The Lifelong Gardener

The Lifelong Gardener: Garden With Ease and Joy at Any Age by Toni Gattone, is one of my favorite gardening resources. Like me, Gattone is a master gardener who resides in Pasadena, California. Her volunteer role is to assist her local extension agency by teaching interested gardeners in her community to “garden smarter, not harder,” so that they can garden for life.

She took on this mission after becoming a master gardener and injuring her back by “gardening harder, not smarter,” like so many of us have done over time. After doing the research on adaptive gardening for seniors, she realized that there was a wealth of information to be shared with older gardeners to make their gardening chores safer and more effective. With over 70 million baby boomers trying to live active lifestyles, she felt that this information could not be shared at a better time.

As a master gardener, I find it ironic that by the time we finally retire from our jobs to spend more time in the garden, our bodies begin to let us down with decreased strength and stamina to conduct many gardening chores. This is where the term “adaptive gardening” becomes a mantra in our daily lives. Adaptive gardening involves modifying gardening tasks with planning and equipment to ensure the safety and comfort of the gardener.

After much research, Gattone shares what she calls “adaptive gardening rules to live by.” These rules include recognizing that our bodies change over time and that we must accept the fact that there are limitations to what we can do in the garden. We must seek alternative ways to accomplish garden tasks and develop a safe and comfortable garden as we go about our daily chores. We must limber up and stretch before we start gardening, and remember to switch up tasks to prevent injuries. I discovered this to be true when I was diagnosed with “tennis elbow,” caused by repetitive motion. I am not a tennis player, but I would tackle weeding projects for hours at a time that put too much stress on the tendons in my arm. Now, I remind myself to quit weeding after thirty minutes and move on to a different task.

The term “gardening smarter” resonates with me as I now prepare a basket of tools and supplies to take with me to the garden, so that I do not have to keep going back to find that one necessary tool for the job. I also enjoy teaching others about the concept of “vertical gardening,” where they can stand and garden with raised beds and other structures to prevent having to stoop over and put additional strain on my body. Finally, I have learned to recognize my limitations and know when to ask for help with garden chores, from professionals or other gardeners.

The Lifelong Gardener is a valuable resource to help gardeners continue to enjoy their passion as they age. My mother, “Mz Pat,” is a perfect example of someone who continues to enjoy her passion in the garden with adaptive gardening. She will turn 103 next month, and you will still find her doing what she loves with the new hip she had replaced last month. As the saying goes, “you don’t quit gardening because you get older, you get older because you quit gardening.”