Alternative Community Farmer/WPB.FL

Children and the disabled share one thing in common:Difficulty to EFFICIENTLY  utilize body functional movement in gardening chores.Whether it was the tiny hands , weak and still developing muscles and bone structure of children or the physical disability of the adult .The outcome is the same .DIFFICULTY in pushing,lifting,pulling,bending movement.To adress this we need to adjust the garden to fit into the world of both of children and disabled adults.

A)-HAVE A SAFE GROUND LOCATION :

There are many ways to garden for  children and the disabled.Here are some samples of  tips to choose from:

1-Container Gardening or planting box

2-Raised beds , trellises and vertical gardening accessible with special routes for wheel chairs.

3-Hanging baskets sitting on tables and accessible for wheel chairs.

4-Small pots and containers for seeding and seedlings transplant.

5-planting in bags of top soil placed on elevated ground.

B)-APPLY Gardening ERGONOMICS:

ERGON-OMICS is a GREEK word.The prefix refers to" work injuries "and the suffix to the "study of"!

1-ERGONOMIC TOOLS.There are tools in the market that are labeled as ERGONOMIC , take advantage and buy some.

One must pay attention though and double check the tools by trying them first and feeling them!They must be light and bent at certain angles to fit the grab of the tiny wrists of kids and the vulnerability of the disabled.Some tools are labled ergonomic for the purpose of influencing the PURCHASE DECISION more or less.An experienced  certified horticulturist/gardener or farmer should be consulted prior to making the purchase.

2-Follow ERGONOMIC BODY functional movement:Being a certified massage therapist and a certified master gardener, I speak from my personal experience and education .I studied both the anatomy and physiology of the human BODY  in addition to  Plant botany and gardening as well.I beleive that the positioning of the human body is of the essence.Functional movement of the muscles and body postures are of utmost importance to study and apply what is SAFE while in the farm or the garden to avoid injuries .An ounce of prevention is worth more than a ton of medication .A wise advice can bring you a prize!

Most Horticultural educational proograms, I know of, do not include gardening ergonomics in their curriculum.So, it is best to do your own home work or hire someone who has the know how and the HANDS ON GROUND experience to teach you.I stray away from opportunists and self proclaimed organic gardeners who do not have the appropriate LOCAL EDUCATION and EXPERIENCE! Always consult with your health practitioner before engaging in any kind of gardening or physical work .A gardener must not be a substitute to your DOCTOR.A lot of  gardeners I know of suffer back pain from injuries in the garden or other accidents due to IGNORANCE and wrong body movements or tools utilization.

Your human body is the vehicle that moves you around ,take care of your body first.Be safe.Wear safety garden gear.Drink a lot of water.

Have a Happy and SAFE gardening.