Ways To Garden Without Breaking Your Back

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For many people, gardening is considered a joyful and bountiful hobby to have. It allows you (and the family) to enjoy fresh air, it helps beautify your home, it gives you peace of mind, and is also a great way to exercise your muscles..

But even if gardening gets you moving, back pain may still threaten to take the joy out of it. Injuries, flare-ups, pains, and aches, are just some of the things that you might experience that will stop you from gardening.

If you love gardening but don't love all the aches and pains that sometimes come with it, then click through to see the solutions we've found...

That doesn’t mean you have to cross having a garden off your list! With creativity and a dose of self-care, and the right tools you can still practice your green thumb by following these tips to minimize injury and back pain.

Today let’s talk about some of my favorite tools and a list of the best gardening tools to help your back. These tips and tricks can be used at any skill level if you are a beginner gardener or an avid gardener.

These tips can also be used in a large vegetable garden, your flower garden, or even your small flower bed. There’s also an easier way of digging holes for your young plants.

You Might Also Like This: Getting Started Vertical Gardening: Tools You’ll Need

First Thing First: Warm Up

Gardening is a real workout. So before you start, warm up your muscles.

Take a brisk five-minute walk or do some stretching exercises.

Do a gentle stretch like the back flexion exercise:

Lie down on your back.
Pull your knees to your chest then bring your head forward.
Release your knees then repeat the procedure eight times.

Lift Gently

It can be easy to lift bushes, pots, and watering cans incorrectly — which can damage your back. You can carry a 40-pound bag of potting soil or mulch but the next day you may find that you have hurt your back.

Gently lift your materials or if you can, ask for help.

There are a lot of pieces of equipment that you can use to assist you in lifting heavy materials. You can use a dolly, one of my top picks, a wagon, or other aids to carry heavy items from one place to another.

The collapsible ones are perfect to fit in your storage area. Many come in stainless steel and have an ergonomic handle, so you know they’re sturdy and will last a long time.

Steel Crate Wagon

Multi-Position Folding Hand Truck and Cart

Folding Aluminium Cart Trolley

Rubbermaid Folding Handle Dolly

Folding Hand Truck and Dolly

Fill a large watering can halfway. You can also consider using other watering options like automated irrigation systems or hoses.

Get Support From Chairs And Kneelers

Getting down on the ground can be a daunting task and is very painful at times, especially for prolonged periods of time. Also, if the ground is not a flat surface and is unlevel or bumpy due to rocks or twigs, it makes it hard to kneel.

The good news is if you need to get down on the ground, there are many versatile tools you can use like raised, padded handles to get you up and down. It allows you to use your arm strength, instead of applying pressure to your back.

You can also use a well-cushioned base or low chair to reduce the impact on your back and knees or a gardenease kneeler.

Extra Wide-Seat Folding Garden Kneeler

Garden Kneeler

Garden Cart Rolling Scooter with Seat and Tool Tray

Folding Dish Chair for Garden

Camping Stool

If you’re constantly kneeling at ground level, you can also wear moveable knee pads. They can be the best choice, and there are multiple types of foam you can choose from that can maximize cushioning. There are so many different types to choose from.

Kneeling Pad Extra Thick

Knee Pads

Gardening Knee Pads

Knee Pads

Extra Thick Kneeling Pad

Take Your Time

The Great Wall of China or the Leaning Tower of Pisa were not built in a day.

Unless you have a helper to assist you, you need to take your time when tending to your garden. Slow down. Take some breaks in between.

Before you resume any garden activities, stretch out your lower back.

Use Hanging Baskets Or Raised Beds

Hanging baskets for your large or small plants can help avoid stooping or bending. You don’t need to kneel down or spend time sitting on the ground. Plus, they are a good option for small spaces, I use mine for spring flowers.

You can also use raised beds when gardening. Using these allows you to sit while planting or harvesting. Raised beds also allows you to plant climbing vegetables like squash or peas.

There are a number of different styles and design ideas you can use for alternative planting methods. These prevent and reduce back pain:

Hanging Baskets

Hanging Basket Planter Metal with Coconut Coir Liner

Plastic Rattan Hanging Planter

Raised Beds

Extra-Thick 2-Ply Reinforced Card Frame Raised Garden Bed

4-Ft Raised Garden Bed

Window Boxes

Flat Iron Series 30-inch (30″) Window/Deck Planter

Bamboo Window Planter Box

Large Barrel Planters

3-Piece Rustic Succulent Planter Box Wood Barrels

Tall Planters Set 2

Switch Tasks Frequently

Back pain is the consequence of monotonous, repetitive activities.

Constant execution of the same movement without performing other activities can promote back pain.

Changes in body posture can prevent back pain. After tending to the weeds, take a break and sit in your garden chair and admire your work. Or once you’re done watering the plants, you can get down on the ground and apply fertilizer.

Telescoping And Long Handled Tools

Some of the best tools are telescoping and long-handled. They are great for helping you to avoid bending, kneeling or squatting.

Switch your old tools to long-handled ones. Telescoping tools come in handy, especially if you want to reach something from ground level or in raised flower beds.

With just a simple twist, these essential tools can fully extend the long handles to about 20 inches. The hand pruners with steel blades also help get clean cuts and precise cuts in high and tight spaces, they’re even great on thick branches. Trust me, having the right gardening tools is the best option to help you and your garden.