Types of Garden Gloves

Garden gloves come in many different styles and materials—some designed for specific gardening tasks and some meant for general use. Match the proper glove with your gardening activities and you'll find yourself with far fewer, if any, cuts, scratches and scrapes at the end of the day.

You'll also avoid the dreaded 'shrivelled' skin from having soggy, wet hands for a long period of time and you won't have to spend hours cleaning the dirt out from under your nails.

Invest in a good quality gloves and your hands will thank you.

Garden Glove Materials:

• Natural hides: such as cowhide, pigskin, goatskin or deerskin
• Top grain: means top layer (not necessarily top quality). It's smoother and more supple than split grain
• Split/reverse grain: thick hide split into two rough layers
• Fabrics: such as canvas and cotton are, washable, breathable, but also moisture absorbent. Not advised for use with chemicals.
• Synthetic materials such as latex, rubber, PVC and neoprene or nitrile-coated are water, chemical and mud-resistant.

Garden Glove Features

• Cuffs prevent material from getting inside the glove.
• Gauntlets protect wrists and forearms, for example rose gloves (see right)
• Grip enhancers such as rubber dots help you hang on.

Glove sizing is not universal, so try them on. Look for specific men's and women's sizing—a "one size fits all" approach may be fine for some jobs, but gloves that are too big will compromise your grip and may can slip off (often at the worst time). A glove that is too small or doesn't fit right can cause something you definitely want to avoid—blisters.

Seams are another reason to try a pair of gloves on. See how the seams feel. Seams can be located inside or outside of the glove. One style is constructed with the seam on the top of the palm, another with seams across the back. Seams in an awkward position on your hand can irritate and eventually may cause blisters. Imagine how the glove will feel after a full day of wear.