5 tips for accessible gardening

​If you don’t like going to a gym or pool, gardening can be a good way to get some exercise in the outdoors, experts say. But it’s sufficiently strenuous that you need to be careful to avoid

overuse injuries and overexertion. Gattone recommends doing a short warmup before gardening. “Stretching or yoga, tai chi, or even just turn on some music and dance to rock ’n’ roll for a

five minutes,” she says. Additionally, she’s a believer in what she calls the 20-20-20 rule: “Don’t do a chore for more than 20 minutes at a time,” she says. That might mean raking for 20

minutes, then kneeling down (if you’re able) to tend to a plant, then standing again to prune a flowering shrub. Changing positions and limiting repetitive motions is key. And keep your

gardening sessions to a length you can handle comfortably. Patterson recommends setting a timer, so that you don’t get carried away and end up sore for several days.​ 4. ELIMINATE SAFETY

HAZARDS​ ​Gattone says that older gardeners need to be wary of slip-and-fall risks, starting with the back-porch stairs they walk down to get to the garden. “Make sure you’ve got handrails,

or eliminate the stairs and put in a ramp,” she says. Also be wary about pathways lined with gravel or with paving stones that aren’t solidly anchored. Gattone says that installing a

well-designed brick surface, concrete or interlocking pavers is a safer option. It’s also good to keep your phone in your back pocket, in case you do take a fall or your back suddenly

stiffens up and you need assistance. Pomidor suggests wearing a carpenter’s apron with plenty of pockets for stashing your gardening tools, so that you don’t lose your balance and fall while

picking them up.​ ​5. CHOOSE THE RIGHT THINGS TO GROW​ ​While you can have fun growing flowers and shrubs, cultivating healthy vegetables and fruit is a way to improve your diet and maybe

even save a few bucks at the grocery store. If you’re a novice gardener and looking for something that’s relatively easy to grow and also nutritionally beneficial, Gattone recommends salad

greens and lettuce. “You just put them in the ground,” she says. “As you take the leaves, they grow even more.” Strawberries, blueberries, spinach and chard are other good, nutritious

choices, she says. Patterson recommends cabbage, kale, snap peas and smaller varieties of tomatoes, which can easily be put in a bag and tossed in the freezer for future use. She notes that

it’s important to grow vegetables that are suited for whatever region and climate you’re in. “If you’re in Georgia, you’re not going to be growing the same things that we’re doing here in

Oregon,” she says. “You’ll be growing black-eyed peas and okra and things like that.”​​ The important thing, though, is to get out in the backyard and enjoy the pleasures of gardening. “It

gives people something to look forward to each day,” Pomidor says. “Eventually, they can have a product of their labors that they can be proud of, or share. It’s a great activity for daily

engagement, an interest that leads you to get outside of yourself.”​