Adaptive Gardening? Enabled Gardening? Accessible Gardening? No Matter What You Call It: Children Can Do It Too

Gardening can be adjusted to the needs of almost every person. Janeen Adil is a lifelong gardener whose daughter has spina bifida.

Spina bifida is a condition where the spine does not close. Some people with spina bifida move with the assistance of braces, some with crutches and others with wheelchairs.

Determined to share her love of gardening with her daughter Adil wrote a book, "Accessible Gardening for People With Physical Disabilities."

Though dated (1994)in recommended resources,  the book is the only one I have found to cover gardening for children who are differently abled. Adil shares many suggestions for adjusting gardening to the strengths of the individual child. Her writing is uniquely shared from a Mom's point of view.

Here are some suggestions from Adil. I've added some additional tips.

• A child who can stand can use a half whiskey barrel. Low growing flowering plants such as marigolds, petunias can grow and still be within reach.
• Window boxes can be placed at a variety of heights to suit. Sawhorses, tables, concrete blocks can all be adjusted to be in workable height.
• Table gardens can provide a surface for a variety of containers. Telescoping legs can be bought and attached to an old table top. Buy a table top sized so the child can reach to the center of the table.  Before going to the secondhand store or yard sales, have your child sit as they would for gardening. Measure arm reach. The table top you buy should be no wider than your child's reach minus four inches. This way the child doesn't stretch excessively and if a pot falls over, your child is able to right the plant by himself or herself.
• Strawberry jars offer a chance for several plants conveniently located in one container. Choose a container sized so the child can reach the top as well as side plants.
• Consider a planter with attached or added trellis. Pole beans, tomatoes, morning glories and climbing flowers can work with this design
• Choose gardening tools to fit your child. There are many lightweight tools available.
• Handle size can be adjusted with foam tubes or commercially made grips. Buy the foam tubes from medical supply stores or at a plumbing store or home improvement store (they call it insulation for hot water lines). If you have any of the many dollar stores around, buy some of the foam curlers some women use for their hair. Thought those pink curlers had gone away, but they are still around and the medium or jumbo size can be slipped on tool handles.
• Tools with arm splints can be used to assist with gardening. Check with your health care provider, sometimes these devices can be a medically reimbursable expense.

Gardening is a hobby all children can enjoy. Modifying tools and garden can make it fit every child.

All in a gardener's day,