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njgardener44

Probably the coolest garden I've ever seen...

njgardener44
14 years ago

I am an avid gardener in New Jersey, and have been doing productive vegetable from my wheelchair for several years now. I just saw a posting on my local craigslist for a portable raised garden bed, and I'm wondering if anyone has ever used anything like this before from a mobile, sitting position.

Not wanting to spam the place up, I'm not going to put any of the pictures I found, but I think the site is www.keep-growing.com or .org

I'd appreciate any feedback or info relating to this, and I'd love to know if anyone else in a wheelchair has had any success.

Thanks!

Comments (6)

  • larry_b
    14 years ago

    That is pretty cool. $500 seems pretty reasonable.

  • vetivert8
    13 years ago

    The url is .org.

    I'm not in a wheelchair but I mostly sit down to garden.

    Looking at the design I wondered about the purpose of the finials at the corners. And how easy it would be to lock the castors to stop the garden from moving away.

    I puzzled about the frames over the top. Could I put them in from one side? Or would it take two people? Or would I have to scoot round to the other side to fit them in their sockets?

    I wondered about drainage and drip stains on concrete - with the added joy of nutrients for feeding algae and moss. Would I need to scrub or get out with the water blaster?

    And pushing it. If I'm on wheels and it's on wheels...do I put the brakes on and shove? Or get someone to help me? Or just mostly park it where needed?

    That overhead frame. Is that to make it like a mini-glasshouse? How easy is it to lift and work, or allow for aeration on a hot day? Or are they for carrying a watering dripper system? In which case - how easy and dry is it for me to connect it to my water supply source?

    And, if I needed to have the whole thing higher or lower - how easy is it to customize it?

    When I looked at Esther Dean's book on no dig gardening - she did something similar on an old-fashioned bedstead. (I think it was a standard single bed.) It wasn't pretty.:-)! However. On a six foot length she planted four seed potatoes at the foot; zuccini, and cucumber in the middle, and carrots at the other end. The cucumbers ended up draping over the edges and the zuccini produced very well. They looked very lush in the picture she provided.

    When those crops were done more compost was added and winter crops were planted - lettuce, endive, chinese spinach and some marigolds, heartsease for colour and garnishes.

    The rows in the picture on the website did look very 'staged' and at an early phase of growth. I suspect that you'd need to use the square foot gardening method and harvest timing to ensure your raised bed didn't become a mini-jungle.

    Is there anyone who could make you a prototype where you could experiment before firmly deciding on the advertised product?

  • seamommy
    13 years ago

    Can you see this one?

    {{gwi:336242}}

  • seamommy
    13 years ago

    Hmm, even I can see it...go figure. Sorry it's not an accessible garden feature, but I was just puttering around and decided to try it here. So there ya go, for whatever it's worth. Cheryl

  • lazy_gardens
    13 years ago

    If I were going to rip off that design, I would start with plans for a workbench, shorten the legs, and size it for commercial containers.

    I would make one section to hold 5-gallon buckets or 'earth-tainer" style things for the big plants, and a section to hold shallow containers for lettuce and herbs.

  • matthewwilliam
    13 years ago

    I also have a garden that is also very cool. I love my garden..