Ask any passionate gardener about their favorite pastime, and they’ll often rave about the benefits of being outside in the fresh air, experiencing the joy of watching plants establish and the rich rewards when flowers bloom and vegetables grow.
But, catch them on a bad day, and just like me, they’ll moan about their back pain, sore knees and having to deal with barrowloads of soil. Gardening is an excellent hobby to keep you fit, but sometimes it helps to know which tools are available to make it easier.
You don’t need to scale back your gardening chores to protect your body from aches and pains; you just need to work wiser and be smart about the tools that can take the strain out of gardening.
Here I recommend five yard tools that will make you go ‘aah’ rather than ‘ouch’.
1. Kneeling pad
It’s a pretty simple piece of foam that offers your tired knees support, but I wouldn’t be without my kneeling mat when I’m in the garden. It’s got to a stage that if I don’t use it, I get sharp pains through my joints.
Whether you’re working on a lawn, soil, gravel, or stone, when you kneel down to work, your body weight is concentrated on your knee joints, which can result in ‘gardener’s knee’, causing joint pain, stiffness, or fluid retention.
To ease the problem, I use Fiskar's Gardening Kneeling Pad, $6 at Amazon, which I carry with me while I work, but if you’re up and down and not in one place for long, you’d be better off wearing knee pads, such as Workpro's Garden Knee Pads, $16 at Amazon. Another option is to opt for a 2-in-1 aid, such as a stool-and-kneeling mat in one.
2. Pruning shears
Pruning shears are an essential piece of kit for any gardener, as they are constantly needed to take cuttings, prune plants and keep your yard tidy. However, every time you cut through a stem or branch, your hand absorbs the impact.
While your hand will often manage under usual use, if your pruning shears aren’t sharp, lack padding, or are tough to use, you’ll notice the difference. What’s more, if you have arthritis or repetitive strain injury in your hands, the problem will be heightened.
If this is the case, when buying a new pair of pruning shears, look for a pair designed for people with weak hand control or arthritis.
3. Long- handled weeder
There’s not many gardeners that will admit to enjoying weeding. It really is a chore, even though the finished result can be rewarding. I don’t know how often I have to crouch down in my yard to remove pesky dandelion weeds, straining my back and my knees.
But after one of my colleagues tested a weeding tool, pulling up the weeds in my yard has been so much easier, in fact, it’s almost been fun.
So instead of relying solely on my small weeding tools, I now use Grampa’s Weeder ($35 at Amazon). It’s saved me from needing a hot soak in the tub every time I complete a spate of weeding.
4. Garden Gloves
Apart from protecting your hands from dirt and scratches, a premium pair of gardening gloves will help anyone with arthritis, carpal tunnel syndrome or joint stiffness. Look for an ergonomic pair designed to target compression zones, offer joint support, improve blood circulation and keep your hands warm.
A pair of non-slip gloves will also assist traction and will help you hold onto garden tools without exerting your hands. If you find the right pair, you might not want to take them off!
In our gardening gloves buying guide, we recommend 10 different types of gardening gloves, and the Bionic Relief Grip gardening gloves, $44 at Amazon, come out top for comfort and for those with arthritic hands.
5. Rolling cart
Most gardeners own a wheelbarrow, but the single-wheeled barrow can be difficult to maneuver and push when loaded with heavy soil. You can easily put pressure on your wrists, back and shoulders when lifting the handles while trying to guide it through tight spaces.
So, to reduce the struggle of dealing with one wheel, the ideal solution is to switch to a cart with two. The extra wheel helps avoid the balancing act and takes the strain off your upper body. You can also buy carts in different sizes, meaning you can go light or heavy depending on what you can manage.
What's your favorite gardening tool — the one you can't live without? Let me know in the comments.
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