On the Question of Gloves
My hands are just now beginning to recover from the intensive gardening season. In summer, no amount of scrubbing removes the soil from the creases in my fingertips. I have to remind myself to check my nails before I leave the house. The edges of my fingers feel like fine grit sandpaper. Well meaning friends give me gardener salves, and creams, and scrubs. But none of them work because I hate to wear gloves. So my hands stay soil stained and rough for a good eight months of the year.
When I rub knobby beet seeds between my fingers, or snuggle seedlings into the soil, or pet the soft leaves of my ‘Bergaarten’ sage, I want to feel it. Gardening is a tactile experience and gloves just get in the way.
But lately I’ve noticed that my hands are getting old before their time. The skin is getting crepe-y and sun splotched. I think I’ve even spotted some nascent wrinkles. So I’ve decided to try out wearing gloves. At least some of the time.
West County Gardener sent me a pair or their new Landscape Gloves that are made with a fabric that comes from recycled plastic bottles. What I hate most about gloves is that they feel restricting, but these had plenty of wiggle room in the fingers and an adjustable Velcro tab at the wrist. The palms have a nice, but not bulky, bit of padding and the fingers are reinforced with a sticky material, which made it easier to keep a handle on my tools when I was out in the rain. Best of all, the gloves are my current favorite color, orange. All in all, they did what West County promised. They kept my hands clean, comfy, and even warm while I did some heavy-duty fall gardening. I might even wear them again.
My only bone to pick with West County is not with the gloves. It is with their press kit. The gloves arrived at my door in a cardboard box that was printed with this message: Every pair of West County Gloves made from our new recycled materials removes one 8 oz plastic water bottle from landfill. I opened up the box and found brown paper packing material, a pair of gloves, a CD with PR info, and a water bottle filled with little plastic bits, plastic fibers, and a sample of the fabric. I know the bottle was included to help illustrate that the gloves are made from recycled bottles, but doesn’t that kind of defeat the point?
My advise to West County is to keep up the good work using recycled materials, but ditch the current press kit. Sending the gloves and PR CD in a recyclable envelope would have been just as effective, and a lot less wasteful.
I do wish someone would combine the durability of a nice garden/work glove with the easy care of my flimsy cotton ones (get dirty, throw in the washing machine, repeat).
November 21st, 2008 at 3:43 pmI agree…and I wish that someone would make garden gloves that were comfortable and stretchy, but didn’t wear out so quickly!
November 21st, 2008 at 4:58 pmIn the cool season, I love the Atlas Nitrile Grip gloves. They are far more durable than their blue handed cousins. In the summer, they are too sweaty though.
November 21st, 2008 at 9:55 pmUmmm, ya….that does defeat the purpose. But, on the upside, they do look like they are pretty nifty gloves. Oh, and I LOVE the boots!
November 22nd, 2008 at 5:27 amWillie,
November 22nd, 2008 at 9:02 amI wear gloves to garden for protection and safety. The best gloves for gardening are the nitrile ones that cost a little more but are thin, but strong, so that you can feel your work. The gloves have a rubber covering on the finger tips and palm but leave the top of the hand with cloth so that your hands do not sweat on hot days. Atlas makes them, but I have also found them at different garden centers. The gloves come in a great range of colors so that they are fun to wear and match your outfit. They are easy to care for and wash in the washing machine and always stay soft.
Joyce
I really like the Mud Glove style Atlas gloves. If you want more tactile sensation then try the Atlas Nitrile gloves as Nick and Joyce suggest - they’re very thin - too thin for my taste - but there’s no doubt you can feel what you are doing.
I’m a pro so I had to get used to gloves - even with them my hands will crack sometimes in winter - not cool! But usually a good slather with lotion before wearing my cotton-lined Atlas ones does the trick!
November 23rd, 2008 at 12:06 amWilli, I had the same reaction to their press kit, although I love the gloves. I never wore gloves until my hands started to age & I got early arthritis. I began wearing Bionic gloves to help with the joint pain, and they worked, so I became a glove wearer. Then, when I went gluten and casein free, my hands quite hurting. I still wear gloves, and I have fake fingernails (which I’m sure aren’t that great for the environment, but . . . .)
Great review. Cute photos too.~~Dee
November 23rd, 2008 at 9:25 amThank you all for the Atlas recommendation. I will definitely have to pick up a pair. Maybe one of my New Year’s Gardening resolution can be to actually give gloves a chance. Genevieve–I love the tip of putting lotion on before the gloves. I bet that really helps. And Dee, I’m glad I wasn’t the only person who liked the West County Gloves, but was turned off by the press kit.
November 23rd, 2008 at 10:49 amHey Willie,
The tactile part of gardening is really important to me and I often choose to go glove-less. I do like to use latex or nitrile examination gloves so I retain the sensation in my fingertips and use them under gloves for heavier projects. I use them for some housework stuff as well.
November 24th, 2008 at 1:04 pmPutting on a cream or lotion before gloves, that has a high percentage of calendula in it, really helps with the cracking on the tips of the fingers. It looks like green petroleum jelly, however most are made without any petroleum products.
November 24th, 2008 at 3:14 pmI have a really hard time with garden gloves, too. Most feel so bulky and latex ones make my hands sweat like Dan S. in the Saraha eating jalapenos
And congrats on getting your first batch of garlic in the ground. It is soooo worth the wait.
November 26th, 2008 at 10:08 pm