By Staff
Once upon a time I used to garden without gloves.
To some gardeners, they find working bare-handed and having direct contact with the soil is what gardening is all about.
And they also like getting dirt under their nails.
And what about the dry skin? We tend to forget about this, as soil tends to dry skin out. After all, some think, only real gardeners don't wear gloves!
This is all very fine and good, but I do wear gloves.
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Isn't that how the saying goes?
Let's just stop and think about this one for a minute.
What about all those things that we can't see or foresee that are in our soil or gardens, such as pine needles, shards of glass, splinters, thorns, blisters and how about all those biting, stinging insects.
What about the soil-borne pathogens (tetanus bacteria, for instance, can be found in the soil and can enter the body through any open wounds in the hands and skin. Every 10 years we should have a booster shot.) that could be lurking in our soil? I don't want to alarm anyone, but it's just best to be on the safe side, isn't it?
We must protect our "green thumbs," right?
Some gardeners have many pairs of gloves. They come in many styles, materials and sizes. There is a glove to fit any task: mud gloves, soft, buttery goatskins, cowhide, extra-long pigskin gauntlets for roses, raspberries or anything thorny, spiny or pricky (as tender skin seems to always lose), the old, cotton jersey (these can be machine-washed and dried, but offer not much protection from wet or thorny stuff), a long-sleeve vinyl for cleaning out the pond or birdbath.
Some come with or without palm patches (great for extremely hard work, like splitting wood or tree work). Some are cuffed or uncuffed. Try a gauntlet or over-the-wrist type. Like I said, a glove to fit any job.
Cleaning gloves: some can just be thrown into the washer and dryer. Others must be cleaned with a damp cloth and mild soap, then hung to dry. Others just brush off loose dirt and then hang by the cuffs to dry. Some are hand-washable with a mild detergent. Vinyl can be hosed off and hung up to dry.
Me, I like the one-piece, 100-percent cotton knit glove that's been dipped in a puncture-resistant blue latex. I like their flexible grip. I can feel and pick up everything. The palm is fully coated and the topside of my hand and fingers (no seams in fingers to rub and give you blisters) are partially uncoated, providing a breathable, perspiration-free interior.
I also like that these gloves have a knitted cuff. It makes for a snug fit around my wrist. This also helps to keep out soil and insects. And since I like to work in the garden when the weather is well, shall we say, undesirable, in the cold, mucky soil, dewy weeds and all, my hands stay warm and dry.
It's the gloves with the blue latex fingers and palm. Try a pair.
Oh! By the way, I just throw mine in the washer and line dry them.
And if you have an allergy to latex, the interior of the glove is cotton. Your skin will not touch the latex.
What a man needs in gardening is a cast-iron back, with a hinge on it.