Organic gardener growing food and flowers, lovin' pollinators and birds.

Exercises that can help you pull weeds – not muscles – in your garden



PORTLAND, Connecticut — When it comes to working in the garden, “lifting, twisting and bending is where people get into trouble the most,” said Jen LaFave, N.A.S.M. CPT.

Enthusiastic gardeners sometimes take on too much too quickly when warmer weather arrives – often trying to rush and get everything completed in a weekend — resulting in unwanted sprains and strains.

LaFave said gardeners can do a variety of exercises to prevent injuries from lifting heavy watering cans, moving bags of mulch or other gardening tasks.

“Never twist when working in the garden. Turn your whole body. For example, when shoveling, bend, lift, shovel and move the dirt over by turning your body in that direction," she said. “The power should always come from the legs. Going down with the legs and lifting up with the legs.”

Another important thing to keep in mind is the proper way to lift heavy materials. “Proper lifting needs to be done with the knees. Lift with the knees through the heels and hips," she said. "Never bend and round your back. When you round your back, there is no way to brace the muscle – there is no support there."

Don’t lift items that are too heavy; if there is something overhead that you need, get some help to get it down. When moving containers, make sure to do team lifts. “One person should be on each side, both bending down on each side and picking up from underneath," she said.

Get ready to garden
LaFave shared some easy exercises gardeners can do to help strengthen the various muscles used for gardening tasks.

One exercise that aids proper bending are squats. “I don’t expect ass to the grass, but make sure you are powering up in those heels.”



Even when weeding, a squat position is an easier way to complete the task than bending over, which can strain your back.

The squat position also comes in handy when using the wheelbarrow. Always assume a squat position before lifting and moving, said LaFave. “Never rely on your back to do it – always rely on your legs.”  

Is that watering can too heavy? To make moving water throughout the garden easier, work on shoulder muscles. LaFave recommends dumbbell rows, which mimics the motion of picking up a watering can. The key to doing the exercise right is keeping your back straight. 

When carrying a hose, use hand over hand motion to move the hose. “Do not pull the hose over your shoulder — you could get the hose stuck on something while walking away, which can cause injury." 

Having a strong core aids a variety of tasks, and also encourages better posture. While the core is commonly thought of as the ab muscles, LaFave said it also includes back muscles. To protect your lower back while working in the garden, gardeners should incorporate good mornings and supermans into their routines. (Supermans are also good for glute muscles in addition to the lower back.) LaFave said when doing supermans, don’t worry about adding weights to your hands or feet. 

For good mornings, if you don’t have a medicine ball handy, LaFave said gardeners can substitute a large bag of seed (think grass seed) or a bag of mulch. (The weight of the item depends on your current fitness level; opt for less weight if you are just starting out.)  For the good morning, LaFave said to hold and hinge at the waist (downward motion). 

Does your property contain shrubs? LaFave said overhead presses are ideal to strengthen the muscles that will be used when trimming tall hedges. 


Not sure where to begin work in the garden? While you contemplate if you should start weeding or mulching, you can start out with a plank. Planks are good for strengthening the core, shoulders, quads and they also help to control breathing.  “Planks are good for the whole body. If it is a sunny day, just sit in your garden and do a plank.” 

A good plank has elbows underneath the shoulders, flat palms, a neutral spine and neck. You can tighten your glutes when doing the plank. See if you can start off with doing a plank for 30 seconds, and challenge yourself to go longer as you get better at this exercise.

Working over varied terrains, gardeners may take for granted their sense of balance. LaFave said lunges are one of the best exercises for balance. Make sure you keep your back straight and give yourself a wide enough stance to do the lunge correctly.


While these exercises benefit all ages, LaFave encourages older gardeners to consider using knee pads in the garden and when kneeling and to have something nearby to help steady oneself to return to a standing position. 

Work these exercises into your gardening routine and not only will you prevent injuries, but you'll be more fit and flexible, too.



Updated May 18, 2020.




