequent pruning. 28 All About You


• Use ground cover plants to cut down on weeding.


• Remove or reduce areas of the garden that require frequent maintenance, such as lawns.


• Use mulches of bark, plastic or gravel to help suppress weed growth and conserve moisture in the soil.


• Grow vegetables on a small scale for less effort – for example in containers.


• Replace hedges with fences for easier maintenance.


• Find the lightest tools with the widest handles as they are easiest to grip.


• Vary your gardening tasks to vary body movements.


For more information about Thrive, visit thrive.org.uk.


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