Our accessible garden beds showcase design concepts that make gardening possible and more enjoyable for people with physical disabilities. These beds serve a core part of the Holistic Garden's mission: to enable people of all ages and abilities to discover the benefits of planting, nurturing, and harvesting their own produce.
Wheelchair Accessible Pan Planter
This planter has three pans. It is designed so that wheelchair users who chose to do so can work a garden bed to the front, over their laps. Many wheelchair users prefer to work to the side as they have greater reach, but some prefer to work to the front. The three pans represent three different wheelchair situations, the large wheelchair user in a large wheelchair (on the left), the standard wheelchair (in the center) and the small wheelchair user (on the right). This bed has an internal drainage setup so that the pans drain to the back corner of each bed, away from the gardener's feet.
Wheelchair Accessible A-Frame Planter
The dimensions of this planter are designed to enable a gardener using a wheelchair or a gardener who works from a seated position to grow vining plants. The plants could be vining vegetables such as cucumber, tomatoes, chayote, gourds, melons, pole beans or sugar snap peas, fruits such as kiwi, grape or blackberry, or ornamentals such as morning glory, sweet peas, roses or jasmine.
Seat-on-Edge Planter
This planter could be built to any height appropriate for the gardener who will use it. The seat on the edge enables to gardener to work from a seated position. It can be especially valuable for a gardener who is recovering from a heart attack or stroke. The board which forms the seat should be placed so that it over hangs outside the bed instead of over the planting medium since the latter situation can create a habitat for rodents and other undesirable vermin. The height of the board used as a seat could also serve another purpose for a gardener with tender knees since it could be set as a height to enable it to be position above the level of the knees where it would protect them while the gardener is leaning to work in the bed.
Toe Recess Planter
The toe recess on the end of the Seat-on-Edge planter enables a gardener who has problems with balance to work in a more natural position. The gardeners' toes can be put in the gap under the bed, which allows them to stand upright instead of leaning into the bed.
Multilevel Planter
This planter illustrates four different dimensions for the height of a raised planter. The ruled markers indicate the height and width. The purpose is to enable any gardener to determine the best height and width of a planter for their special needs.