Kitchen Garden Forum

I know another one,
Keep your hands in your pockets





Sorry I could not help it

I've tried the soap under the fingernails & it was weird as I felt I had stumpy finger tips as kind of pushes the skin back away from the nail. Drove me mad so had to scrub it out on lottie to continue. I've seen an ad for a lotion that creates a film barrier but haven't tried it.

I always manage to get dirty nails as there are some tasks that you can't manage with gloves or there is the inevitable hole in the pair I'm wearing! I get the old nail brush to work when I get home, but have had to bleach them before work sometimes, especially when I've had a mishap with the liquid seaweed feed.

Westi

I once had to minute a meeting with finger tips black from podding out broad beans... either nobody noticed or they were too polite to mention it! It would not come off and had to just wear away.

Talking about black fingers, you could be forgiven for having been thought to have undertaken a racial transplant if you have been peeling the outer green husks off walnuts. I quite forgot about the effect this autumn until I had shelled several pounds and found my fingers were stained so permanently black that it took a couple of days of hard scrubbing to get rid of the colour.

I'm told the husks they were used for dying fabric in medieval times, obviously with good effect.

Yes, that would be Juglans regia which fall off the tree in their husks. Juglans nigra is a very thoughtful tree and pops open the husks on the tree and drops a ready shelled walnut to the ground, just got to be quick off the mark or the mice get them!

I wonder what colour the dye was? Would it have been black or gone to another colour as some of them do?

I imagine we aren't into spending £30 having fancy things stuck on our nails A nail brush, clippers and nail file, and a bit of hand cream are my idea of tarting my nails up. I have tried the soap under the nails tip before a gardening session, but usually forget.

I seem to have one permanently stained nail which seems to be my favourite for picking fruit, nipping bits off things and generally used in food preparation. Hands are made for using not for decoration. Isn't it a tip for choosing a future spouse - "don't pick someone with fancy fingernails - they won't want to do any work"?

My husband ought to have guessed that I was keen on gardening in the early days of our courtship when he discovered that I could never resist picking up stranded worms I found on the pavement and putting them back on the nearest patch of earth of grass! Often still do it!

As a general rule I prefer gardening to do many gardening chores without gloves but do find the very thin disposable rubber gloves useful for potting up small seedlings with compost and similar chores However I haven't found out how to stop sweat building up inside them over a period of time, and also when they still remain in good condition, i.e. untorn after a gardening session I'm generally too mean to throw them away so I wash them and hang them out on the line to dry!!

I do exactly the same Primrose regarding both worms and gloves

Plum Pudding . With our glove recycling habits I don't think they would employ either of us in operating theatres then !!

At least we wouldn't lose false nails in anyone

Don't most people expect to get some dirt under their fingernails when gardening, sort of goes with the territory doesn't it.
Can see a load of seed getting stuck under nails in soap.


TOP TIP
Ronseal Yacht varnish would probably help keep my coloured finger and toe nail varnish from scratching and ruin when gardening.
Make sure normal nail varnish is thoroughly dry before applying and I suspect you would have to allow at least two hours for yacht varnish to dry after applying otherwise you'll get dirt stuck on, as well as under, your nails

By the way, it doesn't say anything on the Ronseal tin about this and it might just actually be impractical, quelle surprise

(posted with tongue in cheek and soap under toe nails )

PLUMPUDDING wrote:At least we wouldn't lose false nails in anyone

Puts a whole new complexion on a patient picking their nails.

"S'cuse me doc, can the nurse with the light blue nails assist you, ta"

I prefer not to use gloves if possible but have had to go over to them to prevent embarrassment at work I've found that Briers make a good range (other glove manufacturers are available) they do a breathable cloth one with plastic on the working side which don't get sweaty, good fit for small hands too. Only don't do what I did which was dig some parsnips, take them up to my water butt run-off tank and plunge my hands in with the brush to give them a good scrub... doh...