Oh boy, I feel your pain aftermidnight. I hate wearing gloves with a passion,
but I hate dirty hands too. I have the problem of having very small hands so my gloves always have an empty space at the fingertips. Twenty five years ago (when they didn't make many "serious" work gloves for women at all), I splurged on a new product....super soft, supple goatskin gloves that actually fit me like....well, a glove. They were very pricey. I wore them for a few days while I was working on my cousins garden & when I went in for lunch one day her yellow lab ate all of both gloves except for the left thumb. Other than some goat-scented gas, the dog was fine. But I never spent big money on gloves again.

Right now I have a pair of Atlas Fits gloves that I got at my local True Value for six bucks. They got me through February's bare root rose planting.

Better than watching your money go up in super expensive doggy goat farts.

I use those Atlas supergrip gloves, too. The heavy insulated ones in the winter, the medium weight ones in spring and fall, and the very thin, nitrile ones in summer. I also keep a box of disposible nitrile gloves around for when I need very good dexterity (not thorn proof!) Gloves frustrate me, but cracked skin on my fingertips is too painful to tolerate.

I have small hands, even for a woman and I have found some gloves that fit that I love. I love the Summer ones too.

I believe the summer ones are from Atlas, I bought them at Rain or Shine on Airport Way in Portland, cheaper than the website below.

Here is a link that might be useful: Ultimate Gloves

I've never thought myself "lucky" for having big hands before, but I am using those knit cotton gloves with rubberized fingers and palms and they seem to be working for me. I also use kitchen rubber gloves that I buy by the bundle. I like something I can "feel" through. I find that I start the day with gloves on and at some point I will look down and see -- dirty naked fingers! this year I am making an effort to keep the gloves on and these knit gloves seem to breathe better than most and the rubberized part is thick enough to repel thorns.

I had a good laugh about the dog eating the goatskin gloves. Have a yellow lab and can just imagine him doing that too.
Over the years I have trained myself to wear gloves, although they do come off sometimes. My little fingers are getting slightly arthritic, so I need to protect from the cold. I have gloves of all kinds, rubber, cotton but would really love to find some with a warming device! Is there such a thing, maybe for hunters???

I always start with good intentions and wear a pair of gloves. But they are off before long. I have been keeping my nails trimmed once a week to just above the quick for 20 years. This helps to keep them clean. So does my super efficient nail cleaner- I keep my hair cropped at the zero level with my hair clippers. Works like a charm in the shower getting my hands and nails clean. A bit tough a times pulling a shirt on- the stubble works like velcro on some materials.

... Don

I love my Atlas nitrile gloves but the right hand always wears out in the index finger first. I wish Atlas would sell extra right hand gloves or maybe a pair and a half. I have a whole bunch of perfectly good left hand gloves. When I am desperate, I turn a lefty inside out. Works pretty good. Otherwise, I still have dirty fingernails on my right hand because the glove wears out so quickly!

Well I guess I have to say one thing good about the black, rubber, fish-cleaning gloves I'm making myself wear, I can buy singles. I knew there had to be something good about the D... things.

A......

I like the knit and rubberized gardening gloves except that they get dirty and smell bad after a while. a friend throws them in the washer and dryer but I am afraid it will shorten their lives so I just wear them until they get holes or something. They really beat the perpetually stained fingers I had before them.

The Atlas gloves - all forms - wash up beautifully and as inexpensive as they are, I don't much mind how long they last. I have a whole wardrobe of them for various times of the year both at home and at work, but my faves are the standard green palms. And like bamboomary, I go through the right handed ones pretty fast :-)

For pruning chores, specially roses, I prefer the West County Gardener rose gloves. I've yet to meet a rose thorn that could penetrate their reinforced palms and yet they are very lightweight and flexible. Also machine washable.

I've found that I will keep onthe new THIN and FLEXIBLE Atlas nitrile gloves even when weeding tiny little hard to pull weeds...a first for me.

BTW I have lots of extra rights of every other type of glove because for some reason this righty takes off her left glove first for key tasks and often leaves it behind since my right hand which I use primarily is gloved....i seem to not notice it is missing for awhile. It doesn't happen with the Atlas type nitriles because I leave them on. jwww

I bought the all the way up to your shoulder pond gloves from Ultimate and love them too but I do need some rose gloves. I don't have that many roses but I'm sick of being scratched up.

