Therapeutic Gardening for Seniors

My grandmother passed on her love for gardening to me, and memories of cherry tomatoes, figs, and strawberries come to mind when I think about what she taught me before she passed on. My love for growing fresh produce to share with family and friends has carried on into my adult life, but I am entering the age where the act of getting down on my knees to tend a garden might become a struggle. I also possess a lack of desire (well, perhaps not the skill though) to do so, hence the design and implementation of the following planter boxes for my first venture into gardening:

These 2’ x 4’ x 1’ boxes were easy to build, and the materials cost was minimal. The slats were cut in half lengthwise from fence pickets, and then into smaller slats to reinforce the sides and for aesthetics. My husband cut one sheet of corrugated metal in half lengthwise, in half by width, and then once for the two-foot side widths. We purchased a roll of ¼” mesh screen which we cut to size and placed in the bottom of the resulting box and then put ground cover fabric on top of that before adding the gardening soil. This kept the soil in the box, gave it drainage, and kept rodents from burrowing up through the bottom. Then we added our plants.

I chose to build these boxes above ground most importantly to save my knees and back, but it also deterred rabbits and other hungry animals. I also like the slight ledge around the top of it as a place to set tools and gloves on or for a basket when harvesting. The boxes are just the right size to access from either side and I started with two so that I could test my interest in gardening for two.

We made modifications to our original design by adding PVC piping around the perimeter to hang sunscreen fabric on since our Nevada sun was frying my plants. Our garden was a huge success in Nevada, so we have made modifications to our gardening efforts now that we live in Oklahoma, and plan to build four boxes and will add a dedicated drip system to all, this coming Spring.

For the person who cannot, or chooses not to build, a trough from a feed and seed supply store will do the same job and can be placed on cement blocks to raise it off the ground. Pavers can be placed and add a nice element. When using these types of materials, just be sure to include drainage features. With all things rustic making a comeback, these types of gardens can also be implemented by anyone who wants the handiness of a raised garden but not the permanency.

As a retiree and a senior citizen, I find gardening to be therapeutic. To me, there is nothing like puttering, creating, and gaining the sense of accomplishment at having grown the food that I am putting on my dinner table.

Thank you for letting me share my little corner of the world!