Kitchen Garden Forum

to wear gloves whilst hand weeding.Did it again today,grabbed a fistful of nettles hidden under the weeds I actually wanted to pull out.Pain,agony,swear,look for and find dock leaves,bliss.

Dear snooky, my hands are pretty resistant to stinging nettles, but if they do manage to sting me between my fingers, i quite like it in a funny sort of a way.

Yes i know i'm strange.

Sorry they aren't quite so kind to you.

Hi OH,
I too can pull up nettles without any problem. Hard hands! I admit that if you do not approach the job properly then the backs of my hands and like you twixt the fingers then they do sting. I always tread on the nettle first then get at the root if possible.
JB.

I do wear gloves for weeding occasionally (normally only if I've got a plaster on a finger protecting a cut) but they do make be feel very clumsy and lacking in suppleness, and I find it very difficult to pull out small weeds wearing gloves. The only ones I find thin enough are those latex surgical gloves and they tend to make my hands feel very sweaty after a while. So I just end up with dirty and broken finger nails which I guess, is an occupational hazard of being a gardener. I sometimes look at the immaculately trimmed and painted nails of other ladies and think to myself "You, Madam, are definitely not a gardener."

"You, Madam, are definitely not a gardener."
Sorry Primrose 'beg to differ,I've got pretty good nails which I paint and polish often and I'm definately a gardener and the winner of best ladies plot-twice, on our site, has lovely painted nails and she seldom wears gloves.Oh well another theory shot down in flames

Someone was showing off their French manicure to me the other day. White nails. Most un-natural, that's what I thought. I'm used to nails being a browny, blackish, well -earth coloured! Aren't everybody's that colour?

Oh well, must go. Found a greenhouse serving the most tasty anenome corms.

Oh well, must go. Found a greenhouse serving the most tasty anenome corms.
Naughty naughty Mouse

Hi Primrose,
I simply cannot wear gloves for gardening and to help me with small weeds that my arthritic hands find hard to pull out I have modified an old bone handled kitchen knife by grinding it flat at the end of the blade and it is really sharp. This means a kind of hoe only three quarters of an inch wide and it is wonderful to use and you can get very close to the stems of plants without doing any damage.
JB.