Good to know
Do you suffer a few aches and pains while tending your plot? Try our tips and tricks for comfortable gardening
Gardening should be fun and relaxing, though aching joints, sore muscles and mobility issues can turn it into a frustrating and painful chore.
But don’t hang up your trowel just yet. Adapting how you work and trying different tools can make all the difference, allowing you to garden happily for years to come.
Back-saving basics
Bad digging techniques can double the load on your joints. Simple adjustments, like bending at the knee and using regular, repetitive movements, can literally save your back. For detailed advice, visit rhs.org.uk/science/articles/diggingtechniques
Be kind to your body by warming up before you start (a 10-minute walk will do it) and cool down with a few stretches. Other backfriendly hacks include:
✱ Setting a timer so you don’t overdo it – 20 minutes per job is plenty.
Then do something gentle, like making yourself a well-earned cuppa.
✱ Keeping borders narrow (max 50cm wide) and using raised beds to minimise overstretching and bending.
✱ Trialling long-handled tools (trowels, spades) that can be operated with a straight back.
✱ Keeping things light by substituting items like terracotta pots for ones made from lightweight plastic or composite. Swap a heavy watering can for a light hose or opt for self-watering pots and drip irrigation.
✱ Letting wheels do the work by transporting tools/compost on a trolley or wheelbarrow. Use a wheeled pot-mover to shift large containers.
Find out more
✱Gardening with arthritis: arthritis.org
✱Gardening with physical impairments: thrive.org. uk/get-gardening
Gentle on joints
Gardening keeps joints mobile but
