Much has been written about essential tools for gardening but, aside from advocates of National Nude Gardening Day, very few discuss clothing.
Even the most demure agriculturalist should consider a sun blocking cream, but I never use them, preferring to protect my skin with clothing instead.
For clothing protection I wear tightly woven, long sleeved shirts, a large hat and long pants with pockets. The shirts meet my gloves at the wrist and the pants must have pockets to carry all kinds of things; a rag to clean tools, a pocket knife, Kleenex, my gloves and maybe a snack. A tool pouch or sturdy apron with even more pockets carries extra necessities because it’s amazing how much stuff one needs when working, and the larger my garden gets the further I have to walk to get a particular item.
My tool pouch has developed a hole and both tie strings have broken; repairs lasted a whole summer but it’s time to get a new one. Santa must have missed the memo, but Saint Valentine is sure to come through.
When my daughter convinced me of the benefits of going barefoot I thought I’d give it a whirl, since I already like walking barefoot. I liked it at first, feeling one with nature, but I began to have my doubts when tiny ants started biting my feet. Then I discovered one cannot dig properly because bare feet don’t push on the shovel at all effectively, and my faith began to waver. The final straw was when I unconsciously stepped on a ubiquitous slug with predictable results.
Once the slime finally wore off, I got out my thongs (“Flip flops!” my daughter corrected me) but they weren’t strong enough to deal with the shovel and the thong parts overstretched when I crouched down, so it was back to my good old runners. Their sturdy soles deal with shovels no problem and they tie up nice and snug.
In the spring when gnats flit around trying to drown themselves in my eyes and nose, I wear a beekeeper’s mesh head protector that sits on a hat and comes down to my shoulders. Once the weather heats up enough, they aren’t such a problem and I can safely doff the mesh protection.
Last, but not least is a watch so I know when it’s coffee time, lunch and then time for Jeopardy on Newfoundland TV at 3:30. I particularly enjoy the weather report before final Jeopardy. I spent my early childhood in Goose Bay and like to be reminded every day how much better the soil and climate are here, and don’t get me started about the ravenous mosquitoes in the wild blueberry patch. I’d love to see those nude gardening enthusiasts tackle Labrador!
Please contact mary_lowther@yahoo.ca with questions and suggestions since I need all the help I can get.