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Garden Lifestyle Challenge: Edible update

It was a slow start for growing edibles this past spring, with rainy cold April days. The crops that were able to be harvested included my small patch of ramps (but I opted to leave them so they could continue to mature and multiply for one more year), my Egyptian walking onions and my rhubarb. Both the onions and the rhubarbs are good for adding to dishes, and I'm hoping to utilize the rhubarb in a pastry confection soon.

Given that I haven't been utilizing my perennial edibles yet, I'm so glad that I started planting in the raised bed in my driveway. This week, I couldn't stop photographing the edibles that are growing in my Eco Garden System. I am really happy with how they are doing, and this week I'll even be able to start harvesting the lettuce growing in there!


This raised container garden has a water reservoir underneath separated by their (patented) Air Gap process – a band of air that exists between the soil platform and the water reservoir. This combo means larger roots (I tested it last year with celery plants I grew in the Eco Garden System and fabric grow bags).

This year, the plants have absolutely flourished since I was able to start planting about a month ago. Right now I have lettuce near maturity that I bought as small plants from the garden center; broccoli plants that I grew from seed under my grow lights; johnny jump ups that I grew from seed in February; celery plants that I bought from the garden center; and various low-growing snap peas that I direct sowed into the garden at the end of April. I have also directly sown Touchstone beets, which are beginning to appear.



I uncovered my broccoli when I took photos so you could see how well it is doing. Broccoli is a heavy feeder plant, so I made sure to add lobster compost to the Eco Garden System before planting. I have covered it with a floating row cover to keep the cabbage white butterflies from laying eggs on it.



Last year was the first time I started growing edibles in my Eco Garden System, and in turn for trying out the product I agreed to write sponsored posts on my progress. I have continued to write about this product this year because I really do enjoy using it, and now I consider it an essential part of my edible footprint. It has a permanent place in my driveway, a previously unusable spot for growing anything on my property.



Bonus: This year I am able to offer Frau Zinnie readers a discount on their own Eco Garden System:


Other edible news
I have begun removing perennials in my front garden bed to make room for "decorative" edibles. This will be a true experiment because about a week ago we had a new bunny visitor in the garden, but I haven't seen him since so I am not sure if he moved on or not. My plan is to include Swiss chard, kale and beets in the front design. In other exciting news, thanks to the recent Garden Bloggers Fling I also learned how Swiss chard can be used as thriller in a container planting. I'll be sharing that on the blog soon, too.

My tomato seedlings are slowly growing. I started them much later than I had planned to this year, but I think they will catch up fairly quickly.


I'll be sharing more updates on the Garden Lifestyle Challenge as the growing season progresses. I also have a fun feature in the works thanks to my friend and local trainer who demonstrated how to garden without causing injuries.

What edibles are you growing this season? I'd love to hear about them in the comments section below!
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Floral Friday: May 18

The spring bulbs are just about finished, with a stray daffodil here or there. The species tulips are on their last days of blooming as well.

Enter the peonies, who are beginning their show in the front garden. First to bloom are two of my three tree peonies.


This is 'Hana-Daijin' — would you believe that I bought this plant on sale last year! I planted it last fall and it loves its new spot by my front door/wisteria archway. The flowers last about a week.


My yellow tree peony is beginning to bloom as well. (Now if it would only stop raining long enough to be outside to enjoy these!) I am unsure of the variety of this plant because I bought it from a nursery that was going out of business long ago, and it was just labeled, "yellow tree peony."


Also blooming along the front walkway is my Deja Bloom azalea, 'Orchid Showers'. This is my third year growing this azalea and this is its best year for blooms. The pink is so vibrant — and just the pop of color I need while the summer perennials are still growing and not yet ready to bloom.




The columbines are also beginning to flower.


And here is a new guilty pleasure I just bought: 'Sunsprite' rose. My mom's favorite flower were yellow roses, so that is how I justified this purchase!


