·Be sure to wear sun block and a hat since many arthritis medications make you more
susceptible to sunburn.

·When it is possible, use larger, stronger joints and muscles. For example, use your palms
instead of your fingers to push and use your arms and shoulders instead of your hands to carry items. See a sampling of ergonomic tools at the end of this article that have adaptive handles to use arm strength to advantage.

·Hold items close to your body to reduce stress on joints and avoid pinching, squeezing or twisting motions. Avoid tools that put direct pressure on fingers or thumbs.

·Try to weed your garden just after watering or a rain, as the moist soil gives much less
resistance.

·Keep your tools sharpened and in good general repair so they will do the work they are
designed to do and help reduce your effort

·Try to provide a nearby water source such as a drip irrigation system or hose holder with faucet to alleviate having to drag hoses or sprinklers around the yard.

·Put hanging baskets on pulleys so that you can lower them for maintenance and watering. Use water-retaining granules in order to reduce the frequency of watering.

·There are many sturdy varieties of lightweight tools on the market today made from
recycled plastic, nylon reinforced with fiberglass or aluminum. You can add foam tubing
to the handles, which can be found inexpensively as pipe insulation at hardware stores; in
order to soften the grips or you can look for hand tools with larger, soft grips or other
adaptive features. See suggestions on the resource page for tools with softer grips and
ergonomic designs.

·There are many types of garden carts you can buy to carry your long handled tools however you might want to consider a plastic garbage can on wheels which will work just as well and may be somewhat less expensive. This will keep the tools handy when you need them and they won't fall over in the garden.