Hats - We are all aware of the importance of protecting ourselves from too much sun, garden hats a must for spending hours working in and enjoying in your garden. Improvements in fabrics have offered extra protection in many latest styles. Look for new garden and sun hats with insect repellant bonded to the fabric— for the dual purpose of keeping both the sun and the bugs off! The important features to look for are breathable material, to let moisture escape and a wide enough brim to shade the eyes and face.
Garden Gloves - The goal with gardening gloves is that they protect your hands without compromising dexterity or sense of touch. Gardening gloves should be tough, durable and supple. The appropriate balance between protection and flexibility will depend somewhat on the task in hand. A serious gardener would do well to have more than one pair for different occasions. Leather gloves are good for digging but are not very thorn proof, unless they are lined, or supple. Leather gloves made from cowhide or pigskin are the toughest. Rubber gloves are the best choice if you are dealing with a lot of thorny plants and are also very practical in muddy conditions. Cloth gloves afford less protection but are very light and flexible and are a good choice for medium to light weeding.
Garden Kneelers - Save your knees from an early demise with a garden kneeler. That’s a low, padded bench that keeps you an inch or so off the hard ground and also gives you a rail to push yourself up. Perfect for the gardener who spends 30 minutes a week in their yard or 8 hours a week in their garden. This kneeler reduces strain on lower back and knees. It has soft cushion kneeling pads as well as an adjustable height and padded seat.
Knee Pads - If garden kneeler are not practical for your garden spaces? Get knee pads, your knees will thank you later on.
Garden Apron - Stop running back and forth for tools, seeds, and other little necessities by investing in a good gardening apron. A far cry from the average kitchen apron, this one has pockets and loops galore.
Gardening clothes are equally as important as the suits we wear to our corporate jobs. Not only should we armed ourselves with the proper gardening tools, we should likewise be properly garbed too with clothes and accessories that should make us feel comfortable even under the sun. Let us not forget that gardening is supposed to be a pleasurable experience even for a little tot.
Essential guide to gardening clothes:
1. Shirts – Should be lightweight (like cottons and linens) and comfortable for easy breathing. Although sun blocks or sunscreens are a must, the shirts should be capable of providing adequate protection from the sun.
2. Pants – Because there is a lot of movement like bending, kneeling, stretching, and sitting, the pants should be flexible enough to accommodate these movements. Again the keyword here is, comfort. Go for pants with elastic waistbands and loose, billowy style. Feel free to wear an old pair of jeans or khakis, the more broken in the better. You can also buy gardening pant with reinforced knees that will last longer for extensive kneeling. Also, look for pants with extra loops and pockets for toting around tools and seeds.
3. Gardening Footwear - The right choice of gardening footwear will depend on the climate you live in, the tasks of the day and your gardening habits. If you are doing a lot of digging, you would do well to select footwear with reinforced soles to protect your feet from bruising. If you are doing a lot of cutting, it is worth considering steel toecaps, to be on the safe side. If working with bare soil, it is best if the footwear rises above foot level. Garden Muck boots for the dirty work of cultivating, planting and clean-up chores are a gardener’s must-haves. Even for simpler chores in the wetter seasons, muck boots are great.
When the season gets drier and hotter, easy slip-on garden shoes and clogs are ideal offering some protection and allowing air-flow in the heat. Garden clogs are very convenient if you take your shoes on and off frequently - both closed and open-backed designs are available.
Garden footwear should have shaped insoles. They spread the gardener’s weight over a larger area and reduce fatigue. The tread on plastic soles is effective on soil but rubber soles are preferable because of their better grip on grip on paving and other hard surfaces.
Features to look for when selecting muck boots, garden shoes & garden clogs:
- Lightweight
- Durable, waterproof materials
- Good support for feet and legs
- Traction
- Insulation for cold