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Shropshire, England Eng

Raised bed for double-disabled first-time gardener?

I'm visually and mobility impaired, and have just got my first garden - handkerchief sized with thin beds around the paving.

Although this is my first garden, I’ve dreamed of having one for years – even when I lived on the 7th floor I had 30+ gardening books. I just sort of dreamed of one a tad bigger than this, but at least it’s my space, my starter for ten.

I can't easily get down to them (I've tried!) - besides, I want to be able to enjoy the results without having to kneel and squint! - so I need raised beds - but seriously raised: the only ones I've found so far amount to "toy" ones, no more than ten inches high, which is no use for me.

I've also looked at 3-tier plant stands - with so little space I want to use as many levels as I can, gardening upwards if not outwards. But the highest one I've found is 22" - just over knee-high for three tiers isn’t much of an improvement! And I doubt they’d take the weight of 18” planters, or many of them – and I have a lot!

Does anyone know where I might be able to find either raised beds or plant stands of more suitable dimensions?

thanks very much!

Frances


Asked from the GoYpedia ideas for disabled gardeners page


Answers

 

This is what we sell at the nursery I work at, Fran:

http://www.gronomics.com/index.html

I don't know whether or not they ship to the UK, but it might be a place to start.

18 Apr, 2011

 

It may be better to think of what you need, Fran, and have it built for you.

18 Apr, 2011

 

thank you both!

Tugbrethil, I've alredy fallen in love with some of the items on that site and will certainly check them out further.

Bulbaholic, I'm prepared to have one made-to-measure, but - because I'm such a newbie, I don't know what's possible or even ergonomically practical - I'd probably go for something that look great but might not be so great to use

But *s* the site Tugbrethil gives will give me some ideas to work on, or from.

thank you both again

18 Apr, 2011

 

Go for bespoke to suit your needs. There may be a charity that could help by providing the labour.
I've used a timber referred to at my local yard as "gravel board". It's pressure treated with preservative and inexpensive.

18 Apr, 2011

 

'gardening for the disabled trust' (The Secretary, PO Box 285, Tunbridge Wells, Kent, TN2 9J) may be able to help you with some ideas/contacts.

18 Apr, 2011

 

Re pressure-treated lumber:
Some pressure-treated wood is impregnated with arsenic salts, and is risky to use around edible plants. It has a distinctive pale green color.

19 Apr, 2011

 

thanks to all for your helpful suggestions.

I don't think I'll be growing edibles - at least for me, I don't mind feeidn the birds and bees and butterflies - if I could only get the squirrels to leave any for them! [there's a closed-off green beyond my patch, whch has a colony of them - *s* for the first two days it was, "ooh, aren't they cute?" and ever since it's been "gerrof, you sods!"]

The only food I've ever grown is pototoes - if I don't get around to eating bought ones they start sprouting; I used to throw them, but then thought, why not? and put them in pots - worth a try, I thought. If I can find them, I'll post the pictures of my "harvests" - enough for a meal, and being home-grown makes them taste better. But I don't think I've got the space for proper veg-growing.

Since I got medically retired from work and got a lump sum payment, I can afford to have something built to my specs - it's knowing what that's the prob - I'd probably go for something that'd turn out to be impractical, just to use as much vertical space as possible But if the gardening charity can help me work out what's best for me, that'll be great.

Thank you, all

Frances

ps I worked out a temporary solution, and have posted some pics showing the result *s*

19 Apr, 2011

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