by Michael Smith (Veshengro)
Whether you are a professional gardener or garden just for the fun of it, a good pair, or two, or more, of gardening gloves is essential.
Garden gloves protect your hands from the elements as well as soil, thorns, chemicals, sharp or angular tools, and while you're puling up those pesky weeds.
Gardening/work gloves are little like horse for courses and you may not want to use the heavy leather gloves that you use for pruning thorns and briers for weeding, or for using chemicals (though it is best not to use chemicals in your garden, especially if growing food), etc.
It's important that gardening gloves fit properly, are comfortable, allows tactile sensation, and for some, look attractive. And, while it is possible to own just one pair of garden gloves, many people often own two or three pairs depending on what activity they are attending to. For instance, if you're pruning rose bushes it's prudent to wear a pair of heavier duty gloves than if you are doing light gardening chores like watering.
Cotton gloves are inexpensive and fine light gardening, but the downside is that they usually don't fit very well and may be slippery when handling garden tools. All purpose gardening gloves for general gardening chores are made from leather or synthetic suede, or leather.
When handling water or chemicals, garden gloves made from rubber material are your best option and there are some great products that have a very heavy PU applied to them but which can even be washed.
When dealing with roses, briers, thorn bushes, etc., look for garden gloves that will protect your hands from thorns.
When doing hand weeding your ideal choice of gloves might actually be, dare I say it, disposable gloves such as the Nitrile gloves that police officers nowadays wear at the scene of a crime or when having to touch someone.
As said, much of it is a case of “horses for courses” and therefore it may mean to have an appropriate pair for each and every task in the garden.
If you use a chainsaw then there is another type that you might want to have and that are chainsaw protective ones with Kevlar in the back of the hand.
Whatever the case it is my advice that if you are doing anything where there is the possibility of contamination, beyond just soil and soil bacteria, that you wear the appropriate kind of gloves.
© 2012
