Gardening Tips
The rewards of gardening are plentiful. We see the results of our hard work in the plants, flowers, and vegetables we so carefully nurture.
As we go about our gardening, we must remember that the most important gardening tool we have is our body. The aches and pains we feel from time to time take us away from the hobby we so enjoy. Proper body positioning, well designed gardening gloves and tools and frequent rest breaks are the keys to being a healthy gardener. Listed below are a few ideas that will help you garden safely and comfortably.
USE PROPER BODY POSITIONING TO MINIMIZE MUSCLE FATIGUE & SORENESS
Back
- Bend at the knees and hips to lift and hold objects. Keep one arm under the object while carrying.
- Use an erect body posture when working at ground level or when using long-handled gardening tools such as hoes, spades and rakes.
- With existing back problems, consider raised beds to minimize bending and lifting.
Shoulders
- Work below shoulder level whenever possible.
- When necessary to work above shoulder level, perform the task for five minutes or less; then take a break or perform another activity before continuing.
- Use both arms whenever possible.
Elbows / Forearms
- Keep the elbows partially bent while gardening, especially when doing resistive activities requiring elbow strength.
- Avoid twisting the forearms back and forth on a repetitive basis (example: pulling weeds by twisting the forearm palm up and then palm down). Consider using a weeder.
- Whenever possible, work with the forearms in a neutral position (i.e. thumbs up).
Wrists / Hands
- Work with the wrists in a neutral position by avoiding the extremes of motion (up, down and sideways). This is particularly important when working against resistance.
- Hold objects with a light grasp or pinch, avoiding a tight, sustained grip.
Remember . . .Muscles will typically fatigue in less than a half hour of repetitive activity; therefore, rotate each gardening activity with ones which require different muscle groups and different body positions. Spread the gardening tasks over a number of days versus performing all of them the same day!
Gardening Gloves
- Gloves protect the hands from hazardous chemicals, sharp items, and blisters. They help minimize the effects of vibration. On the other hand, gloves decrease the feeling in the hand and decrease hand strength by as much as 30%. This decreases overall hand coordination and power grip.
- Gloves should be form-fitting covering the smallest area of the hand possible, without being restrictive.
- Thin gloves are preferable even though they will generally not last as long.
- Gloves should be made of material appropriate for the specific task (example: gloves for working with chemicals as opposed to gloves for pruning rose bushes or working with the soil)
USE WELL DESIGNED GARDENING GLOVES AND TOOLS
Tools
- Use lightweight yet sturdy tools.
- Shorter tool handles provide greater leverage control (best for small hand tools).
- Longer tool handles provide greater power and are best for jobs which require full body motion (example: loppers or pruners).
- Particularly tall or short individuals should carefully evaluate the length of the long handled tools to avoid excess strain on the back. Taller individuals will require longer tools to avoid excessive leaning.
- A proper handle design on gardening tools is critical.
- Handles should be cylindrical in shape.
- The shape of the handle should provide equal pressure along the entire arch of the palm (contoured, not straight).
- The handle should be made of compressed rubber to minimize friction.
- If your existing tools have wooden or metal handles, consider adding padded tape such as “Wrap N Grip” or pipe insulation foam.
- Handles should be 1.25” x 1.75” in diameter and a minimum of 5” long.
- The recommended maximum distance between two handles for tools with a handle span (example: pruners/shears) is 2” to 2.7”.
To Enjoy Gardening...
- Before you begin gardening, take a few minutes to stretch to help minimize muscle soreness and the risk of tendonitis. In particular, do stretches for your arms and back.
- Let your daily physical activity level serve as your guide for how long you can garden. For example, if you are physically active 1 hour a day, you should be able to garden an hour a day.
- Be sure to drink plenty of water to avoid dehydration while you are gardening.
- Even if you do not feel fatigued, take a break for a few minutes each hour.
- Change gardening tasks frequently (at least every 30 minutes). For example, if you are weeding and using the small muscles of your hands, rotate this task with watering the flowers, hoeing or trimming the shrubs where you are using larger muscles in a standing position.
- Be sure to keep hand tools sharp with a tool sharpener (i.e. honing stone).
- Keep tools with moving parts in good working order and oiled so there is little resistance with use.
- Avoid tools which permit awkward body positioning. Ergonomic tools (designed around human anatomy and proper body mechanics) are ideal.
Gardening Resources
Langenbach
www.langenbach.com
800-362-1991
Gardener’s Supply
www.gardenerssupply.com
800-863-1700
Brookstone
www.brookstone.com
800-351-7222
Solutions
www.solutionscatalog.com
877-718-7901
Dynamic Living
www.dynamic-living.com
888-940-0605
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