How can the currently disabled, succeed in SFG?

Hi,
I haven't been here since July I think. I was disabled by 4 Toxic treatments in the hospital, and I don't know how long it will be before I get my previous excellent health back.
In the thread: Building a Table Top SFG...some ideas I got so many good ideas. - But I don't think I have the strength now to use them. Can you think of some?

Forgive me if there's already a "SFG for the disabled" thread. If there is, would you please point it out to me. Thanks!

What are your limitations and is money one of them? The hardest thing for me to do is ask for help. Can a local shop class or even Scout troop or neighbor pitch in with building the TTs?

Figure out what you can and cannot do and then decide what needs to be farmed out. Also, design the beds for maximum ease of use - maybe knee high or chair high or hip high depending on your abilities. Also, is 4 feet too wide? Would 2 foot by 8 foot be easier?

There is someone out there who can build these. That is certain. The exercise and joy of tending the garden can only help in your recovery. Please let us know specifics if you think it would be useful and I am cheering for you. Good luck.

Welcome back, LittleGardener,

We are all hoping for a speedy recovery for you.

I also welcome using TT gardens due to physical limitations. I am unable to garden in the ground any more as I cannot bend easily, nor kneel on the ground. I am very fortunate that my DH is willing and able to build my TT as long as I am there to help stretch hardware cloth and have already determined the basic design. We are very fortunate that there is a huge shop located in the County Park where we volunteer as caretakers, so there is plently of sheltered workspace.

TT are very flexible, you just need to determine what height and width would work well for you. Everything we built last year was 4 ft X 4 ft and about 27 to 30 inches high, which worked, but I found that a bit higher would be more comfortable. My new boxes will be built with the top of the box about 36 inches high.

As Chopper said, you may be more comfortable with something that is arranged for you to garden while in a chair. Determing what height and width will be most comfortable for you is your first step.

I am particularly interested in this thread. Yesterday I had to go to the orthopedist and was told ALL of my various maladies are getting worse and hitting all at once: sciatica, sacroiliac, scoliosis, and bulging disks & degeneration in my neck, middle & lower spine.

Although I'll still do what I can in my 2' x 23' SFG against the fence (I teach here at the house), I'll be adding 2' x "whatever" TTs against the house. We had planned to build a 2' x 4' TT this season because my mother was living with. Now it will be from necessity an not just so she'd have something to look at out her window. And instead of just one box of flowers for mom, I'll need to figure out how many I'll need against the house AND I'll probably take over the deck.

Mom has since had to be placed in assisted living so her room is once again my office and I will enjoy the view and make sure her room is filled with flowers.

Hi Guys & Gals ,
See if this rings any bells , helps or hinders things.

I'm wrecked .. bust left shoulder joint, bust spine that's collapsing & presenting Arachnoiditis , , loss of dexterity and sensation in hands legs and feet.
Old Arthur Wrightus is in my spine knees and shoulders , type 2 diabetes ,couple of mild stokes and a memory prob like a sieve , mega dyslexia in numbers and letters not to mention not being able to locate words I used to know .. ( possible Altzimers ? )

The biggest hurdle is accepting that you're not so good as you once were and then think of alternative ways to get round things. Write down what you discover & then you can build on it , then write it out better so you get things organised & in the right sequence .

Having to rely on others takes it's toll but if you have family you get on with local to you then you only have to ask for help .
Enjoy your new altered state of life don't fight it or hide from it.
( That last one took me many years to do for no one told me I could enjoy life with disabilities instead of fighting / hiding with it 24 /7 )

Do seek the help from voluntary organisations .

In some cases I used people on court probation sentences .... with the help of their probationn officers etc to get the heavy work done under the officers supervision etc. & done to a planned sequence . some times even the mateials were provided by the probation service or local authority as a skills based rehabilitation for the offenders or as occupational theraphy help for a disabled person .

Don't for get that charities also often help out financially and also can organise people to do things as part of the charitable aims.

You'd be surprised who's out there till you start looking.
Nine sea anglers came to my home one Saturday and humped over a ton of cement powder , 4 thousand red engineering bricks , 21 fence panels , 22 x 8 foot long concrete fence posts plus a few other bits off my front garden and securely put them under dry storage in the back garden where it stayed for two years .
The local rotary club have also been fantastically helpful .


Some of my posts have got pictures of my way round some things, but I know only too well that lowered income can prevent things happening lots of times.

That planning out & writing down things I mentioned ,not only covers the actual gardening but is useful for other things like....


