Creating a good garden is all about aesthetics and organizing everything to your taste and preferences to ensure it is your perfect space to care for and nurture everything.
However, the challenge comes when you have to make the same space accessible to everyone in the house, including those on assisted mobility gear. Such a task seems cumbersome; nevertheless, it is much easier than you think if you pay attention to the design.
The US has about 70 million adults living with some form of disability, and about 60% of them can perform various tasks like gardening. By making the garden more accessible, you help them alleviate the stress and the boredom of staying in one place the whole day. Creating such a garden also shows how much you care about them by making them part of the family and giving them a hobby to cherish.
Luckily, many guides are out there to help you achieve that goal. But, to save you the stress of reading through all the guides, here are simple steps to make your grade more accessible to everyone.
1. Asses Everyone’s Needs
A backyard garden should be open and accessible to everyone, from the kids to the elderly. Therefore, your first design process should be to make it as inclusive as possible, ensuring everyone can spend time there. This calls for making certain adjustments to boost functionality.
One of the most essential things to focus on is the garden beds. Making an accessible garden requires installing raised beds that anyone can work on. For those on wheelchairs, the beds should be raised to a certain height and of a certain depth to make it easier to access without strains. You should also focus on the space below the beds, ensuring it is large and high enough to allow wheelchairs to get closer.
Furthermore, to make your work easier, you can buy ready-made accessible garden beds that are ADA mobility-compliant. Buying such beds will save you time compared to making them. That said, these beds optimize modular and ergonomic design, making them suitable for those in wheelchairs. For those without disabilities, these beds can relieve back pain since you no longer have to bend down or squat to manage your crops.
2. Consider The Materials Used
The first rule of a good garden is to make it safe and eco-friendly. Thus, anything you use should not be made of harmful products that can affect other people and crops.
Use synthetic or wooden beds to avoid metals that overheat or plastic, which may break or leach into the soil. Ensure the wood has smoother surfaces to avoid sprints and rough edges that can pierce someone, especially the kids.
Next, the pathways in the garden should be safer yet perfectly blended into the ecosystem. Avoid slippery pathways made from cement. Ideally, you should use non-slip material, which is ideal for wheelchairs and children running around.
Wood chips are a good addition to make it friendly; however, the wood can harm anyone barefoot or someone in case of falls. So, fine stones or chips can be a good addition.
3. Observe The Usage Pattern
Continuously observe the pattern in which the garden is used so that you can add a few elements that make the space multipurpose. For example, you can add some shaded areas with sitting places. This is great for relaxing away from the heat. It can also provide the perfect spot for breaks during gardening tasks.
In the evenings, it can be a good place to watch the sunset while having evening coffee and enjoying the scents and fragrances of the plants. For those with a disability, the space can encourage them to spend more time in the garden. Also, do not forget to add something for the children. Instead of a playground, you can make kid-friendly beds where they can plant and engage in other activities.
4. Install Must-Have Features
As a multifunctional space, anyone should be able to accomplish various tasks without straining. For example, you need to have irrigation features always enabled, making it easier for those with a disability to water the plants. You can do so by having a light pipe running throughout the garden. You can install removal sprinkler headers or a preinstalled drip system for every space.
Next, you need to consider accessibility to tools. The tools should be high enough for the kids to reach. Build a tools’ table or add a rack closer to every bed for easy access and reach.
5. Organization Matters
Making such an inclusive space can lead to stress about organizing things. Eventually, you may end up with clutter and a more disorganized space due to low-hanging tools or widely spaced beds. So, begin by arranging the beds in a row closer to each other and having pathways along the length. This will enable you to fit more beds and utilize the space optimally while creating space for access.
Next, have a designated tool space to put all the tools someone needs. You can carry a rack at the entrance that contains tools for lying on every bed. You should also consider how you lay the drip pipes. You can adopt two methods: underground pipes or an overhead main pipe with drip pipes attached.
The latter is okay since you can easily convert them into sprinklers if you need more water. They are also perfect as they do not hinder movement. All you have to do is raise them higher and have supporting structures.
Bottomline
A well-designed garden space is a haven and an environment for every family member to enjoy the therapeutic effects of gardening.
So, you need to design the space by optimizing every element to ensure it’s accessible and usable for everyone. Start by modifying the pathways and beds. Then, create spaces like shades and a few chairs for people to take a break. Next, organize your garden in an L-shaped pattern to maximize space while integrating features like an irrigation system.
