About preventing gardening injuries, sod removal and a late March ice storm
Dear Reader,
Last week’s weather was, as to be expected for late March, a mix of things. Light flurries, followed by a hot bright sun, then a cold wet wind brought rain which stayed through the week’s end. North of Grimsby, it was ice. Visually spectacular, but no time to relax for gardeners. Ice reveals the weakest branches.
In a way, for gardeners, spring is like an ice storm. For gardening, I rely heavily on injury prevention, spending time in winter on cardio, strength, and flexibility. But the sudden stress of repetitive actions over long durations is like ice on a tree – immediately revealing.
For example, one morning last week I woke up with a new stiffness in my forearms: only while rotating; the usual motions of my current asana sequence and rowing were unaffected. The ache disappeared within a couple of hours, after yoga and a row. A hot bath and a cold shower ended the day without any further aches. The cause of the issue may have been lifting large bins of yard waste or pruning an old mock orange hedge in need of rejuvenation, both of which I had done the previous day. Either way, I’m adjusting my morning warmup to include that rotating motion with light dumbbells. With repetition, weakness becomes injury, which would sadly interfere with the joy of gardening.
Which brings me to the exercise paradox. Working out is hard work. When I do, I aim to break a sweat, enough so my body is thankful for recovery time. However, last week, the days I rowed before gardening facilitated gardening motions. At the end of those days, I even felt I had more energy left. It seems hard work makes work easier.
I’m no expert on fitness and physical issues. I’ve only seen what trial and error has done for me and my full-time gardening business. This desire to gain strength and endurance has been here from the start; my gardening practice depends on it. It is a constant (yet exciting) process of why’s and how’s. Somehow, putting a body through stress, carefully and deliberately, makes the body adapt and increase its available output. Gardening motions need gardening strength and flexibility. I want to be ready for the ice storm. I’m working hard to make hard work easy, and so far, it seems to be working.
This past week, in a Grimsby garden below the escarpment, I’ve been addressing a large Norway Maple issue: its deep shade makes the lawn underneath sparse, but removing it is finicky with all the roots. Near the tree trunk, I’ve been doing it by hand, loosening grass with a fork then separating it from the lovely Grimsby loam with a hand hoe. Thankfully, forward folds, lunges (new this winter), rowing, and sitting meditation have made kneeling sustainable.
That said, the adage holds – work smarter, not harder. I’m considering other tools and techniques for the tree periphery. A gas-powered sod remover would be excellent (it walks itself), if it weren’t for the surface tree roots. It’s also 300 pounds. A manual sod cutter requires some elbow grease, but I can carry it in one hand. We’ll see how it goes. That’s this week’s project, when the rain stops.
Have a great week!
Thanks,
Mélanie