Raised garden planting beds and rich, compost soil! What a great idea! You mean — one does not have to crawl around on hands and knees or do deep knee bends to enjoy a beautiful garden? Not at Mountain Meadows 55+ Community in Ashland. Our beautiful garden is a resident-run cooperative type of garden and is designed for ease and enjoyment. There are 79+/- raised boxes and patches of soil for squash and a variety of berries. There are compost bins where the residents can “recycle” trimmings – even the on – site Meadowlark Dining Room’s kitchen staff makes good, ecological use of the bins. To add to the ease of gardening, there is a small building at the edge of the garden for storage of tools and also a conveniently located bathroom for the gardeners to use.
Gardening is a pleasure and you do not have to give it up when you age. Gardening is considered to be a relaxing activity for many people and those who are 55+ are no exception. In addition, gardening is an enjoyable way to get exercise, keep our 55+ bodies moving and mobile and to keep our minds sharp and active. It helps us feel good and function well. Gardening provides us with an outlet to express our individualism and our ideas; in the process provides us with beautiful flowers, luscious herbs and healthy vegetables as our rewards. Organic gardening helps to keep us healthy and the product of an organic garden will always taste better too.
In early June, the Mountain Meadows Kitchen Creek Garden was part of the AAUW Garden Tour and many of the residents of the 55+ resort-style community volunteered to guide the tour, assist with parking and give general information to over 240 visitors. (Thank you to Jill Mackie and all the Mountain Meadows residents who helped make it a success. Thank you to AAUW for selecting the Kitchen Creek Garden as one of the many beautiful gardens on the tour). Visitors observed first hand how easy and rewarding gardening at 55+ can be. Ask any of the residents who volunteer at the Kitchen Creek Garden or work their own garden bed and they will say it is “fun …and easy!”
(Watch for upcoming information on enjoying 55+ Living…to be continued.)
