Gardening Doesn't Have to Hurt, Just Because I'm Getting Older!
Gardening Doesn’t Have to Hurt, Just Because I’m Getting Older!
A few years ago, I planted 48 quart
sized autumn ferns, one at a time, never leaving my hands and
knees…because I couldn’t. My back hurt so badly I couldn’t stand up,
but I was determined to get those ferns in the ground by gosh, no
matter how bad it hurt!
Lately, I’ve caught myself taking
more time than usual to analyze the easiest plan of attack as I take on
a new landscaping or gardening project. I’d like to think it’s
maturity, but I know better. Where I once dove headlong into a
project, I now find myself seeking the path of less resistance.
Oh, this pains me to even write
these words of truth but as another wise soul once told me, recognizing
the problem is the first step to finding a solution. A problem…do I
really consider my reduced flexibility, aching back and noisy joints a
problem? All right, yes, yes and yes. There, I said it.
It’s actually quite amazing to
realize how many people are limited in some way by their lack of
mobility or functionality. According to The Medical College of
Wisconsin, over 40 million Americans live with some form of arthritis.
And it’s not just seniors. The Arthritis Foundation® reports that this
includes 8.4 million young adults between the ages of 18-44, like
me…well, almost like me.
Thankfully more companies are
designing products that make spending time in the garden more
productive, enjoyable and pain free as well. Here is just a partial
listing of some of the most popular choices.
Pruners and Loppers
One of the most important tasks in
the garden is pruning. For some, even a snip here and there can be a
problem. But when the occasional snip turns into an all out project,
we have a different story. One of the biggest pains in gardening is
inflicted on the muscles and joints in the hand. And one of the most
common culprits is the pruner.
Through careful study and thoughtful
engineering, even the act of pruning is no longer dreaded by even some
of its most outspoken adversaries. Design innovations such as rotating
handles that roll as you squeeze, extra sharp coated blades that reduce
friction and balanced gears, work to reduce the force, fatigue and load
imposed on our hands and bodies.
Fiskars
is one company that utilized innovations like these to develop pruning
and cutting tools in their PowerGear® series. The essence of the
design multiplies and evens out the cutting power while the ergonomic
handles increase comfort and reduce hand stress.
In 2004, these tools were awarded
the Arthritis Foundation® Ease-of-Use Commendation and the only garden
tools in the United States to carry this award.
Ratchet Style Cutting Tools
What makes this style of pruners and
loppers so useful for cutting is the unique design of the ratcheting
mechanism. The design allows the tool to effectively multiply your
hand's power, making cutting easier and more efficient. Unlike
traditional pruners and loppers that make one large cut, the ratchet
mechanism makes a series of incremental, smaller cuts. As the blade
cuts through limbs, the tool clicks and moves to the next setting,
providing more pressure with each cut, and no extra effort on your
part.
These tools are a great resource for
cutting thicker branches of woody shrubs and tree limbs. It’s amazing
to experience the ease of how efficient the ratchet mechanism works for
the small amount of effort on your part.
There are several manufacturers of ratcheting tools and available in stores and through online and mail order sources. Florian® and Fiskars are two of the most popular brands.
Ergonomic Hand Tools for the Dirt
Radius™ Garden
is one company that develops gardening tools around the idea of making
gardening naturally easier and more enjoyable. Currently, they offer
two trowels, a weeder and cultivator in their Natural Radius Grip™ hand
tool line.
These may be the most
non-traditional, traditional tools you’ll ever see. Each features a
unique arched handle, designed to encourage a neutral wrist position.
Accordingly, power is more efficiently delivered by transferring energy
from the large muscles directly to the blade.
Suffice it to say their tool design
uses the most current research into human factors and tool usage to
maximize power while minimizing hand and wrist stress.
Other designers of hand tools
seeking to provide a more ergonomic solution, start with a traditional
design, such as a trowel or cultivator for example, but modify it to
provide a way to grip the tool in a different manner, such as by adding
an upright handle. The intent of these designs is to keep your hand
and wrist in a more natural, upright angle thereby reducing strain to
the arm and wrist and providing better gripping capability.
There are a number of manufacturers
utilizing these design methods. A website search of ergonomic tools
will provide a number of options.
Multi-Purpose Bench
Ergonomic cutting and digging tools
are great but do little to help my aching back. It would have been
nice to have a multi-purpose bench on those days spent on my hands and
knees. 
Today, these handy benches are
readily available at garden centers and by mail order for around $30.
They’re strong, lightweight and fold flat when not in use. The flat
padded surface allows you to comfortably work from a kneeling position
and when you’re ready to stand up, the sturdy handles provide the
support.
Flip it over and you have a sturdy,
padded bench. Overall, this is a real back saver in the garden as you
deadhead, prune and more.
Self-winding hose reels
One of the ongoing struggles in my
garden is winding up the hose each time after use. It’s tempting to
let the big snake lay where ever. Hose reels provide an easier way to
retract and store them, but you’re still utilizing a lot of effort and
muscles to make it happen.
Now, there are hose reel versions that use the power of water to wind the hose in for you. Appropriately called the “No-Crank™” hose reel, they’re the only hose reels in the market to offer hands-free rewinding of garden hoses.
These reels make use of a patented
water-piston engine. Simply flip a lever and let the power of water
rewind the hose so you don’t have to.
Extended Reach Tools
Another
back-saver in the garden is any tool that has been modified to reduce
the need to bend and stoop such telescopic handles with adjustable
lengths or one of my favorites, the long-handled weeder. Getting deep
into the soil to fully extract those stubborn tap-rooted weeds is still
possible from a full upright position, thanks to tools like the CobraHead® Long Handle and the Upright Weeder by Fiskars.
Tools for Hauling
Even if you are able bodied in every
way, nothing can take you down for the count quicker than a back
injury, frequently the result of improper lifting and other strains on
the back.
Voted Top Ten gardening products of
the year by the Wall Street Journal and a 2006 Best of the Must-Haves™
by The joe gardener® Company the WheelEasy™ lays
flat on the ground where gardening takes place. Just sweep, rake,
roll, slide or drag directly into the canvas barrow- no heavy or
awkward lifting required. The ergonomic lower center of gravity reduces
strain and impact on the body and the self centering design cradles and
stabilizes awkward and hard to handle loads.
The WheelEasy is available in two sizes. The original WheelEasy is more
suitable for bigger jobs with a load capacity of 350 lbs. The WheelEasy
LE is handy for those smaller jobs or tighter spaces. It holds up to
150 lbs. Both models fold for compact, easy storage.
No purchase required
In spite of all the great
body-saving products for gardening these days, there are many things
you can do yourself that don’t require a purchase.
Hanging baskets, modified by a
pulley system can lighten the load for any gardener, especially for
those in wheel chairs. The pulley system can allow even the heaviest
baskets to be easily lowered to any level and then raised again when
the maintenance is complete.
Even simple solutions such as
building up handles of existing tools with padded grip tape or pipe
insulation can make even the hardest handles softer and easier to
manage. Your creativity and imagination are often all that is
necessary to take a good tool and make it better…for you!
JL
