After watching a beloved family member become too sick to be able to garden, one man sought to make gardening more accessible to all.
Terry Garrett wants everyone to be able to enjoy the act of gardening.
Mr. Garrett is the CEO of T&L Group, the company responsible for creating the wonderful Elevated Gardens which allow people in wheelchairs to engage with gardening.
Mr. Garrett came up with the idea after watching his brother growing too sick to continue his passion.
Mr. Garrett’s brother was diagnosed with Stage IV chronic obstructive pulmonary disease back in 2003, which meant that he could no longer cope with the strain of common gardening activities.
This was particularly heartbreaking for Mr. Garrett as his brother had been an avid gardener for most of his life.
For Mr Garrett’s brother, being unable to garden caused him to loose hope and purpose.
On the Seed Your Future Website , Mr. Garrett wrote about how his brother was affected:
“I watched as my brother lost the ability to garden, a hobby he found purpose and hope in. Seeing his purpose and hope diminish as he became confined to an oxygen tank, unable to bend over, I decided to do something about it.”
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Mr. Garret set out to design a garden which could be enjoyed by all, even those in wheelchairs.
The result was the Elevated Mini Garden. Mr. Garrett explained the design as such:
“I needed to develop a garden that would be fully wheelchair accessible while still giving individuals the options to stand, rather than having to bend down as one would with a traditional garden.”
Since designing the Elevated Mini Garden, Mr. Garrett’s brother now maintains over 40 units!
At times when people are at their most vulnerable, it is important for them to maintain a sense of hope, otherwise people can feel lost and/or sink into depression. The fact that Mr. Garrett is attempting to give people the opportunity to engage in gardening who previous may not have been able to do so, is a fantastic thing.
The hope for Mr. Garrett is that more people will be able to take joy in the act of gardening.
There is also a lot of importance in the act of gardening according to Mr. Garrett, who says, “[Gardening] has been a means of survival since the beginning of time.
“However, in our world today, horticulture is paramount as a means of improving the environmental degradation going on around us. Gardening is a unifying activity as it is something that everyone can participate in and find joy in.”
The people who’s lives have been changed by Mr. Garrett’s design have dubbed him a “Horticultural Hero”.
The designs for the Elevated Mini Gardens start at around 30 inches tall, are proudly manufactured and built in the United States, and come with a Five-year limited warranty.
Mr. Garrett’s company also works with schools in order to try and encourage a new generation of gardeners.
Several classrooms in Tennessee have acquired some of Mr. Garrett’s Elevated Mini Gardens in an attempt to teach children how to grow crops and care for the environment.
On their Facebook Page, the company also explains, “Classroom gardens allow students to move around more, providing not only exercise for the body, but the mind as well, exploring the intricacies of the evolution within a garden.”
The elevated gardens are available on the T & L Group website, starting at around $700.
The basic stationary elevated mini garden is priced at $695, while the mobile elevated garden is priced at $795.
If you’re looking for a relaxing and enjoyable activity which is also immensely rewarding, then gardening may be just the thing for you.
Hopefully Mr. Garrett’s garden’s will continue to provide joy to those who have previously been unable to partake in gardening. In a time where more and more people are cutting out processed foods from their diets and exclaiming the health benefits that it has, growing your own food would appear to be a step in the right direction for your body and mind.
h/t: Good News Network
