Clothing for gardening

[ecogirl]

What sort of clothing do you wear for gardening? And what's the suitable wearing for gardening? Do you put your hair back in a ponytail? I'm just wondering.... ;)

[craftpals]

Good question. :)
I never thought of that.

Let me see....in the early spring when I do most of my work, I like jeans and Tshirt.

In the summer when it's just light weeding...I like very little clothing because I use that time to get some sun.

The hair?
I have shoulder length..sometimes "yes" and most of the time "no".
I use my hair to protect the back of my neck from the sun. :)

[Sinfonian]

Hehe, right now, I garden in my work clothes, as most of my gardening is done before or immediately after work. Of course right now gardening is harvesting, very light weeding and watering.

Big projects on the weekends are jeans and boots. Of course in the summer I try to wear long sleeves to protect from the sun. Comfort and weather protection, I'd say, are the most important. And hats, lots of hats, hehe.

[plantoneonme]

What sort of clothing do you wear for gardening? And what's the suitable wearing for gardening? Do you put your hair back in a ponytail? I'm just wondering.... ;)

I usually have my hair in a ponytail as I hate it hanging in my face. I wear garden gloves most of the time but take them off a lot and end up with pretty dirty hands anyway. I have to wear a lightweight, long sleeve shirt if I am into the tomatoes a lot. There is something about tomatoes plants that make me itch. Have you ever been picking a lot of tomatoes and when you look later your arms are kinda green? This happens to me a lot and that stuff makes me itch. If my granddaughter is over, she LOVES to pick tomatoes and she doesn't turn so green and it doesn't bother her so she usually picks the tomatoes that she can reach. Besides those things, I wear whatever the weather dictates...shorts, long pants, rain gear etc.

Kim

[ecogirl]

I usually have my hair in a ponytail as I hate it hanging in my face. I wear garden gloves most of the time but take them off a lot and end up with pretty dirty hands anyway. I have to wear a lightweight, long sleeve shirt if I am into the tomatoes a lot. There is something about tomatoes plants that make me itch. Have you ever been picking a lot of tomatoes and when you look later your arms are kinda green? This happens to me a lot and that stuff makes me itch. If my granddaughter is over, she LOVES to pick tomatoes and she doesn't turn so green and it doesn't bother her so she usually picks the tomatoes that she can reach. Besides those things, I wear whatever the weather dictates...shorts, long pants, rain gear etc.

Kim

Poor you kim! It must itch a lot! I have eczema and I know what it feels like!:D

[gardengirl72]

Mostly I wear whatever is comfortable and if I am on camera then whatever looks good:). I have to say, I am trying out these super awesome coveralls.

Check out this link, they are made by a woman and my husband says they "actually look good..". I would love your thoughts on them.

http://www.rosiescoveralls.com/ (http://www.rosiescoveralls.com/)

I really like them a lot.

[Backyard Permaculture]

There is something about tomatoes plants that make me itch. Have you ever been picking a lot of tomatoes and when you look later your arms are kinda green? This happens to me a lot and that stuff makes me itch. Kim


You may be sensitive or somewhat sensative to the Nightshade family of plants which include tobacco and tobasco.

I was just reading this AM in Carla Emory's Encyclopedia of Country Living that people who smoke or chew tobacco product while they are gardening can transmit tobacco mossaic to them

Ron

[JudyH]

This is probably going to make all of you laugh, but I'm pretty allergic to most anything green. So, when I touch some green plants, my hands will break out and itch like crazy! For example, I harvested some mustard greens and turnip greens yesterday and brought them inside to wash and prepare to cook. By the time I was finished, my hands were red and I could have clawed them because they itched so bad! Tomatoes are pretty bad for me too. Thank goodness I'm not allergic to eating these veggies LOL. I guess I could/should wear gloves but I don't.

Oh, and the Christmas tree -- No way can I touch a live tree or even think of putting lights or ornaments on one. I love them and love the way they smell though -- the smell doesn't bother me at all.

[plantoneonme]

Yeah I figured I was probably allergic to the tomato plants...thankfully for me I am not allergic to tomatoes!!! I don't know what I would do if I couldn't sit down with a fresh, hot, off the vine tomato, sitting in the garden eating it with the juice dripping off my chin.

Judy, it sounds like an allergy to me. As an RN who suffers from allergies to most hospital gloves...please learn to use some type of protection. Allergies can advance without warning into a life threatening situation. I ignored minor signs from some of the hospital gloves and one night ended up in the ER in respiratory distress...thankfully I was at work or who knows what would have happened.

