Categories: Aids for Gardening

5 Helpful Tips for Gardening With Arthritis

Arthritis can make everyday tasks difficult, but there are ways you can make gardening with arthritis easier. In fact, research has shown that it is better to stay active doing things that you love. You just may need to use a few adaptive methods.

It’s good for you to physically stay active. It is also beneficial for you mentally and emotionally. With a few adaptations, gardening can still be an enjoyable hobby. These helpful tips can make gardening with arthritis more enjoyable.

Plan ahead for the best time for you to garden and plan your gardens for the least amount of effort.
Take your time and take breaks often. Don’t try to do too much at once. Break up your gardening into smaller tasks spread out over several days.
Choose the right tools. Ones that are ergonomically designed and are easy to grip and handle. Look for ones that have cushioned grips to reduce stress on your joints.
Reduce the amount of bending and carrying you will have to do. Keeping all your gardening tools in a tote will reduce the number of trips you have to make from the garage to the garden. Transfer larger items with a wheeled utility cart.
Choose raised beds or containers so that you don’t have to bend down as much. Use a potting bench or stool to avoid kneeling.

This post may contain affiliate links for which I earn commissions.
Please note that all opinions are my own and are not intended to be taken as medical advice.

Ergonomic Gardening With Arthritis

#1 – Plan Ahead for the Best Time of Day to Garden

Garden during the time of the day when you are the least tired, and the least affected by pain. If the heat from the sun also affects you negatively, you will also have to take that into consideration. If you are experiencing a flare-up of arthritis, leave gardening for another day. Do not push beyond what is comfortable.

#2 – Plan Your Garden for The Least Amount of Effort

Perennials make great choices. They come up year after year all on their own
Place the plants that require the least amount of care in the back of the garden. You can also put them at the center of the garden.
Place plants that will require regular deadheading and weeding along the outer border of your garden. This placement prevents the need to reach to get to them.

#3 – Use the Proper Body Mechanics During Gardening

Warm up your muscles and joints before gardening by doing gentle stretches.
Use your palms rather than your fingers to pick up smaller items, like seedling pots. Keeping pressure off the finger tips decreases the risk of inflammation and deformity in the fingers in the future.
Use your forearms to carry heavier gardening items, like trays of seedlings. This reduces strain on your smaller hand joints.
Hold your arms close to your body when lifting or carrying. This reduces pressure on the joints and helps distribute the weight of the item.
Roll heavy items instead of lifting them in the garden. This method decreases pressure on joints and muscles.
Work in the area directly in front of you while gardening. This will help you avoid twisting or leaning to one side to prevent injury and residual stiffness.

#4 – Choose the Right Tools

Invest in Ergonomic Gardening Hand Tools

This may not be something you really ever stopped to think about. You probably just grab a shovel and start digging or planting. I have a lot of flower gardens. So that means a lot of planting in the spring.

Before I invested in my ergonomic garden tools, my hands would end up swollen. They would be black and blue from the pressure of the shovel. Last summer I started investing in some adaptive garden tools. OH MY! What a difference it made! It was an easy decision this year to complete my set.

There are a lot of garden tools sets that claim to be ergonomically designed. Still, many times they really don’t end up being any different than anything else. The garden tools that I purchased were from Radius Garden. They have cushioned handles, which is great. But the best part about these tools is the design of the handle. The curved handle is designed to reduce the strain on your hands and wrists. And it really does work!

I was a little skeptical at first, so I bought just one shovel. However after using them, I would definitely recommend to go ahead and buy the set. You’re going to end up wanting to buy all the tools anyway and it will save you money in the long run to buy them all at once. But, if you aren’t quite ready to take the plunge, you can purchase each of the tools separately.

Radius Garden Ergonomic Garden Hand Tool SetBuy on Amazon

Keep Things Close

Have some sort of a garden tool bag to keep all your gardening tools in. This will help reduce the amount of stooping, bending and reaching you have to do. You will also avoid making many trips back and forth to the shed or garage. This eliminates the need to get all the tools you have forgotten. Keep all your gardening hand tools together in one place with one of these handy garden tool bags.

Amazon has some great garden tote bags to choose from.

Buy on Amazon Buy on Amazon

Transfer Your Garden Supplies With a Wheeled Utility Cart

Use a low-to-the-ground, wheeled utility cart to transfer gardening supplies to the garden. This helps prevent excess pressure on your hands, wrists, elbows, knees and shoulder joints. Enlist the help of someone to load the cart when possible, especially heavy bags of soil and fertilizer. If you are on your own, buy soil and fertilizers in smaller, easy-to-lift bags.

Amazon has a wide variety of wheeled utility carts made by Gorilla Carts.

Gorilla Carts Utility Cart with Steel Frame, 600 Pound Capacity, and 10 Inch TiresBuy on Amazon

Buy Long Handled Garden Tools

Using long handled garden tools will decrease the amount of bending, stretching and reaching required. This will help prevent excess stress on your muscles and joints.

Buy on Amazon Buy on Amazon

#5 – Raise Your Garden

If bending and kneeling are out of the question, consider using raised garden beds. You can also use planters to avoid these positions. You can then sit on a stool or chair to tend to your plants or during weeding.

You can order kits like these on Amazon or you can build your own with these plans.

Buy on Amazon Buy on Amazon

The key to a pleasant gardening experience is to balance work and rest. Also, regularly change from light to heavy tasks.

Once you are done for the day treat yourself to a hot bath and a moist heating pad.

Other Gardening With Arthritis Articles You May Be Interested In:

Best Gardening Tools for Arthritis Sufferers

Raised Gardening Beds – Perfect For Arthritic Gardeners

Vertical Plant Growing Systems for Arthritic Gardeners

Best Hose Nozzle for Weak Hands

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