Favourite gardening clothes

Say what you like about Tesco, but their clothing is/was unbeatable for staying the course. This winter, I dragged out the green fleece jumper that I've been gardening in for the last 18 years. It's as good as new, apart from the paint splashes acquired when renovating, 13 years ago. In the summer, it'll be the turn of the Tesco cotton shorts and Primark tee-shirts, all from the same era. One of the main requirements for any gardening clothing is pockets. Lots of roomy pockets
Are you a 'posh' gardener or do you cling onto tried and tested favourites?

 

Every bit of clothing I own is tired and tested, I hate new clothes always have.

 

I have an old coat that must be nearing 20 years old that I use for gardening. It's lightweight and comfortable. I've repaired the pockets in the past and this winter replaced the zip so it's good for a few more years yet.

 

I've inherited my Dad's lovely, warm, padded, hooded coat. It's got pockets all over the place What I appreciated less was OH's gift, back in UK, of ski-ing salopettes to enable me to carry on working in wet and arctic conditions. They say it's the thought that counts......well, yes, quite!

 

My gardening clothes are very old things that are torn, frayed, faded, so I can do anything without worrying that I'll spoil them. The anorak I wear in the garden during winter I had in the 80s. I don't consider clothes old until I've had them at least 25 years.

 

Old clothes saved for puropse, especially in winter . Lots of jumper type fleeces + a jacket one, old waterproof jacket and trousers. Attempt to be a bit more ladylike in summer with shorts/ skirts and t-shirts or sun dresses. Need to grab as much Vit.D as possible .

 

I always have an old pair of blue jeans (or two). Together with an old shirt and, depending on the weather, a pullover/jacket I'm good to go.

Oh and dont forget some sturdy cut-proof gardening gloves. They are invaluable, protect from cuts and thorns and keep your hands clean (kind of), dry (sometimes) and warm during Winter.

 

Something I really like are these lightweight gardening clogs from backdoorshoes which must be five or more years old now, and still going strong. They do indeed live beside the back door so are handy just for trips down the garden to the compost bin too. I used to buy heavier ones from Lidl, but got irritated by the way the treads would fill up with earth which then went all over the kitchen floor. These ones are much easier to wash off if they do get dirty. They are basically nurses' clogs, but with patterns - so cheaper plain ones should come up under 'medical workwear' on somewhere like ebay.

Otherwise I don't have any special gardening clothes - just wear whatever comes to hand that is un-precious, comfortable and washable. An old pair of leather gloves are more comfortable than my rather stiff gardening gloves, so see more wear.

 

I just look like the wild woman of the west. Old jeans and jumpers. A favourite padded waistcoat with a fleece over the top with a dodgy zip only I can work . Oh and hair that tends to look like an exploded cushion. Quite attractive really

 

I know the feeling, JWK The 'lady' whose gardening clients I took on looked just the same at the beginning of the day as at the end..all clean, neat and tidy. I managed to look like something out of the chimney sweep scene in Mary Poppins within an hour

 

Treaded rubber shoes are a must here for a big part of the year as most of the garden is sloping and even the lawn gets lethally slippery when wet. I'm finding that they're very conducive to cramp in the toes, though, even worn with thick socks. I tracked down some second-hand ski-sticks recently to augment the elf and safety....they're brilliant!
Crocs in summer. They're sooo comfortable, but it doesn't make for an easy transition when you have to posh up and wear something glitzy with heels

 

A pair of old walking boots, workmans trousers from Aldi (many pockets), an aging pair of T shirts in winter one long and one short sleeved topped by a 45 year old jumper; probably in its last year now. Summer lose the long sleeved T shirt. Some form of head covering all year round, was hair some 30 year ago. Gloves as required.

 

I think my trousers came from Aldi. I also have the shorts to match. If its muddy I wear my wellies but as I don't do much gardening in the winter, I don't wear them that often. I used to wear them all the time. In the heat of the summer, they would chafe my legs. They are also a pain to get on and off. Now I have a pair of crocs that I can easily slip on and off as needed. I also have some protective work boots I only wear if I am working with slabs etc.

I have some T shirts I bought from Matalan many years ago. They were a bargain at the time and have lasted extremely well. They are now showing signs of wear. More recently I bought some cheap Fruit of the Loom t shirts online but the cut of those is all wrong and they are not very comfortable.

I have far too many jumpers and sweatshirts. There are some older ones that I use mostly but sometimes I will wear the first one to hand. In the winter I will wear a coat over it anyway. If the ground is cold and damp I will overalls too.

G.