Kim

[gardengirl72]

I have a doctor friend who I am going to ask about this stuff. This is very interesting.

[Garden Green]

I put my hair up in a pony tail or out of the back end of a ball cap. I have so much of it that even up in a pony tail, it covers my neck from the sun. Normally, I wear very comfortable clothing, jeans or I have a pair of blue cotton pants that I just adore because they are just so comfortable.

As far as the allergies go, have any of you taken benedryl before you run off and start touching stuff that makes you itch?

[Dr. Kathryn]

Allergies are responses to the interaction of our immune systems with agents from the world around us. You can take two broad approaches to improve your allergic condition:

(1) You can try to find and eliminate the substance that is causing the reaction.
(2) You can make your immune system stronger and therefore less reactive to the harmful substance that is at fault.

When it comes to allergies that are caused by touching plants in your garden, you can address solutions by:
(1)Wearing protective clothing, like gloves. This was mentioned in some of the ezine entries above.
(2)Strengthening the immune system. Take into account considerable scientific evidence which indicates that introducing certain foods (including cow's milk) too soon into an infant's diet, at the time when its intestinal tract and immune systems are still immature, may provoke responses in its tissues that will lead to symptoms of allergy later in life. Similarly, respiratory allergies and skin problems may be started at that tender age, when the infant's immune responses are unable to cope properly with the alien allergens.

These problems, seeded in infancy by what we were fed, flourish as we get older. By eliminating animal protein (meat, dairy, eggs) from the diet, we can

[Dr. Kathryn]

(sorry, ran out of space)

These problems, seeded in infancy by what we were fed, flourish as we get older. By eliminating animal protein (meat, dairy, eggs) from the diet, we can "de-stress and reset" our immune systems so that they are less reactive to the toxicities in our environments.

Try, for a month, eating a diet of whole grains, vegetables (including sea vegetables), fruits, and water. Like many other people, you may find improvement in your environmental allergies.

Dr. Kathryn

[Garden Green]

Thanks, Doc!

[plantoneonme]

Thanks Dr. Kathryn! There is not way on earth I will give up my tomatoes so I make do and wear long sleeves...I can eat them fine there is just something in the "green" they leave on my skin that makes me itch.

Kim

[Sinfonian]

Thank you Dr. Kathryn. I never knew that about allergies. I've had hay fever since I was a preteen and have no food allergies. As for our kids, we didn't introduce them to cows milk until they were weaned at around 18 to 24 months. I sure hope that is adequate because we were never told about this. My kids aren't allergic to anything yet, but I wouldn't put hay fever past them.

Hehe, going vegetarian for a month would be extremely difficult, even though we don't eat a great deal of red meat. I will remember that though.

Thank you!

[Backyard Permaculture]

[QUOTE=Dr. Kathryn;.
(2)Strengthening the immune system. Take into account considerable scientific evidence which indicates that introducing certain foods (including cow's milk) too soon into an infant's diet, at the time when its intestinal tract and immune systems are still immature, may provoke responses in its tissues that will lead to symptoms of allergy later in life. [/QUOTE]

Dr Kathryn

You specifically mentioned Cow's Milk. Would goat's milk provoke the same problems later on in life?

Ron
Goat Milker

[shebear]

So is all meat bad? Are game animals also linked to allergy issues? What is it about the meat that's the problem?

[kitsapFG]

Cold Season (late fall/winter/early spring) or if doing work around rough brush or whacking down weeds in the garden walkway with the weedwhacker - jeans, t-shirt, heavy fleece zip up hoody (comes off if I warm up), sport shoes, and good garden gloves.

Spring/Summer/early fall - Shorts, t-shirt, slip on "Ked" style shoes (no socks), and good lightweight garden gloves.

I use a moisturizer daily with sunscreen protection (spf 15) on face and arms so I do not worry about sun protection beyond that much.

[Dr. Kathryn]

Unfortunately for those of us who grew up on diets of animal protein (meat, dairy etc) we have been eating food that not only is linked to heart disease, cancer, osteoporosis, arthritis, and lots of other "diseases of affluence," but it also makes a very big carbon footprint.

All the GardenGirl eziners who care to...

(1) Eat more healthfully, optimize weight, improve energy
(2) Decrease the greenhouse gases that they are creating
(3) Avoid health problems that lead to hospital and doctor visits
(4) Eat less expensively

...should read T.Colin Campbell's "The China Study" and visit "www.macro-mediterranean.com," focusing on the videos, green meals page, and the "Yes You Can" Study.

Dr. Kathryn