Gardening for Old Folks (Adaptative)

[Hope Hughes]

NO NO NO!!! Not 30 + 30 + 30! 30 plus a few more years ago!!! I'm old, but NOT THAT old!!! My goodness, you are going to be busy. This is why young people have babies!!! My two were just under 2 years apart. My babies will be 37 and 39 this spring!

Haha really busy between the animals, the house and the babys and no to mention the man child!! Hahaha
Im young and they make me feel old lol
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[Hope Hughes]

Did you see my beds a few pages back? I like showing them off.

Actually i did i even took a screen shot to show my husband because i like the height of them
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[rjohns39]

Wow! I'm less than 24 hours late to the party and 82 posts. OHLD, I love those beds. I have two likely to get raised to that level. Will have to ponder on bed 3. Poor planning. Outside is perfect height, inside only a foot off the ground. My site is the last owners pool site. East side dug into the hill, west side 3' above the ground. Nothing level here.

I've used IBC containers for raised beds, but there's always an airflow issue unless you drill a bunch of holes in the sides. I also like smart pots and pots, big enough—yet small enough to be wheeled into the greenhouse. Unfortunately, the greenhouse doesn't get to grow veg for me as it's the winter breeding quarters for the birds, but a few plants in the hall make everyone happy.

Sometime in the next week or so I'll put in my low tunnels. If your beds are 3-4' wide, a 10' piece of 1/2" pvc makes a perfect low tunnel. I'll use a 6" piece of 3/4" pvc on the ends and every 4' with a screw through the bottom and clamp on the top. Then just slide the 1/2" inside and one tek screw to hold the hoop in place.

I also love to can fruits, veg, meat, stock, and well a lot of things.

 

[Junochick]

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• Junochick
• Aug 20, 2017

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• Junochick
• Aug 20, 2017

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• Junochick
• Aug 20, 2017

i also have arthritis,ostieoprosis,spinal compression fracture,fibromaliga. Growing my garden helps with everything.

 

[henless]

I saw this thread and thought, "how did I miss this?" then realized it is a brand new thread! Ya'll sure are moving right along!

We're putting in raised beds for 2 reasons. One is to combat the bermuda grass that is everywhere around here. The 2nd reason is I have RA & Osteoarthritis and have a hard time bending, getting down on the ground & getting back up. Weeding in ground beds is just a nightmare. So we're going up. Dh is helping me put in the new beds. I'm hoping to have them all end by the first of the year. Maybe.

Love the idea of starting seeds in a milk jug!

 

[CapricornFarm]

I have a rope in the barn that is a garland of strung milk jugs. They are sacred around here and used for everything in the garden. I've never started seeds in them (great idea BTW that I will try this year) but I cover all my plants, tomatoes, squash and pumpkin seeds and started plants with milk jugs. Right now I have them covering peach seeds that I have planted in the yard. Hoping to get about 2 dozen trees out of what I have planted if not more.

As for Lyme, My Western Blot showed one positive band and that was that I had been exposed to the disease. As I had symptoms I was considered a positive. What I had was severe nerve pain and nerve spasms in my left arm, shoulder and ribs along with fever, fatigue and brain fog. I was so miserable. I probably have CLD also even though it has never been mentioned to me. I still take Gabapentin for nerve pain but thankfully, haven't had a flare of herxheimer effect in years. I try to avoid more bites but in MO it is almost impossible so the doctor keeps me supplied in minocycline and the minute I see a tick on me, I'm on it.

I didn't miss a day of work. Recently I found the thick notebook that I used during those two years. I would write cues down for me so I could recall orders, calls, people, everything. DH flipped through it in wonder one day, all 1000 pages. He had no idea how hard it was for me to remember anything during treatment. I think the worst day at work was the day I set down at my desk, looked at my computer keyboard and honestly couldn't remember my finger placement or the correct finger movements to type. I was lucky in I set, cleared my mind and was able to finally use the keyboard.

Needless to say, I hate Lyme disease.....and ticks.

Yes, that is why i suffer listening to my yappy guineas. They have a lot to eat here!

 

[CapricornFarm]

When I was still able to have my old career which was very physically demanding and exhausting (film/tv shoots) some weeks I'd spend all night in the emergency room because of pain and the next day try to pretend everything was normal. It took months to recuperate after a wrap. I finally had to admit I couldn't do it anymore.

And I used to have a good memory, didn't have to take notes really. Now I write down everything and when I refer back to it it's like I don't even know what they mean, it's like someone else wrote them!

Sorry, Cap and everyone, if this is a bit of thread hijacking! Let me know and I'll start a Lyme thread and we can keep it to pure gardening!

No problem, all gardeners need to think about the effects of insects on us!

 

[CapricornFarm]

I drill tiny holes around the bottom edge of my milk jugs and put them in the garden between plants. Makes for quick watering when it hurts to stand.
I've glued old clay pots together to make ollas. Bury partially near your plants and fill with water as needed. The soil draws the water through the clay as needed.
I've added gypsum to my soil which has helped a lot with breaking up some of the harder areas. My favorite thing though is planting aloe anywhere and everywhere. I leave it for a season and then remove to the compost. It's great for breaking up soil and not hard to get rid of if you don't leave it for more than a year.
I just got the restriction for lifting anything over 5 lbs until my back heals and I have PT so I can plant and supervise but my son is going to build the raised bed and haul in my dirt. At least I can still get dirt under my nails

I seriously love getting my hands into dirt! I break up lumps of clay etc and mix the sand and composted manure together in the wheel barrow. Rarely wear gloves unless trimming something thorny.

 

[CapricornFarm]

Wow! I'm less than 24 hours late to the party and 82 posts. OHLD, I love those beds. I have two likely to get raised to that level. Will have to ponder on bed 3. Poor planning. Outside is perfect height, inside only a foot off the ground. My site is the last owners pool site. East side dug into the hill, west side 3' above the ground. Nothing level here.

I've used IBC containers for raised beds, but there's always an airflow issue unless you drill a bunch of holes in the sides. I also like smart pots and pots, big enough—yet small enough to be wheeled into the greenhouse. Unfortunately, the greenhouse doesn't get to grow veg for me as it's the winter breeding quarters for the birds, but a few plants in the hall make everyone happy.

Sometime in the next week or so I'll put in my low tunnels. If your beds are 3-4' wide, a 10' piece of 1/2" pvc makes a perfect low tunnel. I'll use a 6" piece of 3/4" pvc on the ends and every 4' with a screw through the bottom and clamp on the top. Then just slide the 1/2" inside and one tek screw to hold the hoop in place.

I also love to can fruits, veg, meat, stock, and well a lot of things.

Maybe my husband will like canning. I just need to get the garden to grow more.

 

[h2oratt]

They had a great deal on some raised beds at Costco. Guess they were on sale because it’s winter.