I also wear out the index fingers in my gloves. Didn't realize there was a crack in the tip the other day and stuck my hand in one of my shallower ponds and got a glove full of very cold, yucky water.

I anyone a Leftie?
I may have several extra left gloves but they are smalls.

I have turned the gloves inside out to wash them but had a hard time getting the fingers back right side out. Even using a pencil to poke at them. The Atlas fabric backed ones are much easier.

I really like the warmth of the rubber gloves on my hands. I have Fibromyalgia which is similar to Arthritis only muscles not bone and my fingers are stiff and achy when cold.

I also have long fingernails for the first time in my life. I was a florist for over twenty years and they were ragged and before that I chewed. Gross, I know. Now I'm a sales rep and have to wear dressy clothes and ragged gardening nails just doesn't look nice.

buyorsell888, Fibromyalgia is a real bummer. I just sent you an email, just a thought, might help.

A......

I was struggling with this issue for a long time.Finally I think I got it.This is what I do for heavy many hours work I always wear gloves.First I put vaseline on my hands and a bit under nails.It will protect your nails and yes no dirt will get there the vasseline is like a barrier.then I put gloves the same kind used in medical or for food handling.If you get the ones with talcum powder they also will protect from dirt.Then I put my regular garden gloves on top of them.If I have to take my gloves off for any reason sometimes the first pair has to be replaced if your hands get moist you won't be able to reuse the same ones.So I just change them as needed.If I do light work I just stay with the first pair and change it as needed.It does work and my finger nails stay reasonably clean.If I do it well and re-apply vaseline each time the gloves are changed then my nails stay clean, but the hands stay moist and it will ruin your nail polish after few hours.

I use the regular green atlas gloves, but in winter it is often too cold and my hands go numb, so I will get a pair that is one size too large and wear some thin wool gloves inside them.

I really like the Atlas nitrile gloves, but my fingernails always poke through on the right hand, on the 2nd and 3rd fingers. I try to keep them trimmed, but sometimes I just like longer nails. I haven't found any other brand of glove that I like as much.

How come even when I wear gloves, the canvas and rubber ones, I still get dirty fingernails??

On other option is to use the plastic gloves like doctors use. Use them either by themselves for pulling little weeds, or inside gloves that have gotten a bit dirty. Hands get little sweaty, but fingers stay clean.

C'mon ladies.....nail polish?? In the garden?? Really now, how serious a gardener can one be and still need to maintain a manicure? Yes, I treat myself to one from time to time, but the most I'll go for is a French manicure with clear polish and it may last of all 2-3 days. LOL! Save the polish for your toes - it's much sexier!!

I have arthritis in my hands and I need the protection and warmth of gloves. I like the Atlas cuz the rubberized palms help to improve my grip, which is not strong. Ian, you should check out the thermalite type of Atlas gloves (gray colored) - they are insulated and a great help in winter. If really cold, I'll put on a thin pair of the nitriles with the thermalites over the top and change them frequently when they get wet. Like I said, I have a whole wardrobe of these guys with multiple pairs of each style!

Yes, I wear nail polish, on my toes too. Trust me, I'm a serious gardener.

I use OPI Chip Skip as a pre-polish treatment and then use OPI nail polish and top coat. Best, most long lasting polish I've ever used. Lasts much longer than professional manicures. The Chip Skip is the key step.

I wear the Ultimate all rubber to my elbows gloves in winter as they are warm. I switch to the Atlas fabric backed short gloves for warmer weather.

Aftermidnight, thanks, I did not get your email. I'll check my spam folder.

There are some gloves with the rubberized palms and fingers made out of acrylic instead of cotton. They are much warmer but didn't seem to last me quite as long before getting holes. Nitrile gloves are great for weeding being lighter so I can feel better through them but they are easy to get holes in.

As for nail polish, I'm a naturalist and hate toxic chemicals so I avoid it like the plague. I think original pink nails look the best. I also don't have pierced ears.=^:^=

I absolutely LOVE my Foxgloves. Love them. I bought them with some birthday money last spring and they were worth every penny. Comfy, wonderfully durable (I grubbed around in the dirt with them all year, and they hardly look worn), and they keep my nails clean even when they're wet and muddy. And I can handle things easily. I can't say enough good things about them.

I really dislike the texture of dirt on my hands and dirt under my nails, I always have, so up till now I've always either worn floppy gloves that got in the way, or gone through scrubbing and cleaning my nails after every day in the garden.

Kristin