Garden Tools for Seniors- Whether you’ve always had green fingers or not, gardening during your senior years can open a wide range of mental and physical benefits, including – Increased mobility, Reduced stress levels, Fine-tuned motor skills, Disease prevention for osteoporosis etc, Increased social circles, Etc.
When you look at it that way, it’s plain to see that gardening quite literally stands to transform your later years, not to mention that you’ll have a wonderful outside space to enjoy as a result of all of this!
Unfortunately, as we get older, many of us also contend with a range of aches and restrictions, sometimes as a result of general wear and tear or, in more serious cases, due to arthritis or the aforementioned osteoporosis.
Luckily, many seniors still manage to get stuck in, with studies revealing that centenarians from ‘blue zones’ like Costa Rica and Sardinia, Greece actually have a love for gardening in common.
And, many of them achieve these long-term garden goals by using the right tools to bring ease and comfort to their growing expeditions. Here, we’re going to look at seventeen of the top contenders to prove that seniors gardening could help you to feel younger for longer, too.
For Wear (Garden Tools for seniors)
Table of Contents
1. UV sun hat
UV sun rays can cause significant damage to thinning skin, leading to painful burns and even cancer. When gardening, your head and neck are especially exposed, meaning that a UV hat is an absolute essential.
There a wide range of options on the market here, but specifically, you want to look out for a model that includes –
1. An ultraviolet protection (UPF) level of around 50+
2. Ventilation
3. A wide brim
4. Neck and shoulder shields
5. Adjustable straps
2. Fingertip Garden Gloves
Garden globes are always a must but, when it comes to easier gardening in particular, fingertip options like these ones from TGeng complete with ABS plastic claws can prove especially useful for protecting your hands from cuts and blisters at all times.
The main thing to note when buying gloves that help instead of hinder is that you need flexible options that provide the dexterity necessary to continue picking up small items.
Make sure, too, that your gloves of choice utilize puncture-proof material that lasts many years without the risks of unpleasant surprises during thorn bush excavations and more.
3. Aerator Shoes
As well as comfort, seniors gardening is all about simple solutions, and it doesn’t get much simpler than aerator shoes. After all, aerating your lawn is fundamental for allowing air, nutrients, and water to soak into your soil, but it’s a traditionally long-winded and labor-intensive task.
Luckily, aerator shoes like these ones from Pride Roots simplify that process by ensuring that you naturally aerate your yard while you get on with other gardening tasks.
With a sturdy strap and pre-assembled spikes that aerate to the tune of 2.2 inches, this is a fantastic way to achieve deep perforation without putting heavy work in.
For Comfort (Garden Tools for seniors)
4. Fold Able Seat
Standing for extended periods is never going to do your back any good and could lead to increased stiffness and reduced mobility. As such, a raised garden seat like the TomCare foldable stool is invaluable.
As well as providing tool pouches that ensure you have everything you need, having a stool like this behind you when you’re getting stuck in means that you can stop and rest at regular intervals without having to walk away.
As simple as that, you’ll be able to enjoy entire days in the garden without suffering from a bad back as a result.
5. Kneeling Pad
We all know that getting down on the ground gets tougher as the years go by. Aside from just the up and down, our knees crunch, crack and seize up if we’re on them for too long. Hence why you also need a thick, well-made kneeling pad for planting, weeding, and everything between.
There are countless options on the market and, honestly, most offer much the same benefits.
For utmost comfort, it is worth paying a little extra for an option like the RED Home Club ProPad, purely because it’s extra thick for added comfort, but any kneeling pad is guaranteed to make gardening that bit easier.
6. A Garden Rocker
Even if you struggle to kneel or sit, gardening is still within reach when you invest in a garden rocker like those offered by Vertex. By allowing you to swivel and rock on the spot, this is the ideal solution for anyone trying to garden through hip or back pain.
Admittedly, you will need to perfect your balance on this garden addition, but if you invest in a model with an adjustable seat, a garden rocker could be just the thing to complete even those outdoor tasks you once assumed were out of reach.
For Convenience (Garden Tools for seniors)
7. Garden Cart
Traipsing back and forth to the house or shed with heavy items is never going to do your joints any good. Hence why a garden cart is a gardening organization essential. These handy little tools allow you to bring your essentials right along with you, with wheels for easy transport. Some models even have a seat for when you’re feeling tired!
Again, the majority of options out there offer pretty much the same benefits so shopping around is your best bet here, though you’ll want to make sure that your selected model can –
- Move easily on dirt and grass
- Double as a padded seat/kneeling pad
- Last for many years of heavy use
- Withstand even heavy tools
- Secure against rain
8. Tool Apron
Even with a tool cart to hand, you’ll soon find yourself bending up and down to get the tools you need, and that can lead to the stiffness you’re trying to avoid. Hence why it’s also worth seeking a tool apron that allows you to keep everything right alongside you once you reach the patch you intend to focus on.