I purchased things over four years to get everything in place for the beds I've had built .. It looks like I've saved loads of money as well for If i'd have been able to buy it all this week I'd have had everything costing many many times the trickle purchasing prices.


The trestle / table top beds might not be the best solution for ANSFG if your wheelchaired as they tend to drip through the bottom drain holes & when you want to pull on a side wall for support or to reach a bit further they tend to come apart if only nailed together or a few years old.
Screwing them together and / or using corner braces of right angle metal brackets that are washered ,nut & bolted on the wood is perhaps a safer way forward as would having the sides screwed and metal brackets fixed to the bases.

I'll draw up a sort of bed types that I've helped design & build for an old folks residential home when I was fit and able . (I'll post it separately in a days or so's time ) having a sufficient volume of filler /medium was problematic for the brick and concrete als draws out moisture .. we solved that by using swiming pool waterproofing paint on the inside walls and floor of the beds

It's a place where old age related mobility and mental state was a major reason for people being there . They are substantial , decorative & very long lasting so you don't have to renew them as you get older or as disability increases.

There are all sorts of other considerations such as flat no tripping over on pathways and wider than you think access for at some tiime you may have two beds well filled with large crops and still have to get a wheel chair between them with out getting caught up in the growing plants.

if you can get infra structure such as underground water piping set adjacent to the intended bed up before you construct things you will not end up like I was a few years ago having to crawl around on all fours dragging a hose pipe and filng a jug to water things , you then have thr option of being able to use short hoses and short soaker hoses or connect up the beds that have individual dripper small sprinkler heads etc.

LittleGardener wrote:Hi,
I haven't been here since July I think. I was disabled by 4 Toxic treatments in the hospital, and I don't know how long it will be before I get my previous excellent health back.
In the thread: Building a Table Top SFG...some ideas I got so many good ideas. - But I don't think I have the strength now to use them. Can you think of some?

Forgive me if there's already a "SFG for the disabled" thread. If there is, would you please point it out to me. Thanks!

Thank You LittleGardener for this thread.

One of the things to think about when building Table Top height beds will be what plants you intend to put in a particular bed. If you are going to grow short height plants such as lettuce, strawberries, radish etc. the bed may need to be higher than a bed that will grow bush beans or cucumbers. Just something to consider.

In the SFG Teacher's Certification Class (Vermont, April 2010) there was one student who was blind. She was already a Certified Horticultural Therapist and was a successful Square Foot Gardener. She used the sun in her face to tell her where each square was located and her memory to find what plant she wanted to pick.

Don't let anything keep you from gardening.

God Bless, Ward and Mary.

My only contribution to this conversation is to reiterate how important it is to ask for help. It can be extremely difficult to ask - but think how good it has been to be asked to help other times. (Making an assumption here - you may be the one person on earth who is already good at asking!)

Of course, now that I think about it, you started this thread, which is an excellent example of asking for help.

I came to this Forum this morning, and there was a PM waiting for me. - When I went to answer it, a WARNING-screen on my home computer popped up, telling me I had been infected with a "Trojan horse" which has now destroyed my computer.

I am typing this from the County Library which is closing now. I don't know what to do. My computer was my one happy toy. Bye!

LittleGardener wrote:I came to this Forum this morning, and there was a PM waiting for me. - When I went to answer it, a WARNING-screen on my home computer popped up, telling me I had been infected with a "Trojan horse" which has now destroyed my computer.

I am typing this from the County Library which is closing now. I don't know what to do. My computer was my one happy toy. Bye!

Take it to Geek Squad or any other computer repair shop and have them clean it and recommend what protection you need for the future.

Littlegardener

What a hassle having a virus on your home computer. I agree with chopper, get it to the shop soon.

Keep in touch and let us know how you are progressing on your TT.

Furbalsmom wrote:Littlegardener

What a hassle having a virus on your home computer. I agree with chopper, get it to the shop soon.

Keep in touch and let us know how you are progressing on your TT.

Look up Garden Racks on the web, I use them with the SFG on top,kinda a table if you will?? makes gardening from a wheelchair easier and fun again,yep I still plant a old fasion garden in the dirt as well,but that requires help from others!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! where the racks I can handel myself,





I guess that depends on your disablity????????

Chopper wrote:

LittleGardener wrote:I came to this Forum this morning, and there was a PM waiting for me. - When I went to answer it, a WARNING-screen on my home computer popped up, telling me I had been infected with a "Trojan horse" which has now destroyed my computer.

I am typing this from the County Library which is closing now.
I don't know what to do. My computer was my one happy toy. Bye!

