I have a couple pair of these. When the fingers develop holes, I use duct tape. When three fingers have holes, I get a new pair. $3 or so at the hardware store.

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I use them when moving rocks, spreading mulch from the landfill, or using a shovel/rake. My hands are my life so I need to protect them. But never when planting or working with the actual plants. Not even the roses.

When I fail to wear gloves, I always regret it. I have calluses, cracks, stains and cuts to show for it.

My favorite garden gloves are thin goat-skin. Those nice fabric ones with the leather trim are good, too.

Nell

I can't stand gloves, if I start out wearing them eventually they come off and get tossed. I do have a pair of black rubber gloves the kind fishermen wear when they're cleaning fish, these I wear when I'm potting up 50 baskets and gallon pots at a go, a medium is a good size for my hand. Sometimes I have worn a protective hand cream and dug my fingernails into a bar of soap before heading out but I have to say most of the time I end up with rough dry hands for most of the summer. I've got a box of disposable gloves from the drug store which I plan to try for certain jobs when potting in the greenhouse. We'll see how that goes :o).

Annette

I forgot to add I keep my tetanus shot up to date, something all gardeners should do. A

i use the cotton ones dipped in rubber. they come two pairs for $3. I started wearing them because I was an avid golfer and the shovel would cause blisters which are not beneficial to holding a golf club. I can't play golf anymore but I still wear the gloves.

Most of the time I put mine on. There are several in my tool box: one for working with roses; another pair - thin Foxgloves gloves. One heavy-duty pair for handling rocks. And a bunch of inexpensive ones that I throw away frequently.
When I don't wear gloves, I regret later on.
And I agree with Aftermidnight about tetanus shot. Once when NOT wearing gloves, I got bit by something so bad, that my hand got swollen to the size I had no idea was possible. I went to the emergency room, and the Doctor gave me a lecture about importance of tetanus shot.

I hated gloves until I discovered nitrile Atlas gloves --- they're almost like not wearing gloves, are machine washable, last a long time, and since I have about a dozen I can take them off if water gets into them and put on a dry pair immediately. I bought them online --- I forget where.

I've always worn gloves to garden but living on the ranch I've had to make it a practice to never leave the house without them. There are just too many things to get hurt on out there. I prefer a soft leather glove that is not tight fitting but that stays on easily. A friend sent me a pair of garden gloves that are all leather on the palms and only the top of the hand is cloth. They're nice to use in the garden and quite comfortable too.

MeMo

Gosh, I know I should wear them but I have a phobia. I fear spiders hiding in them. I stuck my good leather one's in the microwave for 3 seconds as a precaution and they caught fire.

I use the disposable latex gloves sometimes but I prefer using my bare hands.

I wear gloves most of the time...now.
As was mentioned, cracked fingers, abrasions, cuts, scratches, & etc. are just too painful and are a hindrance for days until they heal, not to mention the many times I have been cut on buried junk, like broken glass and old pieces of metal. Annette is correct. You absolutely want to make sure your shots are up to date.

Still, I get dirt on my hands and occasionally forget my gloves or misplace them, so when I go back inside, I thoroughly wash my hands with soap and a soft nail brush, scrubbing them and drying them completely. This prevents cracked fingers and rough, dry cuticles and hangnails. It really makes a big difference.

Gloves
I buy a $4 pair of gloves at WalMart or Lowe's - both sell them. They are awesome. They are made of some kind of spandex-like material with rubber-like gripper material on the palms and fingers, so they fit like part of your hand & fingers and you have much better dexterity. Mine can get really grubby very fast. These gloves can be washed clean easily using dish soap, hung on the fence in the sun to dry or on your kitchen towel rack if it is cold out or at night for use the next day. They dry within a very short time - virtually minutes if it is a warm sunny day. I just love them and the price is great. They last and last and last. The pair I have now I bought early last year and they are still in good shape, although they are a bit stained - but no holes or nuttin'. I use them when hauling rocks, bricks, tree clippings, logs, boards, and to do pruning. They are great to use when digging weeds and planting out flowers because the material fits like your own skin. I wear them when raking, hoeing and digging, or any kind of job that is dirty and gritty. Only when I am planting seeds or doing very delicate or intricate work do I need to take them off. I wear them on winter days to protect my hands from the cold while I am doing yard work or chores outside. I really get a lot mileage out of my gloves.

Maybe I should buy a bunch of these things and store them, just in case they decide to make them "new and improved" and screw 'em up.

I also have a pair of gloves like token's. Great for doing really tough chores, like working with rose canes or stringing barbed wire or carrying heavy objects. They are a bit cumbersome until you break them in. Then they are more flexible, and boy do they last...unless of course your dog takes a fancy to them, in which case they are TOAST!

So, yes, I absolutely believe in wearing gloves...and a hat to protect my nose,face and neck from skin cancer. I also slather on 50 UVA/UVB Sunscreen. You might say, I wear a belt and suspenders! :)

~Annie

Yes, definitely gloves for me. My skin is extremely sensitive and I try not to take many chances with it. I can't stand rubber gloves, make me itchy, so I use normal gardening cotton ones. They are inexpensive so it's easy to throw them away when they're worn out and get a new pair. I have way too many things that can severely hurt me if not using them - roses and firethorn come to mind, not to mention nettles! Like Annie, I also tend to wear a large brim hat, dark glasses and sunscreen when working outside from Spring to Fall. I have very fair skin and gardening in a zone 10 should be taken seriously as far as skin protection is concerned.

Eduarda

I always wear gloves. My favorite gardening ones are the Atlas spandex backed ones like Annie wears. I found another brand Kinco at the farm supply even cheaper so I buy them there or at Dorothy's Greenhouse where she sells them cheap too.
I live on a farm so I also keep a supply of ones like Token's
for heavy duty chores, like trimming roses or setting posts (or pulling a calf!) which I just did two days ago.

