If you are into gardening, then you'll know it can mean a lot of bending, hard work and kneeling down to get those plants in the ground. Yes, it’s great exercise, but if you have a lot to do, sometimes it can be a strain on your back and joints. Happily, there are some clever planting solutions that you can use to reduce the physical strain of gardening, as well as save you some room in smaller gardens. Just read on to find out what they are and how you can get creative in the garden to help you out.
Vertical gardens
One way to reduce all the bending is to start a vertical garden. This is a fantastic way of growing all sort of plants, vegetables, and herbs without having to have a large plot of land.
Basically, you choose a method that raises the plants up off the ground but still provide enough space for them to get light and to expand their roots.
The best thing about this method is there are many cheap ways you can do it, including using a shoe organiser as a vertical planter, stacking up window boxes on a wall and even hanging old soft drink bottles. Get some more ideas about this HERE.
Raised beds
Raised beds are another fabulous way to reduce bending over so much and can limit so much digging as well. They work so well because you can easily fill them with compost or good quality topsoil and you won't have to turn over the soil so much when planting. They make it a lot easier to plant, harvest and tend to crops plus you can choose how deep to make them.
Raised beds are also incredibly simple to create yourself. All you need is a supply of railway sleepers, screws and an electric drill. You will, of course, need soil or compost to fill them up once they are made.
Pipe gardens
Last, of all, it's worth mentioning the phenomenon of pipe gardens here. They are similar to raised beds and vertical gardens in a lot of ways, but so ingenious that it's worth dedicating a section to them.
Pipe gardens are made from plastic guttering that can be run around the wall or fences of entire outside space. They are cheap to create and easy to put up, and they make a fantastic bed for flowers, and cut and grow vegetables like lettuce and leafy greens.
You can even hook up an irrigation system to your pipe garden if you are in a particularly arid area, or you are concerned that you don't have time to water them. Then you are pretty much guaranteed a healthy bumper crop of whatever you chose to grow in there. All without having to bend, dig, or exert yourself too hard at all.