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gardening for beginners

Gardening after back surgery

Ephraim Gillming

Posts: 9

Location: Western Nebraska

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posted 1 year ago

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April 4th I'm going in to get my L4-L5 fused.
The surgeon expects that I will be off work for 6-8 weeks.

What is a bummer, is his is he exact timeframe I should be getting my garden started.

Does anybody have any tips, hints or tricks for working in the garden after such a surgery?

I'm pretty sure I can recruit my youngest boy to help.

John C Daley

pollinator

Posts: 5347

Location: Bendigo , Australia

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From ; https://mayfieldclinic.com/pe-fusionpreparing.htm
"It will not “fix” your back problem or provide complete pain relief. It will stop the motion in the painful area of your spine allowing you to increase your function and return to a more normal lifestyle—though one that may not be totally pain-free."

John Daley Bendigo, Australia The Enemy of progress is the hope of a perfect plan
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John F Dean

master steward

Posts: 6970

Location: southern Illinois, USA

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I have no idea if any of this will apply to your specific situation, I find doctors to be overly optimistic in their estimates regarding recovery from surgery. Most surgeries seem to come with trade-offs. …. Such as a reduction in pain vs more limited flexibility. To answer you question, as I indicated, much depends upon your specific situation… which is an unknown at this point.

At my age, Happy Hour is a nap.

Anne Miller

steward

Posts: 16058

Location: USDA Zone 8a

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If this were my situation I would be planting seeds for transplants, if I had someone to water them for me.

When I was able I would supervise that person on how to plant the transplants and keep them watered.

If I did not have someone to do this then I would rethink the whole plan in June to see what I am able to do.

Best wishes for a speedy recovery.

Invasive plants are Earth's way of insisting we notice her medicines. Stephen Herrod Buhner
Everyone learns what works by learning what doesn't work. Stephen Herrod Buhner

Cristo Balete

Posts: 1010

Location: In the woods, West Coast USA

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Ephraim, Tall raised beds, up at least thigh to hip high, and no more than 3 feet wide, or even less so you can reach the middle without pain.

There's also a type of raised bed called a keyhole bed, a big, tall circle or square with one path in, and the center has a chicken wire circle for kitchen scraps and composting, so you won't have to turn it. The size is determined by how far you can lean. Wood walls are much easier than rock walls, obviously, for your situation.

And plenty of places to sit down nearby.

detail_keyhole_sm.jpg

KeyholeCylinderSm.jpg

An important distinction: Permaculture is not the same kind of gardening as organic gardening.
Mediterranean climate hugel trenches, fabuluous clay soil high in nutrients, self-watering containers with hugel layers, keyhole composting with low hugel raised beds, thick Back to Eden Wood chips mulch (distinguished from Bark chips), using as many native plants as possible....all drought tolerant.

Cristo Balete

Posts: 1010

Location: In the woods, West Coast USA

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Ephraim, take it easy and don't rush it. You want to heal really, really well after the surgery. So even if it is spring and you get the bug, you get restless, it might be better to let this season go until the doctor says that whatever little bending over it takes, even for a raised bed, is okay.

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