Rubber gloves offer water resistance when working with wet soils and are a good choice when you are spraying any type of chemicals, but we found that they often aren’t as breathable as cotton gloves. These gloves are usually made from lightweight polyester and cotton. They’re ideal for non-intensive jobs, such as sowing seeds, as the thin fabric makes it easier to feel exactly what you’re doing. Medium duty gloves Rose pruning gloves are typically looser fitting leather gloves with a long cuff or gauntlet that protects your hands and forearms from thorn punctures and noxious weeds. Secretly, they also come in handy when grooming cats that don’t like to be groomed. The price of these gloves is a little higher than some other types of gloves, but they are a good option if you're willing to pay more for comfort and eco-friendly materials. They do tend to make movement a touch more difficult, though, so do consider whether you’ll need that extra protection or not. If you have the budget, it’s worth investing in both a long and short pair of gloves so you can swap between the two depending on the task.

These gloves have become our go-to pair for any tasks working with pokey bushes and plants. We no longer dread caring for cactuses and roses thanks to these gloves. Even though they're definitely warmer than other options, we don't mind the sweat instead of scratched hands. Another consideration when selecting gardening gloves is the type of fabric used in the construction of the gloves. Some materials that are good choices for gardening gloves are cotton, nylon, and polyester. We love that these gloves are touchscreen compatible, so you won’t have to worry about yanking them off whenever your phone rings. The thumbs, forefingers, and palms have additional padding to make gripping gardening tools and equipment a little more comfortable. And the terry cloth finish on both thumbs allows you to wipe away dirt effectively and absorb sweat.

Looking to exercise your green fingers… without getting green fingers? These are the best gardening gloves you can buy

While they aren’t waterproof, we found that any dampness that soaked through dried almost immediately. You can’t put the gloves in the washing machine, but some users have suggested you can leave the gloves on and wash your hands with dishwashing detergent to clean them. There are so many good reasons to wear gardening gloves,” says Alan Down, lifelong avid gardener and nurseryman with 35 years of retailing experience. “A good pair of thorn-proof gloves protects your hands from soil borne diseases, cuts and abrasions and even from damp, cold, nettles and thorns. These are more expensive than some garden gloves, but their quality seems to match the price. After six months of use, we noticed the leather at the fingertips thinning and noticeable wear on the suede, but no holes despite being our go-to pair for pruning thorny rose bushes. We still think they’ll last a long time—the gloves earned a 5/5 in our durability test—but expect them to get dirty over time since they are not machine washable. Although they are not the most attractive gardening gloves, they’re very useful to have on hand for heavy-duty yard work.

While you may not consider heat resistance to be an important factor while shopping for gardening gloves, you’d be surprised how handy it can be. A quality pair of heat-resistant gloves provide you with a comfortable level of protection while working with fire pits, bonfires and barbecues. While you wouldn’t want to go so far as to start handling coals, it’ll make clearing up hot ashes a breeze. Some of the gloves we’ve chosen as our best buys have extra long cuffs, which are particularly useful if you’re dealing with trees, shrubs and thorny plants – they’ll protect from scratches and scrapes and will prevent your sleeves from getting dirty, too when you're using the best garden shears or the best loppers.

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These are expensive, and while the silicone pads on the fingertips add durability, they don't work with your smartphone. They are surprisingly easy to put on and take off, which after a messy session is important. The label states hand-washable, though I’d risk putting them in the washing machine to make sure they were clean of pond gunk. The first thing you notice about the Mulch gloves is the creative branding. This style, the Thornstar, has an attractive foliage pattern in lavender and grey with soft grey suede. Mulch describes them as pretty. There is also a ‘Lady Chatterley’s Glover’ pattern and a leopard-skin one called Wild Thing.

Firm Grip Pigskin Work Gloves: These gloves are what we would consider a typical leather glove. After working in a garden and mowing a lawn, our team member developed a bit of chaffing and some blisters while wearing these. While that's to be expected of true leather gloves, we think the heavy-duty options we listed in this roundup can save your hands the pain of a break-in period. But, with there being so many different types of gloves on the market, how can you tell you’re getting the right pair for the job? That’s where we can help. We recruited Farmer Rich, a seventh-generation fruit and vegetable farmer, to test a range of gardening gloves to find those that provide the best performance. Gardening gloves are meant for gardening, but they’re not all created equal. For the most part, you’ll find options with stretchy knit linings and some sort of latex or rubber coating on the palms and fingers for grip and protection.Sizing on gloves can vary slightly between men and women, and we were impressed by the fit of these Bionic Men’s Tough Pro Gloves. These gloves felt so nice that we almost didn’t want to get them super dirty with soil and other debris. Some leather gloves can be quite uncomfortable during their first wear, but we did not experience a discernible “breaking in” with this pair. The grippy rubber on the palms and fingertips also gave us added confidence while working with certain tools. Some pairs of highly-rated gloves failed to hold up in our tests and were not included in our ranking. What to look for when buying gardening gloves

Gardening gloves are typically light-weight and tight-fitting to allow for good dexterity when handling small plants and hand tools. Many can also double as work gloves. Which material should you get? Since they are tight fitting, we found the Pine Tree Tools Bamboo Gloves to be helpful when weeding and repotting. Our hands got a little hot while wearing these gloves, but we thought they did a good job of protecting our hands from outside moisture when working with damp soil. After several hours of work, they were still in very good shape. We did find the gloves to be a little snug, so you might want to go up a size if you are unsure. After six months, we’re still impressed by the quality and padding that these gloves provide. They’re our go-to pair for more strenuous gardening tasks like mulching or turning the compost, and we feel comfortable wearing them for long stretches. Fourth, consider the style of gardening you plan to do. Some gloves are designed for pulling weeds, while others are designed for planting seeds. Make sure the gloves you choose will help you do your job better.After six months, these are still one of our go-to pairs of gardening gloves. While the rubber is a bit worn down from regular use, they’re still in great shape. GoPro gardening gloves: These gloves use GoPro cameras to capture footage while you work, so you can easily see what you’re doing and avoid getting stung. They’re also waterproof, so you can work in wet conditions.