My Hollywood Hibiscus that I overwintered have been officially released outdoors for the growing season. I plan on repotting them into larger containers with new soil this spring, too. They seem happy to be back outside, and have been blooming nonstop. The red one below is 'Hot Shot' and below that is 'Chatty Cathy.' (There will be more information on Hollywood Hibiscus to come soon on FrauZinnie.com!)



Usually for Floral Friday, I take several photos of what's blooming in the garden. As a followup, I usually share what is growing as well. This week I broke my edibles out into their own post, found here.

What's blooming in your garden? To see what was blooming last week, click here.
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Six new perennials I'm trying in my garden

Coming home from work and finding two boxes of perennial samples is one of the best feelings in the world when you are a gardener! I am super excited to be growing six new varieties of plants in my garden this year from Darwin Perennials.


Each box contained carefully wrapped plants that were waiting to be opened. (It took restraint to unwrap them carefully.)


Here is what was inside: 


Armeria Dreameria® Sweet Dreams: This variety promises frost-to-frost flowering that grows 10-12 inches high. Heat tolerant and easy to grow, it should do well in containers or in the garden. Attractive to butterflies and other pollinators. (Zones 6a-9a.)


Salvia Rose Marvel: Growing 10-12 inches high, this plant will bloom through the summer and reblooms without being cut back. (Zones 4a-9b.)


Echinacea Sombrero® Sangrita: A compact coneflower growing 18-20 inches tall with bright, scarlet-red petals and a burgundy flower stem. (Zones 4b-9b.)


Echinacea Sombrero® Granada Gold: Also growing 18-20 inches tall, this variety has flowers with a golden-yellow color that promises not to fade. (Zones 4b-9b.)


Lavandula Super Blue: Growing 10-12 inches tall, the shorter blue flower spikes are good for mid-border perennial beds. It is supposed to have excellent winter hardiness and a soft lavender scent.  (Zones 5a-8b.)



Miscanthus Bandwidth: This ornamental grass will grow 30-36 inches tall and includes striping. It is aid to be rust resistant and infertile, so it will not be invasive. (Zones 5a-9b.)

All of the plant samples are sun-loving perennials that should grow well in my zone 6b garden. I'll be sharing updates here on how the plants grow in my garden this year. Thanks again to Darwin Perennials for this opportunity.
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Floral Friday: May 11


The last of the daffodils are blooming and unfortunately I do not have much to show for my tulips because the voles ate most of them (close to 100 bulbs!) despite planting them with Repellex in the fall. Next year I'll have to consider planting tulips in cages to try and save them from ending up as dinner. 

But a few tulips did survive in the back garden, and for that I am grateful.





Also in bloom are some grape hyacinths... which I would like to get more of next year. 


Also in the back garden is the wildflower celandine (wood poppy), which is beginning to spread. I love the cheerful yellow blossoms. (This is not to be confused with its lookalike greater celandine, which is actually a weed.)


The bleeding hearts are also putting on a show in the back garden.



And although many people may not agree, I am happy to welcome a brown cottontail to my property. As many readers know, I have two house rabbits, so having a wild bunny out front is way better than the woodchuck. So far the bunny has eaten patches of overgrown grass and some of the many wild violets.


My Kwanzaa cherry tree also began blooming this week. I wish this tree would bloom longer but it's totally worth the wait and brief show. Each year it gets more and more flowers as it matures into a larger tree. I bought this variety of tree because it was the tree my grandfather grew in his front garden in Queens, N.Y. As a child, I would try to climb his.


Here's a glimpse of mine in the front garden, which I planted back in 2010.


Near the tree is woodland phlox, with this photo taken at dusk which accounts for the moody lighting.


The only downside to having large trees out front is that now some of my lilacs are not blooming, which I think is due to less sunlight. I'll have to figure out what to do about them this year. But two of my six are blooming at least.


Another daffodil from out front.


Creeping phlox in bloom along the driveway.


And Iberis sempervirens (candytuft) by my front door.


Over in the Eco Garden System, the peas are growing steadily.


 And the lettuce plants are growing quickly as well.


What's growing and blooming in your garden this week?
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