Quote:
Originally Posted by z_willus_d
Perhaps ironically, I found the Earthboxes/EarthTainers to be more work to maintain in the ongoing sense than are my more typical raised bed gardens. True, during the growing season the Tainers are far more accessible, easy to access, etc. But then, during the growing season, one doesn't need to bend as much -- not for the usual things like watering, pruning (once you snip those lower branches), etc. The thing that makes the EarthTainers so difficult is that I find you must pull out the soil (say into a wheelbarrow) and turn it over, remove roots, amend it, then replace in layers...and this each new season. So, for me, that's some real back breaking work. Once I have a raised bed situated, I can walk around the sides with a regular shovel and turn the dirt over, and it just seems to go faster/easier than the Tainers. I guess it's all trade-offs.
I wish you the best with your recovery and gardens. Hopefully this challenge will result in a finer garden for future seasons.
-naysen
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I was just telling my husband the very same thing and with my arthritis getting worse and a bad knee it is getting harder for me to prep the boxes. I have two 4x4 square foot garden beds and have found that it is much easier to make a mix, fill the bed and use compost when repkanting like mel says. I told my husband I want more of these beds and a drip or soaker hose system in the beds. I think this would be a far better solution for someone in a wheelchair.
I was wanting to expand my garden using Larry Hall's rain gutter gardening system but told my husband it is still the same lifting when I want to reset the garden. I think I a rethinking my garden expansion again and in the meantime I will enjoy what I can still do right now.