(Photo credit: Olga Yastremska)

A run of bad luck, followed by another accident has had me in bed recovering for the past three months. I was returning to normal from one injury and then had a silly accident that has sent me back to bed for another 2-4 weeks. Explaining my run of injuries to my employer and to my customers is getting embarrassing, and also very frustrating.  I am not a sedentary person, I don’t like to sit still! I typically spend some time each day in my vegetable garden, even if it is just for a few minutes. This has not been possible lately and is off limits for the next 2-4 weeks thanks for my latest break.

The upside to my injuries is that by the time I am recovered winter will be almost finished and I will have spent it in bed! That is not so bad.

Almost three months out of action have forced me to learn a lesson I have not previously embraced:

It is ok, and necessary, to ask for help when you need it.

Simple right? It’s not been something I generally do but it has been nice to let go of many areas of my life that I have always held tight and tried to control.

My injuries have involved broken bones and surgery on my hip and now my toes. This post is based on what I have been able to do in the garden. It may not be applicable to your circumstances. I was able to do some of these things after a period of initial recovery passed.  If you have an injury consult your doctor for advice, nothing written here is intended as medical advice.

Ensuring my garden is still growing while I was out of action has meant we have been able to harvest the vegetables planted earlier in the season. Using garden ingredients for meals is a huge bonus when it means a trip to the shops can be avoided, reducing the budget stress of higher than usual medical bills.

Here are some of the things you can do to help your garden stay on track while you recover.

1. Ask for help and/or accept help From friends, neighbours, family or anyone who offers. If you have no one close by, hire someone to help you. I have recently hired a retired man to mow the grass in our yard, something that I’ve never had to do previously. My mum planted a set of winter seedlings I was growing from seed this year. Getting others to help by following your instructions means they can learn from you as they do the activity.
2. Increase the responsibilities of others. I have started paying my 7 and 10 year old boys pocket money since I injured myself as a way to get them to help me more around the house. This means I am not moving around as much and they are learning to be responsible and contribute to the operation of the house. We created an agreed list of activities they complete each week.  Children can water, plant, weed and harvest items that are ready from the garden. Get them them involved with any activity you feel you need to do in the garden. This ensure someone is on hand to help if you need assistance or you trigger pain.
3. Catch up on admin Update your garden journal (or start one) that shows the growing results from the previous season.
4. Prepare for the next season Sort your seeds, re-organise and order what you need for your next planting. Create a planting plan and notate the timing in your diary as a reminder.
5. Do some research Read a new gardening book, ask someone to do a library trip to collect a pile of books for you to review. Plan your next garden project, use Pinterest for some inspiration and a way to collate the images that appeal to you.  Choose a new vegetable to grow this year. Research it’s growing requirements and suitability for your garden.
6. Source new products or growing accessories Climbing frames, netting, tools or other items that you need can be sourced and delivered for next season while you rest and recover.
7. Plant some seeds Ask one of your helpers to add soil to some growing trays and start some new seeds. This requires minimal effort. When they are ready to plant you may have recovered enough to be able to add them to the garden. Ensure they are located somewhere you can see and access them for watering. Alternatively you could add a reminder to your diary or in a visible location to remind the kids to water for you.
8. Get creative Make something for the garden – make a bug hotel , a bird house, plant labels, or clean up old pots so they are ready for planting when you have recovered. If you have children (see item 2) get them involved. I have been giving my children my camera to take to the garden so they can take photos for me of the things they were enjoying looking at, or wondering about. They bring the pictures to me so I can see the garden progress and talk to them about what they saw too. I was also able to use the photos to update the A Fresh Legacy Facebook page with some new content that was sadly lacking! Join me there if you have not done so yet as I am back on track again now.
9. Breathe and allow your body to recover Forced rest never seems to come at a good time. Try to think about your wellbeing and the wonderful things that await you when you have recovered. Take the time to get well and strong again. Weeds and garden jobs can wait, they will still be there when you recover. Lower your expectations a little. It can feel liberating to let them relax.
10. Do one thing each day As time passes and your injury and mobility (hopefully) improves get out into the garden and take a look. Don’t do anything, just look around. This simple activity will help you with the other items on the list.  You may be amazed at how well the plants survive with very little attention, although this may not be as true in the Summer months. Limit your activity to a short period of time. You can build on the time as your injury improves. For goodness sake, learn from my bad judgement and DO NOT attempt to do anything that can risk further or additional injury.

Remember that plants are genetically programmed to survive. They will continue to grow and produce, or turn to seed and re-grow in the future when the conditions are more suited to their survival. Enjoy sharing the gardening activity with your children. Lower your expectations and revise your ideas on how long things “should” take to get done and you may begin to enjoy the slower pace as I have done. 

I hope you recover from your injury and are back gardening again soon.