Should one buy gardening apparel?

[Rainman]

Serious gardeners I hear must dress up for the job — some special dungarees or coveralls, gloves of some kind, etc. Seeing that I don't have a large garden with pointy things that will pierce my skin, I'm wondering if buying myself gardening clothing would be of any value.

If there's no risk of getting injured by anything, should one dress up in special gardening attire before they start doing some work in their gardens?

 

[Rosyrain]

If anything, I would buy gardening clothes just so you don't run the risk of getting your nice clothes dirty. If you are doing normal little garden work, then I don't see a reason to go out and buy expensive clothes for the job. If you have a really old shirt and a pair of jeans, you don't even have to go out and buy something, just use those clothes for your gardening duties.

 

[JGPangi]

Well, I suppose it would get you in the headspace for gardening: 'I am grooming the earth, I must make my patch of land bloom like no other, pests beware'. I mean, if only for that reason, I would get a pair of denim overalls and have at it.

Seriously though, if you work in the garden a lot, especially during the summer, a good sun hat is always recommended. Also a pair of not-too-thick gloves while you work, you never know where a sneaky rusty nail or a splinter may be hiding.

Also, on a parenting side, I never even thought of dressing up my little gardener! What an awesome idea, must add it to my shopping list

 

[Bandit26]

Hat, gloves and decent gardening shoes are what I need. Other than that its the older pieces in my wardrobe that I dont mind getting dirty

 

[firelily99]

I just wear old clothes, a rather ratty straw hat and on occasion, gloves. Other than that I wouldn't dream of wearing special gardening clothes.

 

[LindaKay]

I don't really think it's necessary, other than a pair of gloves. I always just wear old, dirty and stained clothing when I'm out in the yard, and it suits me fine. I don't usually wear a hat; I just wear sunglasses.

 

[Bandit26]

I think alot of it will depend on what you are doing.. weekend of putting in new beds, tearing out old plants.. major stuff requires different gear than watering, light weeding or harvesting a few things for dinner. Also depends on size of your garden, what the paths are made of, what type of plants you are working with (thorny things require you to be more covered up) how much rain you've had, etc. If I'm out all day I personally need a hat because nothing quite compares to the pain of trying to brush your hair with a burned scalp. I want shoes that give me good traction if its wet out, sturdy bottom with working with a shovel but that also can just be hosed off easily without the insides getting soaked. Once everything is established for the season I can tend to the plants a few minutes a day with whatever I'm wearing, with or without shoes on.

its nice to have a few pieces on the side you can throw on and not worry about getting stained or dirty. Protective gear will give you a more positive experience especially when you are starting out.. scrapes, cuts, blisters and sunburn can really put a damper on the fun.

 

[Lostvalleyguy]

I wouldn't call it garden apparel but gloves are a must for my gardening. A hat and sunscreen are good too as is sturdy footwear. It depends a lot on the tasks I am doing as to what I would wear but I wouldn't really go out and buy something specific for gardening. Sometimes I am using a chainsaw (gardening in a forest has its own challenges) or moving large rocks and I need different clothing than I would if I am just pulling up a few weeds on a summer morning with a cup of coffee in my free hand.
I do own a good waterproof jacket for those times when I absolutely have to get something done outside and the weather is bad. Usually this is because I am halfway through planting and heading back to the city for the week. I must get the job completed regardless of the weather.

 

[claudine]

I don't think you need special gardening clothes, Rainman. In my opinion it would be a waste of money. I wear rain boots, gloves, shorts and t-shirts. When I'm in a really good mood, I wear lace dresses, haha. I'm not joking. I only water, transplant and prune my plants, so I really don't need a professional attire

 

[lemonzest]

Yeah, gloves are an absolute must. And depending on how extensive your endeavors it might be handy to have appropriate footwear that protects your feet but you don't mind getting trashed.

But beyond that I just use old clothes like most have posted. I do have some dungarees that I think of as my "gardening" clothes, but they weren't originally purchased for that (it was actually for a Halloween farmer costume, ironically).

 

[BonnieR]

I usually only buy gloves and spend more on tools. Wear some old shirts and jeans, athletic shoes or boots that you don't mind getting dirty, and you're set! A head band might also come in handy when it gets hot. I mostly use gloves for anything that's sticker-y or sharp. If you have fruit trees, you may want to wear a thicker long sleeved shirt because the trees(especially lemon) have thorns, which aren't fun!

 

[DrCase]

I dont were gloves but i did have a pair of strap on shoes with the long ! !/2" spikes at one time

 

[LindaKay]

My garden is small, so I don't need much. I don't know that I would go out and spend extra money on gardening apparel even if it were bigger, though. A comfy T-shirt and jeans are usually sufficient for me.

 

[Pat]

Gloves are a most when you have rose bushes in your garden, the pricks can be very painful.

Shoes are important to keep your feet safe from nails in the ground you may come across.

I can get pretty dirty when I garden so I wear old jeans and a long sleeve shirt to protect myself from bug bites. A scarf helps also to keep your hair clean.

 

[Abqu]

I have a giant brim hat to prevent sunburns. I use an old pair of ratty jeans, some shoes that almost went to Goodwill, and a random t-shirt. You don't need anything new to have a gardening outfit, just wear the stuff you don't mind getting dirty.