7 August 2006

The case for stout gardening gloves

While we were down the allotment on Saturday I did this:

I know, I know. Looks innocuous enough, doesn’t it? And I’m not even sure if it’s a bite, a sting or a thorn. What I can tell you is that since doing this, my little finger has swelled to practically twice its size (which has proved surprisingly difficult to capture in a photograph). I’m not able to type as well as usual and I suspect in our next rehearsal (in a quarter of an hour’s time) my ability to play G sharp is going to be severely compromised. My GP has given me antibiotic cream to treat the infection so I’m hopeful that my currently bloated pinky will return to its usual elegant size sometime soon.

I do generally try to use gloves when gardening but I’m not consistent about it. We’ve got some heavy duty leather gloves, but they’re no good for hand weeding. Sometimes I wear green latex gloves (with an aloe vera coating!) for this kind of work. They help stop my hands from drying out and getting too much ingrained dirt, but they are no defence against thorns and stings and prickles.

How about you - what are your solutions to the glove dilemma? Are you be-gauntletted every time you venture into the garden? Or do you relish the feel of loam between your fingers and just tolerate the inevitable scratches and grazes? Can anyone help me in my search for tough but flexible gloves that don’t restrict dexterity?

I really don’t want a repeat performance of this - it itches like crazy!

Filed under: Mulch — Clare @ 1:18 pm