Gardening provides so many benefits to our mental health and wellbeing providing everything from exercise to relaxation. For wheelchair users accessing a garden can be difficult. However, by making a few tweaks to the design of your garden and adding wheelchair-accessible raised beds can make all the difference.
WoodBlocX is a strong and long-lasting modular timber system which is ideal for creating unique raised bed designs that suit the user perfectly. Our Free Design Service allows you to submit your ideas and we can create a digital visualisation of your wheelchair-accessible planter for you to consider.
Getting started with your accessible garden
Before you start to think about the type of wheelchair accessible planters you would like to include, think about how they will be accessed and what elements may be helpful to have close by.
Terrain
Ideally a flat surface or a slightly sloped surface is the best option for wheelchair users. If your space currently includes steps or is steep you will need to consider ways to make it easier by landscaping or adding ramps.
Pathways
Surfaces need to be flat or smooth and sturdy - loose paving can be extremely dangerous to all users of the space. Steps can be replaced with ramps with a low gradient. Grass isn’t ideal especially if you wish to access the space all year round. For paving, a flat rather than textured surface would work best to avoid wheels getting stuck.
The width of pathways and ramps is very important, measure the width of the wheelchair and add extra space either side. You could consider adding a handrail too and some lighting to the sides of the path or ramp too for evening garden visits.
Raised bed height for wheelchair users
When it comes to planning a raised bed garden or a single raised bed for a wheelchair or mobility scooter user, it is important to check the dimensions of as sizes may vary. Typically adult wheelchairs are around 36 inches tall, 25 inches wide and 32 inches in depth.
All of our raised bed designs can be reworked to suit the sizes you need, so if you need the height lowering for a child or the width of an opening increasing for a mobility scooter we can do that for you as part of our Free Design Service.
Water
Do you have a water source close to your planned wheelchair friendly garden? Having a waterbutt that can be accessed from a wheelchair or an outdoor tap will enable the user to independently manage gardening tasks.
Accessible raised bed designs
Using WoodBlocX for wheelchair-accessible raised beds is a great option! Our modular system is easy to build (watch the video), with no nails, screws or waste. The wooden blocks are are long-lasting and durable with strong dowels that kept your structure together.
H-shaped raised bed
This H-Shaped Raised Bed design is a great option for wheelchair users. The unique H-shape means the wheelchair can get in and amongst the garden, the slim planting areas mean that everything can be accessed without stretching. So you can sow, weed, water and tend to plants very easily.
This design can be customised to provide extra space for the wheelchair or wider planting areas. The pre-designed kit is based on standard wheelchair dimensions, so if you need something a little bit different just get in touch and we will be happy to create a new design just for you.
Pictured below - Lacey's H-shaped accessible raised bed in her new sensory garden
Accessible garden work-stations
With a wheelchair opening below a potting area, this multifunctional design provides a handy work station for sowing and potting plants and a reachable area for growing. This design can also be customised, like the one we designed for a school with three wheelchair openings to allow multiple students to access the planter. More designs are shown below!
U-shaped raised bed
Our U-shaped raised bed is similar to our H-shaped raised bed, giving the user access from the centre of the raised bed to the entire planting area. This design can also be customised to you, the centre space can be widened and so can the planting space.
Planters with seating
For those with limited mobility, a WoodBlocX planter with seating is a great option allowing the user to take a break and sit amongst the plants. We have a number of different seating and planter combinations which can all be designed to fit your garden space.
Accessible garden borders
Many of our customers, of all abilities, choose to raise their garden borders allowing them to access their otherwise ground-level beds with ease. These can be full surround designs or single raised beds. To ensure the borders can be accessed with ease, we would suggest adding paving around the edges which is wide enough for a wheelchair or mobility scooter to use.
To tailor your design to your garden, please try our Free Design Service.
Tall raised beds
Tall raised beds are an excellent option for wheelchair users or just for better accessibility. For standard raised bed designs (rectangles, squares, circles, L-shapes and octagons), use our handy raised bed price calculator and add your own sizes.
