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Building a Garden

How do I build an accessible garden?

For gardeners requiring wheelchair access or for those who have difficulty with strenuous work or frequent bending, raised beds should be 2 to 3 feet high. The average reach of an adult gardener in a wheelchair is about 30 inches, so beds with access on both sides should be no wider than 4 feet. Beds with access on one side should be no wider than 3 feet.

Pathways should be at least 3 feet wide to allow wheelchair access. L- and U-shaped beds are particularly convenient for gardeners requiring wheelchair access. Gardeners who require the assistance of wheelchairs, crutches and walkers also find that beds purchased with our 4-inch wide Top Rail Option provide a convenient place to both sit on and rest tools upon while working in the garden.

Accessible Gardening for Therapeutic Horticulture provides more information about accommodations helpful for handicapped gardeners. Public gardens such as community gardens and school gardens are required by law to meet Americans with Disabilities Act requirements (ADA).
 

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Comments & Feedback – Thank You

I purchased some raised bed planters last March. When they arrived, I thought, "Nancy, what were you thinking?!";  I am a brown-thumbed lawyer with no time to tend a garden, and wasn't really sure I would be able to set the darned things up.  Well, I set the beds up in about 20 minutes (all three)! I have to admit, I only have one filled and planted, but I have raised a cherry tomato plant that is over six foot tall and nearly as wide as well as some bell peppers and a zucchini plant that are producing.  It has been a very fun project for me.  I may only get one bed up and operating per year, but at my age the years are zooming by anyway, so they'll all be up and running before I know it, right?

– Nancy B., San Diego, CA

I love my raised beds!  I ordered one and it worked out so well, I recently ordered two more. The boxes are beautiful, my first one even looks better than it did when it first arrived - the color has darkened to a lovely shade.  Also, I have never had such incredibly huge tomato plants.  Every one who sees them, asks me what I've done to make them so healthy.   I tell them it is the raised bed and fresh soil.  Your service is also excellent.

– Catherine F., Salinas, CA

These people make a great product. Their raised beds are ridiculously easy to assemble and install. The finished bed looks like I paid a professional to install it. The bed is perfectly straight and level and all the seams are tight. Like the previous reviewer stated, moving the boxes into the back yard and unpacking them was more of a chore than putting the bed together. I would guess it took me about 20 minutes to build a 2’ x 16’ x 11” bed. I was able to fill it and plant it that same day, and FedEx delivered it around 3pm. If you need a raised bed, I would definitely recommend this to you and know that you would be very happy that I did.

– Michael A., Georgetown, TX