Retired U.S. Army veteran John Conway of Salem began his dream project by initially completing online MU semester training to become a Missouri Master Gardener (MG). Conway then used his background to design a durable and accessible raised-bed garden for gardening in manual wheelchairs or small electric ones.
The Master Gardener mission is to extend garden science into the community, and are trained by state universities, use research science for growing with Missouri weather, soil and best plant types.
Conway’s many goals include: to help senior citizens, person with limited mobility, and veterans personally experience the joy and relaxation of watching something grow they planted; for people to develop an interest that will last a lifetime; to teach kids gardening methods: and for one group to work with another group.
Just prior to Earth Day 2023, Conway’s ability-garden design became viewable at a ribbon cutting at The Rolla Mission. It was designed by Conway, financed with grants, built by U.S. Army warrant officers, and filled by The Rolla Mission patrons with food-waste composted soil.
Conway has a dream for more organizations, churches, and programs to add an accessible teaching garden at their site. Conway’s teaching garden model is the right-height for manual wheelchairs and for kids standing at the garden edge.
At these accessible group gardens, Conway explains that kids can grow flowers to learn bee pollination and vegetable production for food security in global warming, and senior citizens or those with physical challenges can continue their lifetime of gardening.
Per Conway, “Designed with elderly and handicapped folks in mind, the garden makes it possible for them to experience the joy and relaxation of ‘hands-in-the-soil’ gardening while providing an area where small groups can be shown gardening techniques one-on-one.
“The design is wheelchair friendly in both height and width. The wide ‘U’ shape allows eight helpers in the middle to help eight wheelchair-bound around the outside. The materials have been chosen for long life and minimum maintenance. Not only can a sponsoring group help elderly and handicapped, they also can pair them with youth to instill in them a lifelong love for gardening.”
Missouri MG Anne Premont, who studied the MU ‘Gardens for Everybody’ program, and the Missouri AgrAbility Garden program for veterans with physical challenges, has a dream, “for each family to plan and build an accessible garden for their family member, an ‘able’ garden plan that overrides a challenge, and to build it as a birthday gift. Some plans are as easy as a square foot garden on a ‘right height’ patio table, or as easy as finding a special accessible seat.”
Premont has three friends with quadriplegia, and explains, “Each electric wheelchair requires a different height garden, some with room for the extended footrest, and built on an even surface. Some garden frames require support areas for leaning, to save their able arm for gardening. All designs require enough soil depth for the roots to grow!”
Premont adds, there are as many garden designs and types of tools as types of physical challenges. Some MGs teach and help the community locate designs, special garden tools, and ‘how-to’ MU guide sheets for each challenge.
Conway agrees, “Individual needs of handicapped require very individualized solutions, including raised beds.” A way to assess one raised-garden design is to visit Conway’s garden design.
For your church or community group to make a difference by building a similar raised-bed ability garden, Conway’s current design is available for viewing at The Rolla Mission, at 708 N. Main Street. For help with designs for individuals or small special groups, please contact John Conway.
To contact John Conway or other MGs for information on MU AgrAbility gardens, designs, tools, classes or handouts, contact MU Extension in Phelps County at (573) 458-6260, or contact Laura at extension.missouri.edu/counties/phelps.
