Greenhouse gardening for people with limited mobility

Having a greenhouse will extend the growing season and allow you to grow a wider range of plants. It needn't be a burden as long as you make sure the greenhouse is easy to get into and move around, if possible site the greenhouse close to the house as you will be using it more in the colder weather.

The path inside the greenhouse needs to at least two and a half feet wide if you use a wheelchair or walking frame. The path should be level, non-slip and firm. Make sure you can reach the back of any staging or shelves - this might mean having staging only two feet wide wide. Also ensure that the staging is the right height for you.

Correct watering of plants is one of the most difficult things to achieve in a greenhouse. If you lack strength or mobility in your arms, but need to water manually, choose a light plastic can with a long spout. Lances with control triggers are useful to avoid splashes which can spread fungal and bacterial spores. There are many self-watering systems now available that are either completely automatic, or semi-automatic. They can also cost quite a lot and this needs to be balanced with the likely amount of use. Perhaps the most efficient form of watering is by capillary method where the pots and seed trays stand on special matting or a sand bed and take up only the water they need. A seep hose laid along the mats or sand bed takes most of the work out of watering.