My Garden of Weeden
Tuesday, June 30, 2015 at 8:10AM By Doris Willman
After contracting polio in 1953, I faced the challenge of leg braces and crutches. By 1981, I became a wheelchair user with post-polio syndrome. By this time, my three daughters were quite self-sufficient and I had some blessed leisure time.
Coming from a family of avid gardeners, I thought, why not me too? My knowledge of gardening was quite limited, except for minor chores back home in the family garden before I acquired a disability. I obtained a copy of The Complete Vegetable Garden by John Seymore. And a very compassionate husband, fortunately for me, was handy with carpentry tools.
At first we erected four planters, measuring eight feet long and two feet wide with a depth of approximately 14 inches. These planters were supported by legs and cross braces to make an overall height of about 28 inches.
The planters were placed parallel to each other, with ample room to manoeuvre the wheelchair between each one. Each planter was filled with purchased garden soil and peat moss. A lightweight garden hose took care of the watering needs. My first crops consisted of radishes, onions, carrots, beets, Swiss chard and tomatoes.
There is an advantage to container planting: Because of the wide row system, radishes, carrots and the like can be spaced as little as two inches apart.
A good-sized crop can be harvested from a confined space. Close planting also creates shading, eliminating most weeds while retaining moisture in the soil. Most crops require tilling the soil only to a depth of eight inches. This can readily be done with small hand tools. Cucumbers, a vine crop, can be trained up five-foot poles and still be within easy reach of a gardener using a wheelchair. The height of the planters enables the wheelchair user to garden with a minimum of exertion. You are also in a position to make eye contact with any garden pests — get a jump on the flea beetle before he lands on your prized tomatoes!
My planters were so successful that my husband then built my “Garden of Weeden.” This garden is 45 feet long by 30 feet wide. With the exception of a small tool shed and gateway, two-foot-wide planters extend around the full perimeter. The central area comprises three planters measuring 10 feet by four feet, lawn space bordered with flowers, and a few small shrubs thrown in.
A wooden walkway provides sufficient space to service all planting areas. A watering hose is mounted at each end of the garden.
Unless you are a fanatic gardener like myself, a garden this size is an option rather than a necessity. Much success and pleasure can be derived from smaller ones.
I can truly say my “Garden of Weeden” has been my utopia — a place where I can get lost in the magic of nature. Stress evaporates once I wheel through that gate and am in complete control of my surroundings. I spend so much time in my garden, I expect my wheelchair tires will one day take root.
Like the saying goes, we have to “stop and smell the roses.” My philosophy is, “Let’s grow ’em!”
In memory of my close personal friend, Doris, now gardening in Heaven
February 20, 1939 - June 25, 2015
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Reader Comments (4)
When she first told me she had this huge garden she rolled around and worked in all day I had a hard time imagining such a thing. Yikes, these pictures! I feel like an utter slacker right now! The rest of us have no excuses, now, do we, Dave? I wish I just called a few months back...
No, we don't have any excuses, even with writing, which is something she encouraged me to do more of. There wasn't a week that went by without her poking and prodding. She really wanted me to cover so many cases, but I told her I was spoiled; I had to be inside the courtroom. That's why I couldn't write about Jodi Arias. Once you have the feel for it live, you cannot quite get it from television and Internet sources.
Unfortunately for her, the terrible arthritis forced her to give up gardening, which was a true love of hers. Fortunately, the Internet came along and it opened up a whole new world for her, and she was in her glory! God knows, I loved that woman, and I'll never stop. I did speak to her two days before she passed, but in the end, it doesn't matter, so I wouldn't fret over not calling, Karen. Two days, two months, or longer. She's gone and time is no longer a thought to her. It's infinite.
Thank you Dave - very much appreciated - a truly remarkable lady, of extraordinary courage, and a wonderful inspiration.
She was a very special lady, Peter, and I miss her every single day. It's almost four months and I still mourn my loving friend. We had a unique bond. Thank you for your words of kindness. She was everything you wrote.