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Even those of us who like to get our hands in the soil have times when a pair of gloves is essential. No one wants to pull out nettles or prune spiny shrubs without some protection, and on cold and damp days a good pair of gloves saves our hands from the elements. We wanted to find the best gloves that would protect our hands, but also be versatile enough to help us through a wide variety of tasks.
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We can probably all think of occasions when we need a stout pair of gloves in the garden, but how tough do they need to be?
A thick pair of gloves is essential if you have a thorny shrub that needs a regular prune, such a wall-trained pyracantha. However, bear in mind that you will need to be able to open and close your secateurs, and possibly tie in stray stems, so the gloves should allow some dexterity. Many that we tried had very thick leather, which was great for repelling thorns, but they were ill-fitting, especially around the fingers, making it hard to carry out finer tasks.
If nettles and brambles area problem, then your gloves need to repel sharp thorns and stings. However, do you really need gauntlet gloves? Many thorns will rip wind and water-proof jackets, but if you garden in a thicker jacket, this may give enough protection on its own.
You might not want to garden in the rain, but it doesn’t have to be pouring down for your soil to be wet. Digging and weeding can lead to very wet hands, as can handling damp compost. We found leather gloves gave the best protection from cold and wet, but not all of them were comfortable when damp.
Sizing is often difficult for gloves. Most we tried had very little information online on how large or small the gloves are. Tight gloves can limit your movement, but gloves that are too large will slip around and chafe. Check with your garden centre or DIY store to find out if you can try on different sizes of the gloves you’re interested into see which size fits you best.