Gardening is not for pansies! It is a strenuous activity and none of us is getting any younger. Here are a few tips to make your chores easier and more comfortable to do.
Assess the situation. Just how much can you lift and how far can you bend? What chores are painful or put too much stress on your already sore parts? How long can you work before tiring? Remember, gardening is supposed to be fun!
- Stretch and warm up first before throwing yourself into the day’s chores. As with any form of exercise, to avoid unnecessary injuries, you need to warm up those muscles first.
- Pace yourself. Take frequent breaks. Divide tasks into manageable sections. Do a little each day instead of holding a marathon gardening weekend.
- Alternate tasks that use different muscle groups or require different body positions. Rake while standing, then sit and weed for a while. Fifteen-minute intervals will prevent one muscle group from becoming stressed.
- Raised beds are great for the plants and for the gardener. They lessen the distance you have to bend and, depending on the design, can be high enough to eliminate bending altogether!
- Drip irrigation or soaker hoses will do away with the need to lug water or drag an unwieldy hose around the garden.
- Mulch cuts down on watering and weeding. It worked well for Ruth Stout, who gardened into her 90s and wrote about it in Gardening Without Work and How to Have a Green Thumb Without an Aching Back.
- Look for ergonomically designed tools. Fat handles are good if your grip has weakened. Long-handled tools enable you to stand up fairly straight and lessen the strain on your back. Slip-on D-grips can be added to long-handle tools to increase leverage.
- If you are able to kneel, try using a padded mat to cushion your knees. Kneeling is actually easier on your back than squatting. If both positions are too painful, bring a stool out to the garden to sit on—or sit on the ground.
- Add more seating to your landscape. It never hurts to take a break! Ruth Stout was rumored to have put an old couch in her garden so she could lie down between chores!
- To lessen trips for forgotten tools, seeds, and the like, wear a fishing vest or an apron with lots of pockets. Better yet, put an apron on a sturdy 5-gallon bucket. (Hardware stores sell an apron made especially for this purpose.) The pockets can hold whatever you need, and you can carry transplants, produce, weeds, or your lunch in the bucket. With the top on, it makes a handy portable seat.
Be realistic. Instead of planting a huge vegetable garden, scale back to just a few raised beds of your favorites. Planting more than you can care for is frustrating.
Don’t be afraid to change things—the way you garden, what you grow, where you grow it, or the tools you use. Adapt your gardening style to fit your circumstances.
Be kind to your body, it has to last a lifetime!
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I garden without hurting my back?
Use raised beds, ergonomic tools, and avoid long periods of bending.
What makes gardening easier for older adults?
Short work sessions, reduced garden size, and adaptive tools.
Is gardening still good exercise if I take breaks?
Yes—gentle, paced gardening is excellent low-impact exercise.
How have you adapted your gardening routine? Leave us tips in the comments!
These recommendations are equally useful for young gardeners as well. You can hurt your back if you don't warm up or take breakes or combine different types of activities in the garden.
About useful tools, several years ago my daughter dismissed a flexible shower caddy bag/bucket because it was ugly. She used it for her first year in college dorm. I "rescued" it and been using it as a garden bag. It's very light, has several pockets around and a spacious center, a wide handle with the perfect length. It holds a lot and it's very easy to carry.
Garden Cart with Seat on Wheels Rolling Gardening Stool with Wheels Heavy Duty for Planting with 360 Degree Swivel Seat Steering Handle & Utility Tool Tray. My son gave me one for Father's Day last year. Very good for working in garden, you can sit and since it has wheels it's easy to move. Ken W.
My husband purchased 17 inch tall raised bed gardens for me and purchased a drip irrigation kit for me so I could keep raising vegetables . I love the raised beds I also have a garden sitting bench kneeler that makes it so I do not have to bend as much.
Thank you for this; I have rheumatoid arthritis and therefore pain, stiffness and mobility difficulties, but "playing in the dirt" with veggies and flowers is exceptionally therapeutic, both mentally and physically, and keeps the joints moving. Pacing activities and assistive devices are key to a successful, gratifying and comfortable garden routine.
Because I have arthritis in my knees I can’t get on my knees even with knee pads
So this year I thought I’d be smart and squat and bend
Wrong thing to do
Squatting puts even more pressure on your knee tendons
I just got back from the orthopedist who gave me a cortisone shot
I use a garden chair and long handled tools like a hoe to keep from squatting and kneeling. I also do daily Tai Chi exercises and Yes2Next exercise videos (they have a pre-gardening video) that help me stay limber while gardening. I wish you all the best.
Really enjoyed your article and will put your suggestions into good use! Susan
These were great tips. Thank you. It's not easy getting older and I love to garden.
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