Tips for gardening as we age.

What changes in your gardening style, equipment etc. have you made that worked and didn't work as you age.

Well I'm still (reasonably) fit so gardening is ok for me, but the first thing that comes to mind is raising your beds higher so you don't need to bend down, and putting an edge on them that can be sat on.

For me its been making the garden beds in the bathtubs set on concrete blocks that were set up on top of & at each end of existing raised garden beds.

So the rim of each tub is at my waist height so no bending at all. I use a small Cyclone brand 'Patio rake' to handle bird netting over the tall trellises. The trellises aren't actually that tall out of the tub but they are high once the height of the raised bed is included.

Its around 3m from the ground to the top of each trellis so putting the bird netting over was an issue but the rake makes it so easy.

The other container gardens that I made in the middle garden are also almost waist height & I replant them all the time. They are plastic tubs from Bunnings & sit on old palings laid across the arms of old outdoor furniture chairs.

All my container gardens whether bath tubs or 60-80lt plastic containers, are filled with home made compost mixed with bulk potting mix & added perlite or coco coir to make it light, easy to work, easy to water & water holding.

We started toying with raised beds early last year with 2 bathtubs and then we built one from scratch using all recycled materials. Loved them
Since then i have suffered a Heart Attack and was told not to be digging , mowing ect
So I guess the universe was telling me something
We now have 6 raised beds of various shapes and sizes all still from recycled materials and have started Huglkultr in them. Great way to still do what I love get out in the fresh air and exercise

As well as raised beds which others have already mentioned, I recently installed retractable hoses. No more trip hazzard and no more rolling up. I have a shoulder injury and its made all the difference to that.

Wow you guys have some good ideas. We did one of those Huglkultr beds. The corn was supperb and the beans are on their 2nd wind.

I have one retractable hose real, it wasn't a dear one , it works well most of the time.

Our hoses are on reels, so it is easy enough to wind them back up. To my mind, those retractable ones don't last as long as they should.
We are in the process of building some more beds, out of recycled shed sheets and fence panels. We will fill in the bottom with some rubble, which will help with drainage. They will be roughly 800 mm high, so no bending. The main reason for the extra height is they are going in a part of the yard where the soil is poor.

Currently raising our beds and putting a top on for a seat, mid 60s here.

What an amazing job of a garden bed. Well done.

Those orange pipes along the sides..... are they to sit the umbrella pole in?

There you go @ClissAT . Netting, shade cloth or plastic will go on 1 metre boards and be thrown over hoops as needed, including end ones for hoops. I will then have climbing frames as needed for tall ones. Each bed will fit either or both as everything is based on 1 metre. The straight poles have a hole at top and bottom,so bolts in boards can be poked through and wing nuts to hold them. Looking at a 7 inch strong cord netting for tall ones. Everything fabric wise can be rolled up and kept in a rack. Same with poles.

I love those garden beds, the hoops are a great idea.

I wish I could get the rural poly to do that here in summer!
It just crimps at the midpoint when the sun shines hard on the top & it gets too hot.
Or warps as one side goes one way & the other side goes the other way until the whole hoop wants to lay down.

We got ours from Norco if that helps. The orange poles are heavy duty underground stuff from Bunnings.
Waiting on an order for 7 inch square poly netting, to hook up the climbing frames for snow peas.

What's good about being interchangeable is the easy way to rotate the crops and not be stuck with a permanent climbing frame, or hoop area.

I assume that's main's water piping you're using for the hoops? (Should be quite a bit thicker/more rigid than poly)

Thick walled green stripe rural agriculture polypipe (not the blue stripe)

Oops, must be going colour-blind!! What's the plan for the white pipe along the top of the "seat"? I put netting covers over two of my beds, but they're on rigid frames, which makes it difficult to access the bed. Plus it keeps insects out, so I can only plant things like lettuce or "perfect" flowering plants under there. I wish in hindsight I'd gone with a "roll-up" netting side. But we were getting river rats coming up to eat the sweet potato, so it had to be rigid enough to stop them getting under it.

White,pipe is a bit of conduit with holes we used for the watering system on old ground level beds. Not using again. This time I want something I can plug the hose into the end .

I'd like to add if I may , using perennial vegetables as much as possible, less planting just occasional fertilising and mulching , I am also mindful of not taking too much excercise out of the activity , while raised garden beds have their uses, excercise gets your body in shape , keeps it supple, lack of excercise will allow your body to stiffen and make you more inactive. Yoga is very good for this , obviously having a damaged back can alter the situation, but keeping fit means we can all enjoy our gardens for much longer , definitely a bonus in your later years ,happy gardening Raymondo