Ask Gary ADA

In these hard economic times everyone is trying to think of ways to save money. One of the ways we can save money is to grow some of our own food. The home vegetable garden is not new, in fact it was very popular in World War II. In those days they were called victory gardens, a term that has become popular again today. When we think of a home garden we usually think of a patch of ground, that is turned over, enriched with compost, and fertilized, where we plant our seeds. This is still true, accept when we think of a wheelchair accessible garden.

A wheelchair accessible garden is going to take a little more preparation than the conventional garden. The conventional garden can be anywhere from a 10 ft. x 10 ft. plot to hundreds of square feet. It just depends on how much you want to grow. An accessible garden can be just as large, but it needs to broken down into 3 foot square raised plots. They could just as well be 3 ft. diameter circular raised plots. The plots are raised to allow them to be tended from a seated position. Being raised also makes it easy for anyone who has difficulty bending or stooping to tend to the garden. The small plot size also makes it convenient for separating crops into individual plots.

You can raise the beds anywhere from 18 inches to table top height. There are several different methods that can be used to raise your beds. You can construct platforms, for the beds to sit upon, using lumber, cement blocks, or even metal saw horses purchased from your local hardware store. The method I prefer to use, and the one I used in my own yard, is stackable retaining wall blocks. They just stack together without cement and lock together one to the other very securely. They are durable and long lasting. They are also visually pleasing to look at. Once the beds are created you simply fill them with bagged soil or your own compost. Then you can plant your seed or transplants and tend as usual.

This method can be adapted to all of the landscaping around a residence. The final requirement for accessibility is creating hard paths to and within the garden. This can be as simple as compressed sand and pea gravel or as elaborate as a brick or a concrete paver. Whatever method you choose the end result will be the same, an accessible garden that everyone can enjoy.