These gardening styles can be adapted to make gardening easier for older gardeners or individuals with physical disabilities. They also are adaptable for gardening in a small backyard, an apartment patio, or on the grounds of a retirement home or hospital. If full sun is not available, then choose shade-tolerant plants, such as begonias and impatiens. All raised planters and container gardens will need more watering than a standard garden. It may be worth the investment to install automatic or trickle irrigation systems in permanent planters.
Fertilizer usually is incorporated into the soil at the time the planter is filled.
Later applications are based on normal requirements of the plants. Mulching is a must with most of the larger raised planters as it slows the evaporation of water from the bed and helps keep the soil cool for the roots. Mulching is also an excellent weed deterrent. Weed-free organic material is preferred for mulching so that it enriches the soil as it decays. Most pest control should be done by hand and without chemicals to avoid the danger presented by working with toxic substances.