Again, there are plenty of aprons, and each could serve this purpose so long as they have enough pockets to hold your tools, mobile, etc.
Make sure, however, that you invest in an earthy color as seen in this rust-colored offering from Inno Stage so that you don’t end up looking like you’ve been dragged through a hedge backward!
9. Collapsible Bucket
You can’t garden without a bucket to transfer water/soil/etc., but buckets are traditionally hefty things that few seniors would be able to manage. Luckily, collapsible buckets like this watertight offering from Presto remove the issue altogether.
While incredibly lightweight itself, this bucket can hold almost 3 gallons, meaning that it’s easier than ever to carry around with you, but it can still help you transfer the heavy stuff when you need it.
Even better, the lightness of the bucket itself means that heavy loads will be a whole lot more manageable.
For Planting (Garden Tools for seniors)
10. Raised Garden Beds
Planting is one of the most difficult tasks that senior gardeners face for the pure fact that it involves getting down on your hands and knees.
Raised garden beds are a fantastic tool for overcoming this setback and simplifying even this sometimes difficult task.
Of course, raised bed assembly in itself can cause undue strain if you use traditional wooden plank options, Luckily easy-assemble solutions are available through Amazon which can be put together with a minimum of trouble with next to no tools. There are a range of options including vertical gardens for those with limited space.
11. Ergonomic add-on handle
Near enough every garden tool you can think of comes in an ergonomic design for comfortable use, even if gardeners are struggling with arthritis. Yet, investing in different sets of arthritic gardening tools for every need can get pricey.
By comparison, an ergonomic handle add-on like this one from BackEZ means that you have a one-stop solution to help you use everything from your garden hose to your snow shovel.
As well as vastly improving grip comfort, this vastly adaptable and easily attached solution ensures that you can utilize a wide range of tools without once needing to bend and risk damaging your back or anything else.
12. Ergonomic Hose Nozzle
Along the same lines, an ergonomic garden hose nozzle like this one from Viking is one of those arthritis gardening tools that you shouldn’t go without.
Designed to fit any standard-sized hose, this garden addition saves you from having to hold a handle flat during an entire watering session.
Rather, this ergonomic design allows you to turn your hose spray on and off by simply clicking a button.
What’s more, the rubberized grips typically seen on nozzles like this ensure the utmost comfort, while keeping your joints from any unnecessary work.
13. Long-reach Tools
Garden stools or rockers are all well and good, but it can still be a struggle to reach the back of your flower beds without getting right down there. Hence why long-reach tools like these Peta Easi-Grip options are also essential.
With these in your toolbox, you can reach even those difficult flower bed corners without needing to worry about kneeling or putting undue stress on your back.
Options with comfortable grip handles are especially invaluable for making gardening accessible to enthusiasts of all ages and afflictions.
14. Power Planter
Finally planting your bulbs has to be the most satisfying part of any gardening project.
Unfortunately, this is also one of the most problematic processes for senior gardeners who struggle to get down and place bulbs where they want them.
With a power planter, specifically, the extended offerings by Power Planter themselves, planting bulbs has never been easier.
Painlessly, these tools allow gardeners to drill planting holes while standing so that they can simply slip bulbs into place and cover those patches back over without even a hint of backache.
15. No-bend Weed Grabber
If planting seems like backbreaking work, then weeding will definitely be off the cards. After all, few garden tasks require quite the same exertion on your hands and knees.
Hence why it’s also fundamental to turn to easy weeding solutions like this no-bend weed grabber.
Far from requiring you to get down and use brute force, this tool means that you can remove even tap-rooted weeds from a standing position.
What’s more, the handle and grab mechanism ensures that you can get rid of weeds without once having to strain yourself to make it happen.
16. String Trimmer
String trimmers are also beneficial for easy weed or excess growth removal thanks to their extended handles. These typically lightweight tools ensure that even hard-to-reach places don’t pose too much of a problem.
New technology coming to the fore in the form of this EGO Power+ string trimmer is proving especially valuable for senior gardeners as it automatically winds trimmers to entirely remove the need for strain during use.
17. Weed Mat
Sometimes, prevention is better than cure, especially where senior gardening is concerned. By investing in options like this Pro Weed Mat, you can altogether save yourself from having to worry about easy weeding solutions.
Rather, the simple act of placing these mats between your rows of veg, flowers, or whatever, ensures that weeds are never able to grow in the first place.This way, you definitely won’t have to exacerbate existing health conditions to get rid of them!
Time to Get Gardening!
As you can see, utilizing the right gardening tools stands to take all the pain out of the process, ensuring that you enjoy each of the benefits we spoke about at the start. Simply stock up your tool shed, settle on your favorite flowers, and don’t hesitate to get your fingers green at long last!