Can you garden effectively wearing gloves?

[Chantal]

I wear Showa gloves when I'm at the allotment or in the garden, they are fabulous and like a second skin. I can't wear gloves that are thick or loose.

Can't be doing with gloves in the greenhouse though.

[Catherine]

Hi Chantal, Never heard of Showa gloves where do you get those from?

[Chantal]

I usually stock up at shows where they're usually on offer at around £3 per pair, but the best online price I've found is from Centre Sales

http://www.gloves.trader.uk.com/shop/in ... egoryID=14

[Barry]

I wear gloves all the time, especially in winter. However, when digging, I only wear a glove on my left hand, because I am forever stooping down to pluck something out of the soil and can't do that effectively with a gloved right hand.
I also prefer hand weeding, since I can't get the pull right if I am wearing gloves. When you have no gloves on, you can feel the root and know how much to pull to get all of it out, if you see what I mean! However, it does destroy fingernails whenever you hand weed.
Most of the time, it simply isn't practical to have a glove on the right hand to do the skill jobs on a plot.

[madasafish]

I sue Morrison srubber over cotton gloves £2.20 each all the time. Saves my hands breaking out into rashes and my nail manicure keeps spotless:-)

[Chantal]

Barry, I find the Showa gloves as good as bare hands for most things, just cleaner. They really are good.

[Colin_M]

I CANNOT garden without them. I find that it is also a safety issue to prevent spider bite.

Ok, now yo've got me interested

Can you tell us more about spider bite? And will wearing gloves also make me less nervous about reaching into the dark corners of my shed

[heyjude]

I use gloves that look very similar to Chantal's Showa - and may indeed be identical but I can't remember what they were called! I buy them each year at Malvern Show. I couldn't find them last autumn but I'm hoping to get more in May.

Last year they had a new lightweight version for potting etc and they were adamant that they must not be worn for rough weeding or they would wear out.

At the moment I am wearing a very old pair of these thin gloves to lace rabbit wire to stock wire fencing (reinforced with elastoplast on the tips of my forefingers where the skin began to fall apart). And the combination has been sensitive enough to thread fine wire and tough enough to prevent pain and you can't ask more than that!

But I would only reach into the dark corners of my shed in chainmail and a blindfold!

[PLUMPUDDING]

Just a note to Gardenaholic - the only time I've every been bitten by a spider was when I put my gloves on and one had been hiding inside it. I felt this sharp pain between my fingers, pulled the glove off and when I shook it a large spider dropped out. It was really painful.

[mandylew]

I wear the green the showa gloves, in fact they are the only ones i can find small enough to fit me, I get the size 6 in the ladies, Lizzie you should try a pair if you wear kids gloves they will fit you.

Mandy

[penny]

I bought the Showa gloves at Chelsea they are outstanding. Many thnks for the suggestion. Regards Penny