The City Gardener: Let's be careful out there!
From sore muscles to broken bones (and worse), in some ways gardening is an extreme sport. Recently I pulled a tendon in my wrist, and if you’ve ever done that, you know it’s not a trifling injury. I wish I could tell you it happened in some glamorous way, like wrestling a bear or mountain climbing in Vermont — but the truth is, I’m pretty sure I did it while working in my garden.
We don’t think of gardening as being a particularly dangerous hobby, but it’s surprisingly easy to sustain a host of injuries — ranging from the merely annoying like next-day soreness, to torn muscles, eye injuries or worse. (And don’t forget what happened to Don Corleone while he was in his garden.)
Top Ten Safety Rules for the Garden
- Take time to warm up before you start. Walk around the garden for a few minutes (this is also a good way to organize your chore list for the day); do a few shoulder and wrist rolls; do some light stretching.
- Always be aware of how you’re using your body. It’s very easy, while you’re busily working away, to lean out too far to clip a branch or twist to reach something. If you can’t reach it easily, move closer.
- Try to use both sides of your body more or less evenly. I’m right-handed, so I habitually dig and prune with my right hand; but as long as you can do so safely, try to lift, hold and work with your non-dominant hand occasionally.
- Lift with your legs, not your back. Squat down, grab the object firmly and rise up with your back straight. And don’t lift anything that’s too heavy for you; either split the load in half or get someone to help you.
- Use a padded kneeling stool. I have bad knees from years of sitting at a desk all day, so one of my most treasured garden tools is a padded kneeling stool. You can sit on it while you do any number of light garden chores, or turn it over and kneel on the underside. You can even lean your weight on the legs to help you get up again. (You could also use kneepads, but I don’t find them as versatile.)
- Use a canvas-sided wagon. My second-most valuable tool is a canvas-sided wagon. That little guy is sturdy enough to haul several full-size bags of topsoil or mulch, and it’s much easier to manoeuvre than a wheelbarrow. (I used to use a wheelbarrow, but found it clumsy and heavy, and the rubber tire went flat after about one month.) Since my longest journey is typically about fifty yards from the garage to the front garden, my little wagon is ideal for the job.
- Wear proper gear: gardening gloves, a hat with a good-sized brim that keeps the sun off your face and neck, long pants and sleeves, and sturdy shoes, boots or runners. And don’t forget sunscreen.
- Wear eye protection when using power tools. Whenever you use power tools — from weed whackers, shrub trimmers and leaf blowers to power mowers — it’s essential to wear eye protection. I once ran over a pair of dropped sunglasses while mowing my lawn, shattering them, and a shard hit me on the face. Fortunately, the only harm done was the destruction of some very cool (and expensive!) designer sunnies, but it could have been a lot worse.
- Keep your tools clean and sharp. Just as with kitchen knives, dull tools are harder to work with and can be dangerous.
- Know when it’s time to break off for the day. You often don’t realize how much energy you expend working in the garden, and those happy hours can be as taxing as a full gym workout, especially if you’re not used to it.
