Gardening is consistently listed as one of this country’s most popular hobbies and can give joy and satisfaction to the gardener in return for the work involved. But gardening can be frustrating for gardeners who have physical limitations.

Today, gardeners with mobility issues have more alternatives and tools than ever before, and their options increase every day. The Fall Flower and Garden Fest at the Mississippi State University Truck Crops Branch Station in Crystal Springs this past weekend featured an exhibit that highlighted ways to make the garden more accessible.

Many gardeners have bad backs. I am one of them. After I work kneeling or bent over in the garden, I take ibuprofen and spend time with the heating pad.

One exhibit at the fest showed how to raise a garden off the ground using a bench with a stepladder-type design. Placing window boxes on the steps allows the gardener to water and harvest without bending over.

Gardeners using wheelchairs or scooters can enjoy a tabletop garden. Vegetables or flowers are grown in containers and placed on a table at an accessible height.

There were several other unique ideas for increasing garden accessibility, such as the vertical gardens constructed by the staff at the experiment station. One of the best was a “gutter garden” for growing leaf lettuce. It consisted of sections of plastic gutter attached to a wooden fence. This is really not a new idea. Commercial hydroponic vegetable growers have been using gutters for quite a while to help control the water needed in their operations.

The beauty of this design is that you can place the gutters at any height needed for the gardener. I know I will add some these gutters to my fence in the very near future.

Another vertical garden idea uses the popular concept of gardening in a bale. Lay a round bale of hay on its side and plant different vegetables, such as lettuce or tomatoes, in the vertical side. This allows a garden to have easy accessibility from a standing or sitting position.

The fest also had a display of hand tools designed for those with arthritis. Most feature larger-than-normal handles that make gripping the tools easier. Many have straps that attach to the gardener’s belt in case they are dropped, making retrieval effortless.

Making the garden easier to reach and maintain means that nearly everyone can take advantage of the benefits and joy a garden provides.