Fresh air, nature, flowers, veggies and the satisfaction of nurturing living, growing plants. What’s not to love about gardening? However, getting down on your hands and knees to tend to your blooms can become more challenging with age. If the thought of sitting down on the ground and getting back up is stopping you from working on your outdoor plants, consider the amazing benefits of chair gardening.

What Is Chair Gardening?

Cultivating plants typically involves a lot of bending down, reaching and kneeling, so if any of those are on your ouch list, seated gardening may well be the answer. This type of gardening involves tending to your beloved plants while seated on a stool, a mobile bench or a wheeled garden truck.

How Do Seniors Benefit From Gardening?

A growing body of research shows that horticulture has a host of benefits for people of all ages. For seniors, it scores highly for both physical and mental health. For example, gardening can:

• Improve your cardiovascular health status and lower the risk of diabetes.
• Help you maintain a healthy weight.
• Increase physical flexibility.
• Lower stress, reduce loneliness and alleviate depression.
• Boost your vitamin D levels, absorbed from a daily dose of sunshine.
• Safeguard and protect your cognitive function, helping you stay sharp.

All good stuff. And since you now know that sitting down is an option, there’s no excuse not to get outside and start growing! Here’s how to get started by gathering the right equipment.

Essential Tools and Equipment for Chair Gardening

First things first — the chair. You can choose from a wide variety of seats, depending on your mobility and health needs. Simple but sturdy gardening stools are an entry-level option, enabling you to sit closer to the ground or at the right height for whatever you are tending. A step-up from this is a combined seat and kneeler. Think of a stool that you can flip over, and underneath there is usually a kneeling pad, and the legs become supports to help you get up from kneeling.

Both simple stools and combined seat kneelers will help you enjoy your garden without aches and pains. However, if you intend to use it a lot, have more complex health needs or just fancy treating yourself, consider a wheeled garden truck with an in-built seat. These often have extra features like a swivel seat and added storage. They are more expensive than the basic options, but worth it if raising plants is bringing you a new lease on life.

To go with the seat, you might want to choose some new tools. Look for:

• Tools with ergonomic handles.
• Color-coded or tactile tools if you are visually impaired.
• Lightweight or easy-grip tools.
• Multipurpose tools to avoid having to carry different ones.

One of the best tools for senior gardeners isn’t actually a tool at all, more of an accessory. Consider getting a good gardening apron with plenty of pockets or rings to attach tools.

All tooled up? Next, you will want to consider your yard design.

How to Adapt a Garden for Chair Gardening

Chair gardening does not require redesigning your space. However, if you have the option, making some simple changes to your outdoor layout will help you enjoy it even more:

• Raised beds: Raised beds can be anything from a couple of inches above ground to waist height or so. You can purchase kits to build them, or you can take the do-it-yourself approach. Opt for beds that are the perfect height for the chair or seat you have chosen. There are endless ideas to make raised garden beds work for you.
• Pathways: If you have opted for a wheeled stool or a truck with a seat, get rid of the gravel on your paths and replace it with something more wheel-friendly.
• Railings: Consider installing handrails at key points outdoors to help prevent falls and to increase mobility.
• Vertical gardening: Who said gardens have to be flat? This technique involves stacking beds or containers upward. This not only saves your back, but it also maximizes space. Living walls have become popular in recent years and can look stunning.
• Container gardening: If you are new to all things green thumb, this is a great way to get started. Arrange containers in a way that suits you and supports easy access from your seat.

What Are the Best Plants for Chair Gardening?

Some plants are especially well-suited to gardening for seniors. Consider low-maintenance options that easily thrive in your climate and do not need fertilizers or pesticides. Bonus points if they also don’t need watering very often. Avoid plants that need deadheading or that spread by underground roots — while they may look pretty, they will quickly take over your garden unless you regularly head into battle to control them.

Some low-maintenance ideas:

• Buddleia
• Hostas
• Hardy geraniums
• Dianthus
• Hydrangeas
• Japanese anemones
• Lily of the Valley

The following are some easy veggies to grow:

• Tomatoes
• Peppers
• Green beans
• Potatoes
• Zucchini

Tips for Safe and Enjoyable Chair Gardening

To get the most from chair gardening, never do more than you feel able to comfortably manage. This is supposed to be fun, not a chore. Don’t over-exert yourself or strain your muscles, and don’t be afraid to ask for help or delegate chores you can’t quite manage.

Growing plants doesn’t have to be a solitary pursuit. Get your kids and grandkids involved. You can stay seated and run the show while the little ones do the hard work! Alternatively, team up with neighbors and take it in turns to visit each other, complete with your seat, for a garden and chat session.

Don’t be hard on yourself if you make a few mistakes, especially if you have come to gardening later in life and are inexperienced. You can learn from mishaps and figure it out better next time. And if you forget where you planted the radishes and dig up carrots instead, well, call it salad surprise season.

As with any other outdoor activity, sun safety matters. The only thing that should be wilting in the sun is your lettuce, so grab that sun hat and sunscreen, and don’t spend too long out of the shade.

When you’ve done the hard work, don’t forget to enjoy what you have created. You might want to add some pretty garden spinners, wind chimes or kinetic sculptures, or some wildlife-friendly bug hotels so that you have something to watch while you relax and congratulate yourself on a job well done.

Pull Up a Chair, the Garden’s Just Getting Started

Whether you are new to gardening or have been enjoying it all your life, chair gardening makes this amazing hobby accessible to seniors of any age. Choose your seat, gather your tools, design your garden, select your plants and enjoy!