Go out early in the day before the sun heats up, everybody sweats, nothing like a nice cold shower after a good sweaty couple of hours in the garden; then you can sit back and enjoy your hard work.

Don't you just hate sweating when it's humid? I do most of my sweating on my head so it runs into my eyes, soaks my hair, my collar, - you get the picture. I inherited this from my dad. I SURE WISH IT WOULD COOL DOWN!

I've seen advertised these bandana things that you either freeze or refrigerate (I forget which), but I've not tried them. Has anyone here? If they really work, that might be a partial solution. Or those little battery-operated portable fans with a mister - have you tried those?

We have these stupid gnats that start swarming when I start sweating. I HATE them - but I hate spraying poisons all over me even worse, and clipons don't do much when you're moving around a lot. But other than gardening in a completely enclosed, climate controlled building, or only at midnight, I don't know what else to do but grit my teeth and slap-slap-slap!

Edie

Heck yeah its hot here too in KY. Dang weather. Had floods weeks ago now droughts......
Unfortunately I am a nite owl.... Hard to get up early. Even though I know I SHOULD. Hate the extreme humid heat.
Be nice to have a hovering umbrella. Bought several nice ones. But I move around too much Or better yet a floating big maple.... LOL
I cut down my beautiful trees cause I wanted more growing area.....
The one is the back I miss the most cause it actually helped shade the back deck. But unfortunately we do not have buried service. So local UTILITY hacked it . Plus backyard is so shallow
Thanks for letting me chime in
jean
Thanks for letting me vent
Jean

Not only do I sweat, but I get very flush also! I drink tons of water and I don't feel horrible - I just look it. Everyone tries to offer me something to drink. More embarrassing than anything. This all started later in life - pre-menopausal, I think!

i try to get out in the garden early to try to beat the heat and make it back in the house by 10 am. i got a bucket of supplies i carry to the garden with me at 430-5am. it's got pruners, twine, hand digger, gloves, whatever suitable for what ive got planned for that day. i also put in 4(refilled) bottles of water and they're usually empty before the sun clears the trees. i dont mind sweating, even if i am sopping wet from it, but i can not deal with sweat running from my head down into my face/eyes/mouth/beard. i take a thick dish towel and fold/roll it bandana style into a headband and safety pin the back and wear it on my forehead like a sweatband. it does much better than those sweat bands they sell in the sporting goods section. i keep a dry one ready to go in my bucket as well. i hate walkin back to the shed or house when im in the middle of something. i leave the pin on the back and throw the whole rig into the washin machine and its ready to go in the morning

Like a hog in a sauna! I guess I'm no lady, either. It's not the sweat that bothers me so much as the nasuea I get when I'm overheating... though I guess that serves the purpose of making me stop before I keel over. I've been thinking about one of those little icy things, the one my husband saw was to go around your neck. I think it would help. Otherwise, things that help are lots of small breaks in the shade, like sharpening a tool or pre-cleaning something I just harvested, writing down something I just did in a journal... that way I'm doing something and cooling down a little. I do have a picnic table with an attached umbrella right next to the garden so I don't ahve to go anywhere. Also eating popsicles helps a lot. I like the sugarfree ones. Oh, and a straw hat. It keeps the sun from baking the top of my head but with my thick hair I do need to be careful not to jam it on, but rather perch it so there's airflow, if that makes any sense. Anyway, maybe one of us needs to print up a t-shirt that says "Sweat happens."

Cheers!

I'm not a woman! But get you a BIG straw hat, like a Mexican hat. It will shade your head and shoulders. This will make you 10 or 15 degrees cooler in the hot sun. Get one and you can thank me later.

Easy answer=garden naked. I do it... its really common in southwest Wisconsin. The benefit=no tan lines.

Hopefully you have good running shoes on when the cops show up!

No offense to any of you, but it seems only wimps, up until now are responding. Sweating is good for you, as long as you know how to handle it. We use to hoe tobacco in close to triple digit temps, after 45 minutes in a row, we were sopping wet. Take a break, drink lots of cold water, wipe the salt off our backs and do it again.

Bale hay or house tobacco in the tops of barns with tin roofs, with no fans - the temps could easily reach 110-115 degrees. After we finished a load, drink lots of water or ice tea.

