GardenRack.

GardenRack.

Last updated: 7/2008

When My Doctor Said I
Had to Quit Gardening, I
Told Him to Pound Sand!

As I grew older, I continued gardening even if it was just a potted plant or container of
impatiens. The day after I closed on my very first house – a townhouse in Marlton, New
Jersey – I headed off to the home center, bought lumber and built my own square-foot
garden boxes. That was 15 years ago.

I've learned and shared a lot about gardening … what works and what doesn't … through
trial and error.

And the first thing I always look for when visiting someone's home is the garden.
Over the years, arthritis and stiffness from age and
two car accidents slowed my gardening to a crawl.
I hated it.

There is nothing I relish more than the joy of planting and watching things grow. And I
wasn't about to be stopped by pain and stiffness.

I was determined to do something about it.

Today, I'm thrilled to report that my husband Matt and I have finally found the perfect
solution. It's something that lets you keep gardening even if you can't bend or kneel like
you used to.

In fact, it's perfect even if you're able to garden…but don't have the room!

I'll tell you more about it in a minute. But I can say it's the best thing since, well, since chili
cook-offs became Olympic-class competition!
How to grow your greatest garden ever
Without bending. And without pain!

There are times when the last thing I want to do is bend over and kneel to pull weeds … or
even pick tomatoes. It hurts just to look at the garden when it's overgrown and uncared for.
Weeds can take over so quickly that in just a few days my flowerbeds go from looking lush
and gorgeous to a field gone to seed. Since my accidents, my low back and neck sometimes
lock up on me and make it impossible to work in the garden.

But I'm a stubborn German just like my father. So stubborn, in fact, that not long after the
second car accident, I snuck my mother-in-law's claw gripper … the one she uses to get cans
off high shelves … out into the garden in hopes of weeding and caring for my flower beds.

I thought if I didn't bend (too much) I could still keep the garden looking nice. Dreams are
good, aren't they? But I couldn't get the claw part to hang on to the weeds long enough.
And pulling the trigger on that gripper handle hurt.

It started to feel like my favorite pastime was more like training for a triathlon than relaxation
and fun. Who needs that?

AARP REPORTS DECLINE IN GARDENING

I read something interesting in the Spring 2006 edition of the AARP Bulletin: Sales at
nurseries and home centers have declined since 2003. Has gardening fallen out of
favor? Some experts report that baby boomers – the first wave turns 60 in 2006 – just ...

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