Frances Stebbins
Correspondent
One of the first things my late husband and I did when we bought our first small North Roanoke County house was to till up a spot in the big back yard for a garden. And for six years in that house and more than 30 in subsequent homes we always plowed, planted and harvested everything from beans to pumpkins.
For several years, in fact, Charlie wrote a garden column for the daily newspaper. He got free books and packs of seeds as a result. He liked to experiment with new varieties and write about the results.
Now, living alone with a small lot in Salem, I no longer grow vegetables. With the excellent Saturday morning Farmers’ Market downtown and two generous neighbors, there’s no need.
And, of course, when we reach well beyond the “three score years and 10” it’s easy not to make the effort.
Yet at the annual Senior Extravaganza that Mental Health America puts on each fall at the Salem Civic Center, I picked up from Donna Haley, a volunteer teacher and Master Gardener with the Virginia Tech Extension Service, some useful tricks for those who want to take up or continue this healthful and useful hobby.
The Extravaganza annually draws several hundred senior adults, men and women of both predominant races. At no cost they can have several simple medical tests performed –I did well on one gauging balance due, perhaps, the instructor said, because I take a few exercises for this and manage to get at least 20 minutes of aerobic activity in each day.
Of the several workshops offered, I chose gardening. I learned that, at the least, senior adults can use large plastic containers on their patio or deck to grow herbs, tomatoes, greens and a few other fresh vegetables that don’t have the trailing vines of squash or grow too tall like corn. A raised bed is also another good option to avoid bending.
Having discovered the difficulty in getting up after working near the ground, I was fascinated by Haley producing a large plastic bucket about 15 inches high and covered with a piece of round wood strong enough for a somewhat heavy person to sit on while planting, picking or weeding. Then using the metal hoe in a child-sized garden tool set, she lifted herself from her seat with ease!
This equipment, she told us, is available from many hardware stores for a total of about $15.
{O.K. This worked for me using a large paint container with its heavy plastic lid firmly attached. With a weak knee, it wasn’t as easy for me as for our presenter, but it was more dignified than rolling on the ground to rise!}
Ergonomic hand tools are easier to grasp. She also suggested avoiding heavy hoses which can be hard to drag around a yard and easy to fall over; instead, she suggested, use plastic gallon milk jugs kept on the porch so they can be warmed to lessen shock of cold water on young plants.
If planting flowers, she said, choose those that are growing naturally in Western Virginia such as marigolds and coneflowers. In many older people the skin is thin and dry making sunburns a greater hazard, so good sunscreen, a hat and gloves suitable for the task are needed. With long summer evenings, stay out of the garden in the hottest parts of the day.
For evening yard work when mosquitoes are plentiful, I use a long-sleeve shirt made of thin cotton material with repellant for face and ankles.
Did you think you’d need a magnifying glass in the garden? Haley told about a dozen folk that failing eyesight is helped when trying to get bugs off plants.
Finally, useful compost can be made from discarded vegetables, grass clippings, coffee grounds and leaves. With this decayed material, chemical fertilizers aren’t needed, she said.