Tips for Gardening with Arthritis

Gardens bring a lot of joy and life into our homes and hearts. Sometimes, the pain and limitations of arthritis prevent us from enjoying our gardens.

Below are a few simple tips to help ensure you participate in gardening this season.

* Break your project into steps, don't do it all at once.

Take frequent breaks and try not to stay in one position too long. Be sure to use larger muscle groups when possible and respect your pain (don't try to work through the pain)

* Consider asking a neighbor to turn your soil.

Then, planting will cause less stress to your joints. If you do choose to work the soil yourself, be sure to use larger muscle groups. Use tools that allow you to do the task standing and work a small section at a time

* Use hand tools that have large handles to take the stress off your finger joints.

Use a rag to build up handles if they are too small

* Consider planting in pots and containers.

You can work at table height and eliminate a lot of stress to the hips and knees

* Use a cart with wheels or wagon to carry tools, plants etc.

Many of us want a lot of flowers early in the season and we plant them closer than recommended. If you spread them out in the ground, you will have less work, fewer holes to make, fewer plants to plant and it will cost you less.

The beauty will come and you will have more time to enjoy the fruits of your labor.

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