Topic: Fall free allotment need suggestions

[Digeroo]

Last May I fell over on my allotment and hurt both legs and have been rather dot and carry one since, clinging onto the handrail when using the stair.  But finally on holiday I managed to get down a whole flight of stairs with no support, properly one leg after another.  So that has taken eight months.  Though I still cannot do it without wearing a good pair of trainers.

It has made me very nervous of falling over.  I think I will have to make some plans to make the whole allotment easier.  We have a lot of woodchips ex horse, so I have been trying to use it make better paths.   

Would appreciate any suggestions to make the allotment a fall free zone. 

[grannyjanny]

I suppose keeping the beds & paths at a similar level might help. Are you a kneeler or a bender? I stumbled more when I knelt & getting up. We have beds with edges which I don't like but HWMBO does😉. Would a walking pole help.
The 80+ lady next to us had lots of her beds separated by roofing slates at an angle. We had thought they were an accident waiting to happen & it did last year & she was lucky there was someone there who took charge. We've removed all slates for her & will help wherever we can in this coming season. I hope you will get full mobility back soon.

[Digeroo]

I am a bender luckily my back is ok.  I never kneel.  I would never get up again.  Also kneeling hurts my knees.  I had psoriasis on my knees for 50 years and if I knelt it would bleed so I never got used to kneeling.  I used to go akimbo but cannot do that any more.  I try and do things as upright as possible.   

I am trying to build up the beds with extra manure so I do not need to bend so far.

I am a bit untidy, so my resolution for 2015 is to keep things tidier. 

I did what my mother used to call 'turn my ankle' not really clear why. 

I have been working hard on my general fitness so actually I am fitter than I have been for some years. 

[Robert_Brenchley]

When I started putting in raised beds I was struck straight off by how much easier it is to work the soil when it's a foot or so above where I'm standing. If you've got anyone who'd be willing to put in the work ( I know that's difficult as it's a right slog) it might help.

[GrannieAnnie]

Another option: My husbands grandmother in Minnesota kept gardening late in life despite arthritis. To weed and plant she sat in or on something with wheels and pushed herself down the rows with her feet. I never saw the homemade contraption but have seen some others for sale with large wheels that wouldn't sink in mud I shouldn't think. If mud is a bigproblem, putting down the woven black plastic works very well and lasts season after season though it doesn't look pretty like a woodchip path.

[Digeroo]

Most of the suggestions are about sitting down.  Not sure I like that idea at all,  I rely on my allotment to burn of excess fat.  It goes on all winter and I try and lose it all summer.

Looks like there is a trade off between falling over and putting on weight.  Oh dear I do not like either option.  The heavier I am the harder I fall.

I actually have very little problem with mud.   The ground is very well drained.  Most of my paths now also have several inches of wood chippings.    The advantage is I have a plentiful supply and no one else seems to want it.  It also help keep the moisture in the soil. 

My problem is more of a balance problem.   So it is more of a problem with sudden falls.  In between I am fairly fit, was playing lots of table tennis while I was away. 

I have been working with raising beds by digging out the paths and adding that to the beds.  The edges are bare which seems to please the hedgehog, who goes along the edges everyday.  Then I add wood chips to the paths.   Some of the strawberry beds are about 9 inches high now.  I am hoping that picking will be easier.