Accessible gardening is about creating a garden that is a safe, welcoming, and functional space for everyone.
Adaptive gardening involves modifying a garden to accommodate an individual gardener’s needs.
Accessible gardening focuses on creating a garden space that is usable by the widest possible range of people, regardless of their physical abilities. It's about planning a garden using a "universal design" approach, meaning that features are built in from the start to accommodate gardeners of all abilities. It is a proactive approach to garden design.
Adaptive gardening, on the other hand, focuses on specific modifications or adjustments a gardener can make to their techniques, tools, or garden to accommodate their own abilities and needs. It's a more individualized and reactive approach.
In short, accessible gardening creates a welcoming and barrier-free environment, while adaptive gardening empowers individuals to overcome personal physical limitations to enjoy the space.
Garden Buddies integrates both accessible and adaptive design features to create a truly inclusive and enjoyable gardening experience for everyone!
Garden Buddies will facilitate a one-to-one pairing of Garden Hosts and Garden Buddies.
Community gardeners (the "Buddies") volunteer their time and expertise to assist homeowners with reduced mobility (the "Garden Hosts") in establishing and maintaining a small-scale home garden.
The scope of gardening activities will be determined collaboratively between the Buddy and the Garden Host, tailored to the homeowner's preferences and the available space.
Key Activities Include (but are not limited to):