The key is rehydration - keep lots of water in your system.

Mike

It helps by cooling off the body at the end of bath. Just when you finish your bath slowly reduce the temperature by turning the knob gradually.Reduce the cool off temp. every day bit by bit.After few days you will be able to cool off using the cold wter.This will help in reduced sweatng.Not only that you will need less warmer water for your bath.

wordwiz, I bet you walked to school 20 miles up hill both ways in two feet of snow when you where a kid. RIGHT!!! LOL

If they have a name for it then you must have company. It's called hyperhidrosis and it could be caused by a medical condition. Problems with your thyroid is one cause.

I sweat too much too and always look like someone dumped a pail of water over my head. It's been going on for so long that I don't even notice anymore. The worse part is all the salt lines on my clothes when I dry off. I just drink gallons of water and take a break in the shade every once in a while. Cutting out the caffeine seems to help.

Thanks everyone.

It definitely helps to stop often and rest/drink water/cool off in the shade. My sweat drips on my glasses so much I can't see. Have to be careful with how I clean them, since I have that anti-reflective coating.

I know sweating cools our bodies off, but it seems like some people can do it in moderation. I guess I'm just not one of those people.

I think I'll give the towel-headband a try, and the hat. I think what would really work best would be to hire a gardener while I sit in the shade with ice tea. :)

Haha! Great thread! I sweat like mad! And it's odd, cuz my hubby doesn't under his arms, can go a day without deod and not smell, but his head does sweat. Not me!

I just don't bother showering before working outside; I don't see the sense in it. I am not a 'pretty' gardener at all. I get grimy and dirty and sweaty, and then I go in and get all cleaned up when I am done.

Expensive, but a GREAT brand of hats are the Tilley hats. Both hubby and I have the wide-brim gardener hats. I have had issues with skin cancer in the past, love to garden and be outdoors, so I just try and be careful.

I try to garden more in the morning and afternoon to avoid the strongest/ hottest times in the sun and make up a pitcher of lemon juice and water and keep it outside with me for my breaks.

Seems to me that if we're all out there sweating we can't actually be wimps, but then again, I'm not a man with a macho ego to defend, so perhaps I'm missing something there. :) It is always interesting to me when someone says "no offense" to preface something they know is going to be offensive... it doesn't work if you say "no offense" and punch someone and it doesn't really work conversationally either.

Back to to the sweating, I was going to say that drinking lots of fluids probably is part of the sweating... I know the more hydrated I am the more I sweat, but that's a good thing in terms of being able to cool a body.

To keep bugs away, I bought a "hat" made out of plastic netting, that covers my head and neck. I can also pull up the part over my face, so I can see better. If I don't wear this thing, the little black flies will bite my ears and make them swell up like cauliflowers. You can buy these bug shields at a sporting goods or hunting store. They're a few bucks.

haha... I even refuse people's offers to help me in the garden because I do not want anybody to see me in that condition! It has been really awful lately, with a heat wave, and me digging up big areas of lawn to convert to garden, and hauling compost, and getting a late start on the season... so with the heat, and the sense of being rushed, I am definitely "sweating it." Last evening it was below 80 when I was outside and it made a HUGE difference (cooler). Otherwise, though, I was always on sports teams in high school, and even into middle age it seems that sweating in the hot summer sun is just a normal circumstance... It does drive me to drink heavily, though. (Mostly at the kitchen faucet.)

LOL Caffie.......I can relate! We live out in the country, with trees all around us. I said to my husband the other day "gee.....I can't imagine working like this and looking like this, if our neighbors could see us!"

Sometimes I wonder if going in and out of air conditioning into 80+ degree weather really confuses our bodies. Maybe we would tolerate the heat more, if we didn't have A.C.?
You try it, and let me know how it goes. hahaha

I can remember not having A.C. when I was younger and sweating so hard in the house that I could hardly get my clothes on and off.

We finally got a whole house fan that helped alot, but it sure sucked in all the bugs too.

Now we have geothermal central air.....and its a real life saver.

