Do you love gardening but are beginning to struggle with the upkeep of your garden because of your mobility?
As we get older our appreciation for a freshly pruned tree or a weed free patio grows but unfortunately our ability to complete these tasks pain free begins to diminish.
Fear not – with some thoughtful planning and buying of the right tools you can continue to maintain your garden into your twilight years.
Garden Tools
There are many tools available which can help make those tedious jobs easier which we will shortly look at. The key point with any product is to buy lightweight tools with extendable handles wherever possible, these tools will enable you to weed, prune and carry out general maintenance on your garden a lot easier.
Trowels and Forks
These are gardening essentials. Both are useful for weeding and also for planting and will be available with different sized handles. Look out for tools with large easy grip handles. If you suffer from weak wrists you can purchase arm supports to prevent you dropping the tool.
Jack’s Top Tip – Forks and Trowels will be available in metal or plastic. Plastic tools tend to be thicker and more difficult to push through the soil. Where as stainless steel tools will last longer and will be far easier to use!
Push Pull Weeder
This product looks slightly like a Hoe. It is made from stainless steel and can come with a telescopic handle so you can adjust the length to suit you.
The Push Pull Weeder works by pushing and pulling the serrated cutter through the soil to clear the weeds in your garden. This may sound like hard work but this product is lightweight and requires very little effort on your behalf.
Weeder Hoe
This is similar to the conventional Hoe but has V shaped notches on the back of the tool which allow you to catch and pull out thicker weeds whilst still keeping their roots attached. If your garden is pretty well kept already this tool would suit you, however if you are looking to freshen up a large area which has been taken over by weeds this device would not be suitable as it would take you forever and a day to pull out each weed individually.
Harpoon Style Weed Extractor
A garden harpoon on a long handle which can be adjusted to suit your height. You push the tool vertically into the soil, twist and then manually remove the weed from the soil. If bending to remove the weed will cause you pain or discomfort, use a gripping weedpuller to lift the weed from the soil to save you from bending down.
Jack’s Alert – Do bear in mind that this tool will leave a hole so do not use on your lawn unless you have a bucket of compressed soil on hand!
Gripping Weedpuller
Will remove all weeds from your beds but is not suitable for lawns or on compact ground as potentially will simply trim off the top of the weed and leave the roots behind. This tool can be used either seated or standing.
Patio Weeders
How many of us have ruined our trowels and forks as well as our fingers and even our kitchen knives trying to remove the weeds from in-between our patio slabs. The patio weeder or weed knife simply and efficiently hooks and pulls weeds out from these tricky spots. Do bear in mind that whilst using this tool some bending is involved in order to get the best angle.
Buying one or a combination of these products will help you to remain in control of your garden and maintain its upkeep to a high standard. Don’t forget to also utilise your best asset – the grandkids whose energy limits will be unlimited and their want to earn a few extra quid may be the answer to all of your gardening concerns!
Happy weeding
Gardener Jack