For really close work like planting seeds, I love the blue nitrile, fits-like-a-second-skin gloves like we used on the dairy. I need to order a box again...I have used up all the leftovers.

My best thing besides gloves is a long-sleeved white cotton shirt. Trust me you young ones; you should always use sunscreen, and keep covered. Skin cancer will greet you in your later years......I am headed once again to the dermatologist this morning!

Yes, I always wear gloves. We keep a stack of gloves like the ones mentioned already - cotton breathable stretchy on the backs, and rubbery on the fingertips and palms. They are washable, and cheap, and readily available. When they are dirty I just toss them in the wash and get another pair. I too am always worried about spiders and scorpions so I keep the clean stack in a big ziplock bag. Long kneesocks under long pants keep critters from off my legs too. One more thing I love to tell all my gardening friends about is Aspercream (from the drugstore) for your hands. I discovered it quite by accident. It doesn't help my joints much - but it sure is WONDERFUL for your skin. Instant relief for rough dry hands - and feet. Janen

gldno1, I keep a spray bottle of sunscreen in the basement next to my tools. I'm too fair skinned to be outside much without sunscreen. I can get sunburned in February.

I always carry a pair of canvas or cotton gloves in my pocket, but don't always wear them. If I do, it's for heavy work with rocks or brush or pulling tall weeds. Even then, not all the time.

yes and no...depends on several things..

How far the gloves are from where I am working..
Whether I knew I was going to pull weeds or work..or just happened upon it on the way to elsewhere and began working...
Whether I might be going somewhere later in the day where I need "clean" hands,
I am as bad about wearing them as I am good about it..it really depends on how the wind blows some days, or if the sun is shining or any other silly reason..

I work at a school, so until school is out in the spring..I am a bit more careful about wearing them...just for the appearance factor..thru the summer..much less good unless needed. Like others have said..using roses, rocks..or heavy shovel rake work that might result in blisters I am better at using them...lesser chores, not usually. I never pay more than five dollars for them. I am a cheap gardener!

I buy a pair every year and every year I toss them to the side. I love the feel of the dirt! Only reason I buy the gloves is because my hands end up so dry and scratched up. In the end though they drive me nuts and off they come. Infact I have last years pair lying on one of the beds. I did get a heavy duty pair to tackle a couple very thorny roses!

I also wear gloves for most garden chores. I use heavier leather ones when I'll be moving bricks or stone or doing repetitive shovel work to avoid blisters, cuts, etc. I have some of the fabric/rubber dipped ones for planting, weeding, and such.

I don't wear them because I'm particularly concerned about the appearance of my hands or on account of any skin sensitivity. Rather, I somehow can reach right in with less hesitation than I would without gloves. Who wants to reach for a stem to deadhead and grab a bug barehanded? Or push down into the dirt and poke a hole in a lurking grub? (I'd NEVER get my nails clean after that!) Not to mention the possibility of surprising a snake in the ground cover or shrubbery or finding more of the roofing nails the workmen apparently tossed like confetti in celebration for finishing up the new roof. You get the picture... When I don't have to think about such "hazards" I can concentrate on the gardening job I'm doing with much more confidence and comfort.

For those who worry about spiders - that crossed my mind, too. So I keep my gloves clipped by the wrist with a wide spring clip meant for holding a potato chip bag closed. It has a handy hole in the handle that fits on a nail in the garage. The gloves can air dry that way. (They always seem to get damp or wet by the time I finish working.) If one of the fingers has a hole I just bend it up and catch it in the clip, too.

When I am cutting and stripping flowers, especially sunflowers, for the market, I wear gloves just like Token's. That way I can just grip each stem and zip my hand downward to rip the leaves off. I've done this with and without gloves and I can tell you - gloves are better. An added advantage is that I can flick bees off the flowers without them getting me. They usually come back, though, when the flowers are in the bucket.

I never thought about spiders in the gloves. I guess I will now. :-) Our spiders are pretty harmless around here.

ThinMan

I use any that are available, but not too fond of the flimsy 'sweatshirt material' ones that have no other kind of fabric where it's needed. But they work when I'm doing light stuff.

I like the ones that Token has up there; they make them in a girlie model...I think I find them at Lowe's usually, so I buy several pairs when I can find them cuz they are hard to come by otherwise, and usually gone by the time I get back to Lowe's again. The girlie version is usually about $6, but I like them because they are sized to fit smaller hands than the generics that token shows from the manly section.

I like a stiffer canvas glove when I can find them, as opposed to the ones that feel like mittens to keep your hands warm. The ones with leather 'parts' don't get wet as quickly, either.

I don't use gloves when planting out my wintersown plants, since they are a hindrance with smallish seedlings.

I hardly ever wear gloves - mainly if I'm going to be doing something with thorns, etc. I have some like Token showed. But, when weeding or planting, I never wear them because I can't feel what I'm doing properly - or at least that's what it seems like to me. Dh is always nagging me to wear gloves.

I do keep my tetanus shots up to date, though I have to admit I think about it more because I'm on job sites.

Another vote for nitrile here.

I love the goatskin gloves - spring and fall. When the soil is damp/wet, I use cotton/latex; the lighters ones are called nitrile?? OK. Whatever. I don't use the ones like Token showed, cause even with my un-girlie sized hands, they are too large, and cumbersome. I have goat-skins, with longer wrist bits, to use with the Chain-saw and shrubs and roses. Don't ask about the CS, as I am grumpy with it; my other gloves are good with the rest. In the am, or just coming home, I am very likely to garden without - gasp - gloves.

Nancy.