The Cottage Smallholder

I used to think that gardening gloves were a waste of time. I’d pull on sturdy leather gloves for pulling out brambles but generally I liked the feel of mud between the fingers. The problem was removing the mud at the end of a stint in the garden. This took ages and somehow a feint residue of ground in dirt always remained.

I tried pretty cotton gloves and found that the mud soaked through. The Homebase rubber gloves, with cotton backs, were too big. Marigold washing up gloves got clammy after a while. Everywhere I looked people were happily gardening in gloves, except me.

I spotted that most of them were wearing the same type of gloves – Showa gloves. Everyone extolled the virtues of these gloves. They fitted perfectly. They were rugged with a good grip but soft enough to perform delicate tasks. The cotton lining meant that the hands didn’t sweat. They could be bunged in the washing machine. The saving on soap and nail brushes was enormous.

Unfortunately no one knew where I could buy them. Initially I searched for these gloves in the garden centre and drew a blank. Finding these gloves became a mission, in a quiet sort of way. I found loads of useful items for the garden but never the gloves. Then one happy day, when I had given up any hope of finding them, I spotted a stand at the Newmarket Christmas Fair laden with Showa gloves. I snapped up a pair immediately and rushed home to test them out. They were perfect.

I quickly realised that one pair was not really enough if they are used every day. I was loathe to wait until the next Christmas Fair so I broadened my search and stocked up at the Hampton Court Flower Show that summer. They make great Christmas presents for gardening friends or anyone who works outdoors.

I now have Showa Grip gloves and Showa Thermo. The later are almost thorn proof nearly as good as gauntlets.