Recommended gardening gloves
Caring for plants is a hobby that many find relaxing, but it can quickly lead to nasty cuts and scrapes. Luckily, a good pair of gardening gloves can protect your hands from thorns (and keep dirt from getting under your nails).
We asked six expert gardeners to tell us which gardening gloves they personally use and recommend, plus their expert tips on how to shop for this essential gardening tool.
Whether you're weeding, pruning, turning over a compost pile, growing vegetables, or any other task, wearing a good pair of gardening gloves to protect your hands is essential. Here are some things to look out for when choosing gardening gloves:
It's important to choose gloves based on the size of your hands, as gloves that are too big or small can be uncomfortable and make gardening tasks difficult. “I have small hands, so I look for something that fits snugly,” says Linda Vatter, plant specialist at Southern Living Plant Collection. “Gardeners don't always take that into consideration, but size is important for comfort and the ability to work with more control.”
Comfort and durability
Once you know your size, look for gloves that will last. “You want to invest in high-quality, long-lasting gloves,” says floral artist Ace Berry of Oasis Forage Products. “I'm willing to spend more so I don't have to keep replacing them.” If you're on a budget, his advice is, “Aim for the best option within your budget that has the quality features you need.”
In general, comfort, durability, and breathability are key qualities that professionals look for in gardening gloves. “I prefer natural materials over synthetics because they're breathable and keep you cool and comfortable for common tasks, especially in warm weather,” says Mary Phillips, director of native habitat strategies and certification for the National Wildlife Federation. She recommends leather gloves for this reason, although some other professionals we spoke with still recommend rubber gloves.
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Gardening gloves with padded palms and cushioned fingertips are great, but make sure your knuckles bend easily to protect your hands and fingers, says Charlie Nardozzi, author of “The Complete Guide to No-Dig Gardening” and “Foodscaping.” Nardozzi also likes gloves with grip for picking up small items like seed packets.
Joe Rumple (aka Joe Gardener), author of “The Vegetable Garden Book,” host of the PBS series “Growing A Greener World,” and host of the gardening podcast “The Joe Gardener Show,” looks for similar characteristics in his gloves: “comfort, flexibility, fit, feel, and the ability to use your phone without taking them off.”
Some types of gloves are better for specific tasks, like sowing seeds, raking, trellising, etc. “I have several different types of gardening gloves for different gardening tasks,” Nardozzi says.
Heavier gloves offer more protection and are better for pulling and pruning, says Phillips, but opting for gardening gloves that go higher on the arm also offers extra protection (more on that below).
best rubber gardening gloves
Nardozzi and Vatter recommend Cool Job's rubber gloves for weeding, planting and delicate work, and both experts praise the breathable knit. “I have small hands, so I like the size options and fit of Cool Job's gardening gloves,” says Vatter, who owns several pairs of the brand's general gardening gloves, as well as fleece-lined gloves for when it's cold outside in the winter. “The flexible material gives your fingers more freedom of movement, making it easier to work with small tools, seeds and delicate plants.”
The gloves are also very lightweight and offer great grip: “The palms are typically coated with a non-slip rubber material that provides plenty of grip for basic gardening tasks like weeding, planting and turning compost,” says Vater.
And if you're someone who regularly gets dirt in your gloves while gardening, these gloves are designed to prevent that. “And because the cuffs are longer, it makes it harder for dirt to get inside the gloves,” Nardozzi adds. Cool Job gardening gloves are also available in men's sizes.
The best machine washable gardening gloves
Lamp'l is a big fan of these gardening gloves because they're machine washable, comfortable, and affordable. The nitrile gloves have a durable exterior that protects your hands, and the nylon lining keeps your palms and fingers from sweating, making them perfect for landscaping and gardening projects.
“I wear these gloves for everything!” Rampl says. “The only time I don't wear them is if I have a construction-related project where I need extra protection for my hands.” He also says that the gardening gloves feel so nice he can use his phone while wearing them. He also likes that they're not bulky: “They fit nicely in your back pocket,” adds Rampl.
Best leather gardening gloves
Berry relies on these high-quality, hand-sewn goat leather gloves for many tasks. “Leather has great grip, making it easier to handle tools and plants without slipping,” Berry says. “I use them for gardening tasks like weeding, pruning and trimming. They also help protect my hands from splinters and nails when building flower beds, trellises and other garden structures.”