Take it to Geek Squad or any other computer repair shop and have them clean it and recommend what protection you need for the future.

Thank you.
I had 3 Anti-virus protection programs already on the computer.
Where's Geek Squad? - I called CenturyLink, & they said 800-433-5778.
No money now to even pay utilities, so$100 1-year Service contract added to Visa.
But, 3 guys got the computer up, & printer prints, & Email works; so am thankful

Um, would someone please Edit-out the posts with the puter-derails.
Also I misspelled one letter in the Title:
would someone please exchange that middle-Q, for an F Thank you!

martha wrote:
how important it is to ask for help. It can be extremely difficult to ask - but think how good it has been to be asked to help other times. (Making
an assumption here - you may be the one person on earth who is already good at asking!)

Hi Martha,
Think of me as the 2-3 yr. child, Non-stop asking: why, what, & Show me how...
I've lived this way for 60 yrs, & my questions grow daily...

I've also lived very Independent; so no clue how to exist dependent.
Further, as in the Title it's a "current"-situation. Iow, I intent to return to my Sport iow. healthy...

I just need help for maybe a year. - Thanks for reaching out!

Chopper wrote:
What are your limitations and is money one of them?

Hi Chopper,
current limitations: hernias-surgery, broken heart, & recurring emboli, mainly.
money? : on Foodstamps, & Hoping not to lose the house.

Chopper wrote:
Can a local shop class or even Scout troop or neighbor pitch in with building the TTs?

the church I was in, and just left, told me it was RUDE to
sit in the aisle with my feet on a stool, or propped up on the front pew, &
said: "Come back when you are well"; so no help there.
Maybe I could ask the Mormons, they're usually good.

Chopper wrote:
Figure out what you can and cannot do and then
decide what needs to be farmed out. Also, design beds for maximum ease of use.

The lawnmower broke. Thus immediate need, is figgering out how... to
destroy the weeds on this HUGE corner-lot, so the city does not fine$me
other
than me sitting out there, from before dawn --- to past dusk, cutting them
at soil-level, what other ideas have you?

Chopper wrote:
Please let us know specifics if you think it would be useful and I am cheering for you. Good luck.

Well, let's start with eliminating the City-fines, er weeds Thanks!
.

You can get a day worker or kid to work for $10 an hour and probably make some pretty good headway in two hours. Same for building boxes.

A lot of people use found items for building boxes. Start a compost pile ASAP because if you are truly broke then you may need to use straight compost. Check out craigslist free listings for all of the above. Get the book from the library (The All New Square Foot Garden) and read it from cover to cover.

Many here have been truly challenged financially and physically and as with anything, it depends if you see the goal or the obstacles. Start small and as you gain experience, you will know better what you need to do next.

As for a broken heart, if you mean emotionally rather than physically, this is the best healing you could find - for either actually.

HillbillyBob wrote:Look up Garden Racks on the web, I use them with the SFG on top,kinda a table if you will?? makes gardening from a wheelchair easier and fun again...

That Garden Rack looks like a great system! Thanks for sharing...

No Problem that's what we are here for is to share



they are heavy when filled but they areheavy duty too should last for many years in my little green house.

plantoid wrote:See if this helps or hinders things.
I'm wrecked ...
The biggest hurdle is accepting
that you're not so good as you once were and then think of alternative ways to get round things.
no one told me I could enjoy life with disabilities instead of fighting/hiding with it 24/7)

I'm truly sorry for all your problems. - But accepting such limits runs counter, to my strategy. For example, 28 yrs. ago the fools of doctors insisted I was dead of leukemia UNLESS I accepted their harmful treatments. I told them in no uncertain terms what to do with their nonsense. And my reward?: Tho 4 family-members listened to them & died; I've had no recurrence in 28 yrs, and am Alive today.
I have countless more such examples, includg. other people's too.
Exercising the gift of Independent thinking can bless us abundantly...

plantoid wrote:
Don't forget that charities also often help out financially and
also
can organise people to do things as part of the charitable aims.

Yes, from this latest round of medical malpractice, fortunately so far $130,000 has been written-off over 97%, hopefully all will be. - That's the least they can do, for making me against my express will, however long, disabled. - Until I can restore my excellent health again, & return to work.

After my life's experiences, I would never trust an "offender" even
if Supervised constantly, on my property. - Glad it would out for you.

plantoid wrote:
Do seek the help from voluntary organisations.
You'd be surprised who's out there till you start looking.