Here in the midwest, its supposed to be in the low to mid 90's this week. Be careful out there!
I went out yesterday when it was "just" in the lower 80s and weeded and put straw under my tomatoes. I'm glad that's done for a little while. (Although you know how much the weeds love the heat. Nothing slows them down).
If I had to choose which modern conveniences to keep from a short list.....it would definitely be A.C.!

Move to Northern California! You can have 7 months of spring 50-70s. And 8 months out of a year, it'll be so dry moisture evaporates before they come out of your pores.

But seriously, sweating can be good for you. I rarely sweat except when I'm doing really really heavy duty workout. The only place that sweats is my palms. So according to my doctor, because I don't sweat, my body is too acidic. So sweating is actually good for your body. Just drink a lot of fluid and keep a balance diet with salt and minerals after you sweat. Otherwise it could be dangerous.

many medications, especially anti-depressants and others for mental health do make folks more intolerant to high heat. I garden with a group of gardeners who take these medications. We take a break every hour for a glass of cold water, and on a day like today we gardened only until 11 in the sun, then moved it off into the shade to cool down. You'll need to keep hydrated so that your liver can keep metabolizing your meds. We also wear light, loose clothing, properly fitted shoes and try to make sure we have cotton socks. Hats on, and decent quality sun glasses and sunscreens.

Garden in the morning and evening, drink lots of liquids and take a break for fifteen minutes, every hour. Don't garden when it's the most hot and humid time of day...and wear a hat!

I am a TOTAL wussie, when it comes to heat. We live in an area with five month winters, but hot and dry summers. Best thing in my garden...lots of shady spaces to sit down and take a break. Also, smaller gardens can still produce a lot of food...so maybe think about beds with easy to maintain paths in between. Less weeding, and easy to water. Just my two cents :)

lavender lass....... you're right about a smaller garden. We used to have a huge one, and it had so many places for weeds to grow! Now that I'm getting older and can't lean over as well, I'm getting into vertical gardening. The ground was just getting too far away! haha
I have several pole bean trellises, and finally figured out what to do with my kids old swing set! I've covered it with fencing and grow beans and cucs up it! Its great.

It's really bad when you're stuck in Phoenix and don't tolerate heat! I'm madly mulching and tying up tomatoes this week because I think it will be our last below 100degree week for a long time. Ugh!
I've had near heat exhaustion twice since I moved here. It seems I get less heat tolerant the older I get.

I said 'No offense' because I knew that some people would take offense, even if the words I type are true. And no, I did not have to walk to school though usually walked home from high school - it was less than a mile and mostly flat.

To us, sweating was one of those things that happens when one works in warm temps, just like getting dirty working in a field. We simply learned to deal with it. I can only remember one time, in all the years of helping dad, when he said it was too hot to work safely. We use to house tobacco in a warehouse, a big wooden building with tar roofing, wooden floors, few doors but lots of skylights. We took one load of tobacco to unload but it was 113 degrees inside. After we unloaded it, we were done with that part.

Didn't men to come off as he-man or similar, only relating that sweating was not a problem.

Mike

Nobody has yet mentioned the role that weight plays in whether you sweat a lot or are heat intolerant. I'm not implying that any of you are overweight and I am impressed that you keep gardening in those temperatures. But I do know that my obese SIL can sit out in the garden in a cotton frock and sandals while I am wearing shoes, socks, trousers, fleece and gloves and have to keep moving to stop feeling cold. When the weather warms up she really suffers. So keeping to a healthy weight could help reduce the discomfort when it warms up outside.

I'd actually read in Health magazine years ago that it is fit people who sweat more. Something about the body being more prepared to respond to exercise than people who are out of shape. I know that genetics also plays a big role, as it does in just about everything.

Catherine- I'd love to see a picture of your swingset turned bean arbor! It sounds like a great idea.

Tracy- Oh my goodness...that's too hot for me. I'd have to get a miner's hat and garden at night. My mom teases me I need one now, since I'm usually out well past dusk.