Besides the fact that these gloves are recommended by experts, we also love that this brand is committed to sustainability. Their factory relies on 100% renewable energy and sources all materials within the USA to reduce their carbon emissions and footprint. Plus, instead of replacing your gloves when they wear out, Vermong Glove offers repairs for $30. If sustainable living is important to you, consider investing in these leather gardening gloves.
Lightweight gloves ideal for delicate work
Thin, lightweight gloves are useful for sowing seeds for transplanting. “Cotton canvas gloves are useful for delicate tasks like planting native grass seeds and seedlings in the fall and flower seedlings in the spring,” Phillips says. She says these Maggid Handmaster gloves are more comfortable to the touch than others. “I always look for natural materials over synthetics because they're breathable and cool,” she says.
The perfect gloves for planting and weeding
For potted plants, you'll need thin gloves for filling containers and transplanting seedlings. Tara Nolan, co-owner of SavvyGardening and author of “Raised Bed Revolution,” says she wears these Gardena gloves all the time because of their flexible material. “They help with dexterity when removing plant tags, picking dead leaves, and lifting plants out of pots and into containers,” she says. “I like gardening gloves with latex wrapped around the fingers, which is especially useful for weeding when they're wet (which makes it easier to pull weeds!).”
Best gardening gloves for pruning
Phillips chooses these women's work gloves “when working with vines, pruning shrubs, or doing rough or abrasive work with thorns or sharp tools.” These work gloves are made from pigskin leather, known for their durability and long life, even when wet. Plus, they're designed for women's hands and come in multiple sizes so you can find the perfect fit. “I prefer branded gloves that fit better and are less bulky than unisex gloves,” Phillips adds.
Men's gloves are also available, and Nardozzi recommends them: “For heavy lifting like moving dirt, compost, rocks, and fences, nothing beats a good pair of leather gloves,” he says. “They protect your hands from hitting rocks or sharp metal fences.”
Affordable gardening gloves with wrist straps
For affordable gardening gloves, Berry likes the Centurion Men's Performance Work Gloves. “These gloves are very durable for the price, so they're very useful,” Berry says. With an easy grip and flexible material, Berry uses them for a variety of gardening tasks, including digging, mulching, harvesting, and disposing of yard waste.
They also have a wrist strap that you can adjust to fit your hand perfectly. “I like them because they give you a good grip and aren't stiff,” Berry says. “The material gives you good dexterity.” He also recommends the gloves because they're “reinforced in certain areas for extra safety when gripping stems or cutting branches.”
The best gardening gloves to protect your arms from thorny bushes
Whether you're cultivating a rose garden or need to prune bushes, shrubs, or trees, wearing gloves that cover your arms can help reduce scratches and punctures. “My favorite pruning gloves are ones with gauntlets that protect not only your hands but your arms as well,” Nolan says. She says these are commonly called rose gloves, but she uses them for a variety of tasks. “They also work well on thorny shrubs like raspberries and gooseberries,” she adds.
If you're prone to rashes or have allergies to trees or plants, wearing gauntlets offers extra protection: “If your arms rub against cedar wood, you often get a rash, so wearing gauntlets gives you a little bit of protection from the cedar branches,” she says. The gloves are made from goatskin and are handy for pulling thorny weeds.
Best puncture resistant gardening gloves
Gardener's Supply Company
Wearing gloves isn't just about minimizing pricks from thorns or getting dirt between your nails: You might be handling heavy hoses or chemical-based liquids, so you'll want to cover your hands. “Nitrile gloves are useful when working with liquids like hoses, pesticides, grease, and gases,” says Nardozzi. “They're latex-based and are lightweight yet puncture-resistant and impermeable to most liquids.”
The gloves are versatile, keeping your hands dry and can be hosed down or washed in the washing machine. “I also like the sticky grip on the finger pads, which is handy for grabbing things like seeds or hand tools,” adds Nardozzi. “They're flexible, so you can even check your text messages in the garden (even though you shouldn't).”
The best gardening sleeves
If you spend a lot of time outdoors, you need to protect not just your hands, but your arms too, which is why Vater uses protective sleeves in addition to her gardening gloves. “In the summer, I use Farmer's Defense protective sleeves, which aren't technically gloves, to protect my arms from thorny plants while pruning and to prevent sunburn,” she says. “They come in cute patterns and are made of a stretchy, non-restrictive material.” The polyester sleeves are made from recycled plastic bottles, and they're also reassuringly moisture-wicking to keep sweat away.