Nine sea anglers came to my home one Saturday and humped over a ton of cement powder, 4 thousand red engineering bricks, 21 fence panels, 22 x 8 foot long concrete fence posts plus a few other bits off my front garden and securely put them under dry storage in the back garden where it stayed for two years .
The local rotary club have also been fantastically helpful.

what is a "sea angler"? - I will see about the Rotary-club, & other Volunteer organizations.

plantoid wrote:
Some of my posts have got pictures of my way round some things

I would love to see your pictures. Can you point me there and thanks for your kind & helpful post.

PS: a wheelchair is not in my picture, nor do I have 'old-age' related issues.

Truthfully, less than a year ago, I was still iceskating, and taking
Figureskating lessons, which I Intend to return to asap. Thank God!

LittleGardener wrote:
Um, would someone please Edit-out the posts with the puter-derails.
Also I misspelled one letter in the Title:
would someone please exchange that middle-Q, for an F Thank you!

Thank you to whomever corrected my Title.

WardinWake wrote:Thank You LittleGardener for this thread.

In the SFG Teacher's Certification Class (Vermont, April 2010) there was one student who was blind. She was already a Certified Horticultural Therapist and was a successful Square Foot Gardener. She used the sun in her face to tell her where each square was located and her memory to find what plant she wanted to pick.

Don't let anything keep you from gardening.

God Bless, Ward and Mary.

Hi Ward,
From your encouragements, I just found my link to another
such fantastic person: Nick Vujicic :: Attitude is Altitude :: No Arms, No
Legs, No Worries - he's accepted what he was born with, & uses himself as the Inspiration for (full-bodied) others
I wonder... could *adult Stem cells* be used to enable him with functional limbs, if he'd want them now. Maybe egg him into SFG isn't life's Beauty just amazing!

LittleGardener wrote:

Chopper wrote:
What are your limitations and is money one of them?

Hi Chopper,
current limitations: hernias-surgery, broken heart, & recurring emboli, mainly.
money? : on Foodstamps, & hoping we can keep the house.

Hi
in 4 months, I've made progress
*Hernia-surgeries healed in short order
*blood clots seemed to have breathed their last; & heart is better too, except occasionally threatening to faint, on less than 20-seconds notice.
For instance, after getting the mower 'temporarily' fixed (needs new Engine-cover), 3 weeks ago I decided to see if I could mow the place: (strong guy in 20's needs 2 hours: Big! lot). Alas, after only 60 feet, my heart was in my throat, & fibrillating I saw stars. But as always I gave it my best...
*Now got 1-2 guys mowing, 'til (something other than weeds) I can grow
*Too all basics are getting paid, tho living on $20/month for food is trying, but rice makes it mostly doable.

Chopper wrote:
Can a local shop class or even Scout troop or neighbor pitch in with building the TTs?

I think I can now do this myself when I can get wood, & figger out What? to put Where? came across: http://www.melbartholomew.com/how-i-came-up-with-square-foot-gardening/ - & lookie Mel shows in this picture (not only square-boxes); in fact Triangular, yeah! - I'm excited for when I'm free to express myself playfully I stick with it. My idea is placing (like 6-eight) triangles around small Fruit-trees, making it look like a flower, with 1 tree in the middle. - Anyone here ever done this design?do you more experienced gardeners think this Triangular idea will succeed?

too finally checked-out Mel's updated book: He's straightforward & funny like me, lol

Chopper wrote:
Please let us know specifics if you think it would be useful and I am cheering for you. Good luck.

Members here have 2 blessings, short on yet: Physical-strength, & $-resources, so may need to sit out another growing season, but with upbeat attitude I am making progress & that's what counts! Hopeful to grow things again soon. Thank you for continual support!
.

Man, first you were having a hard time and now you are getting carried away! Glad to hear things are looking up. And that you have stayed with us all of this time. Your ideas have really gotten my own creative juices flowing and I may have to wait on them too. Darn.

I think the triangle beds around a tree trunk sounds neat. Made me think of this raised bed built in a shape called the Versailles Sunburst that I've always admired:

In the interest of giving credit where it's due, you can buy it here at www.frameitall.com or they sell the kits at Home Depot too.

oh thats really preaty!!

hugs

rose

I garden from my wheelchair and it is difficult but not impossible. The main difficulty is that it is such slow-going for me to do anything. I'm trying to set things up so that it is more user-friendly for me. I've definitely learned a few lessons already (even 2' beds are too wide if I can't access both sides, water is heavy -- find a way to bring it to your work area, etc.). The hardest part is asking for -- and WAITING for -- help. Don't ask me to pray for PATIENCE!