Mike- I wasn't offended and there's nothing wrong with being a he-man in the garden :)

The worse thing about sweating is getting on my glasses and in my eyes - and nothing handy to wipe glasses with. What I found that works really good is a long strip of an old towel to tie around my forehead like a sweat band. (The 'tail' of the towel stays pretty clean and can be used to wipe any sweat that does make it down past the forehead). This has made all the difference in the world! (My son calls me Rambo). Also, for the bugs, I wrap some tape (sticky side out) around my hat, and like magic, the gnats, flys, etc... stick to my hat and leave me alone! These two things have made working outside in 100+ degrees a lot more enjoyable!

There are so many natural herbal remedys that cure depression. I grow Lemon Bamb that I just found out cures anxiety.

Lavender Lass, I spent one year in WA at Ft Lewis. Boy did I love those temps! I think some of it has to do with being extremely fair skinned and growing up in cooler climate. My husband is from here and loves it until it gets to about 105. Not me, I only like the winter here and even then it's too dry.

"I've seen advertised these bandana things that you either freeze or refrigerate (I forget which), but I've not tried them. Has anyone here? If they really work, that might be a partial solution. Or those little battery-operated portable fans with a mister - have you tried those?"

They are great I here. It has been very hot for this time of year so it may be a good idea to try.

Tracy- We live on the other side of the state, about five miles from Idaho. We do have the hot, dry summers, but nothing like in your area. This year, it's been so rainy, you'd think we lived in western Washington! I'm looking forward to a little sunshine and warmer weather...but not too warm :)

We have some sweat bands at work that I use on the job and at home. The are a blue sponge with a rubber band, so it just keeps the forehead dry. But it keeps most of it off of my glasses! I have to take it off after about 1/2 hour and ring in out. They come from WW Grainger.

I get a lot of Kotex jokes when I'm wearing one though!

Wertach, hilarious!

I hate it when sweat gets on my glasses too. But when I get frustrated, I remember the months and months of shivering inside and nights that seemed to come a little after noon during the winter. Still, I prefer the cooler temps. More like pea weather.

Kim

lavender lass,
Here's a pic of the swingset. Please ignore the weeds! Last year I mostly grew cucs up it, with a small section of beans. This year, its half and half. The nylon mesh netting broke last year, so this year I put up some wire fencing. Its so nice picking veggies while standing upright!
{{gwi:65448}}

Love the photo!
As for sweating, it is part of life.
Sara is selling land in Alaska.

I sweat way too much but that's because it's hot and humid here. Stepping out into our sun is like walking into a blow torch. I've got to quit gardening between noon and 6PM, but I'm a night owl, too, and don't rise early. I remember last year I was on the west side of the house in the afternoon, and the heat was unbearable. (I get red in the face, too, and people get worried.) I went in the house, got several ice cubes, wrapped a dish towel around them longways, put the ice cubes at the back of my neck and pinned the towel pretty tight at the front of my neck. I was afraid I would suffocate with the cloth so high around my neck but no. It was wonderful. No sweating, no heat. I was perfectly comfortable even though I was out in the same hot sun. When the ice melted, I was sweating again. The ice must have been cooling the blood to my brain and elsewhere. At first it was too cold and then it wasn't. So glad for this thread. It'll be hot tomorrow, and I had forgotten this.

I always thought female gardeners should look like Martha Stewart - and then there was me. I can't wear tank tops because I need the sleeves on the t-shirt to wipe my sweaty face since my hands are covered with latex-dipped gloves (typically manure coated) that add to the heat. (Talk about stink! Those gloves get really bad.) Sweating is bad, but muck under my fingernails is a horror! Gardening is a totally embarrassing experience since I live in-town with close neighbors and I garden in my front yard a lot. But I guess I'm past the embarrassment. My shirt is soaked. My shorts are soaked. It's disgusting. I drink GatorAde while I'm out there. I find that I recuperate faster than with plain water.

It's been a joy reading the posts of all you sweaty ladies. Truly a joy! To show you how huge sweat is in my gardening life, get a load of the title of my blog.

Sherry

Here is a link that might be useful: If only sweat were irrigation...

I sweat profusly any temps above 70*F just sitting. I do not do well in warmer weathers. That aside a ice pack slipped in a tube sock,draped over the back of your neck and pinned to the bra straps works great to keep you cool.

Using water as wetting agent helps.Wet the body now and then by spraying body using the water hose.