A lot of people enjoy gardening as a hobby or as a profession. Most people imagine someone down on their hands and knees gardening. However, this doesn’t have to be the case. Gardening can be enjoyed by people with disabilities just as much as anyone else. Raised gardens can bring the plants closer to the people. Making a handicap accessible garden requires a few considerations.
The first consideration is the construction of the raised garden. The height should be comfortable for working. A height of 28 to 30 inches is usually sufficient. It should not be too wide either. The center of the garden will be difficult to reach if it is too wide. Generally, it should not be more than two feet to the center, so a bed accessible from all sides should be about four feet wide. It doesn’t matter how long it is. You can make it as long as you like. Pressure treated two by eight’s and four by four posts can be used to build the garden. Using large pots is an easy alternative to building raised beds. Cucumbers and tomatoes can even be grown in them! The benefit of using pots is that they can be easily moved and are portable. The raised bed should be filled with good top soil or compost once it has been constructed.
Then you need to decide what type of paths to have between and around the raised beds. You can leave it as grass, but it may be difficult to maneuver a lawnmower down narrow paths. Wood chips or mulch can also be used. Four to six inches of mulch will keep weeds at bay, but it should be replaced every year or two. Wood chips may also be difficult for wheelchairs to run on. Pea gravel is another option. Additionally, this will keep weeds down, and it doesn’t have to be replaced as often. Once the gravel is compacted, wheelchairs should have no problem getting around. A more permanent alternative is a brick or stone patio built around the raised beds. The surface keeps weeds down, doesn’t need to be replaced, and wheelchairs can easily travel on it. It requires more labor and is more expensive to install.
Once you have the raised garden built and easily accessible, you need to decide what you will plant. Annuals are a good and foolproof choice. A wide variety of colors and shapes are available in annuals. Some good choices include petunias, marigolds, snap dragons, pansies, impatients (if you have shade), and annual salvia. Put the tallest plants in the center or back of the bed, and work your way down to the shortest ones in the front. Petunias and lobelia, which drape over the side of the bed, are good for the edge. Raised beds can also be planted with hardy perennials. Black-eyed Susan, ornamental grasses, hostas (if you have shade), daisies, dwarf iris, and creeping dianthus are good choices. The perennials will take a year or two to become established, but after that they require very little care and don’t need to be replaced every year like annuals.
Once your garden is planted, it will require very little maintenance. In dry or very hot weather, soak it in the morning or evening, never during the hottest part of the day. A good idea is to fertilize your garden about once a month so it will grow strong and produce a lot of flowers and vegetables. It is a good idea to deadhead your flowers occasionally. The plants will continue to grow new flowers if the dead ones are removed. That’s about all you need to do to maintain a raised garden.