Every home gardener needs a trusty pair of gardening gloves. By protecting your hands from soil, debris, thorns, and chemicals, they help prevent blisters, scrapes, and other injuries.
Depending on your gardening task, there are a variety of gloves to choose from, from leather gardening gloves to nitrile-coated gloves to heavy-duty ones. "Standard cotton garden gloves are a good option for planting annuals and potted plants," said Karen Musgrave, marketing coordinator at Hicks Nurseries, the largest garden center on Long Island, New York. "Rose growers should choose leather gloves that are long, reaching your elbow to provide protection from thorns. For planting trees and shrubs, choose heavy-duty gloves with reinforced fingertips."
No one wants loose-fitting gloves or sweaty hands while gardening, so comfort, fit, and breathability are important. The best gardening gloves keep your hands cool and dry and let your fingers move nimbly to pull weeds, plant flowers and shrubs, and even take the occasional phone or water break. "It's important to have a snug fit so that it gives you the dexterity that you need and prevents minor injury when you want to get a little more aggressive in the soil when trimming," said Vanessa Dawson, founder of plant care startup Arber.
After consulting gardening experts and conducting our own in-depth research, we found the best gardening gloves for various budgets and uses. You can read more about glove types and materials here.
These gloves can be used for light- and medium-duty gardening tasks like mixing soil, planting flowers, raking, and pulling weeds. Nitrile, bamboo, and cotton are typical materials you'll see since they're lightweight, durable, comfortable, and affordable.
Recommended by the Hicks Nurseries team, Mud Gloves have a tough latex exterior coating, soft cotton lining, and closely fitting cuffs that keep out dirt and debris. They’re breathable and useful for a variety of tasks. They come in five sizes.
These comfortable gloves feel like a second skin, and best of all, they’re touchscreen-sensitive so you don’t have to keep putting on and taking off your gloves. Bamboo is naturally breathable and cooling, perfect for summer gardening. They come in five sizes and have a snug fit, so you may have to size up depending on your preferences.
Designed by an orthopedic hand surgeon, these gloves provide relief and comfort for arthritic hands. There’s a padded system that allows for a comfortable, secure grip, and extra support in the wristband. The fingertips are reinforced with silicone so they won’t wear down.
Try these value glove packs if you tend to go through many gardening gloves or just like having backups on hand. These gloves offer versatility and excellent grip support for a good price.
Touted by everyone from loggers to landscapers, the versatile gloves have an excellent grip, waterproof rubber construction, and ergonomic, flexible feel. They’re only $2-3 a pair, but many users say they’re the best gloves they’ve ever used.
Heavy-duty gloves are usually made from leather and may contain extra features like finger reinforcements or safety cuffs to give you the backup you need for difficult tasks like planting trees or carrying heavy gardening tools and bags of soil. These durable gloves allow you to dig deep in the soil while protecting your fingers and hands.
Ozero’s well-made, thoughtfully designed gloves are thick, flexible, and suitable for all kinds of heavy-duty outdoor work, not only gardening. There’s even an option with a built-in magnet in the cuffs, letting you attach small metal tools like nails or plant stakes directly to your wrist for easy access.
Skip the extra tools and dig into soil directly with these fun and efficient gloves. The glove part is made from rubber and polyester, while the attached claws are plastic. The downside is that they only come in one size and may be uncomfortable or unwieldy for people with small hands.
Regular gardening gloves only protect you up to your wrists. Having a pair of rose pruning gloves that reach your elbows is essential for protecting your forearms from long prickly branches.
These long gloves are made from supple, durable goat and cow leather that effectively guards against scratches and punctures. There’s also palm padding for extra protection. They come in five sizes and two colors.
Made from buttery soft goat leather, with long suede cuffs, these gloves make the tough chore of rose pruning much more enjoyable. However, they might be too thin for anything pricklier, like cacti. They come in five sizes and four colors — women should size down from their usual size for the best fit.
Made from supple cowhide leather and polyester canvas, the long 5-inch gloves are known for being both comfortable and protective. The reinforced, thoughtfully placed stitching also protects from chafing and friction.
Before you get your young ones involved in the garden, make sure they have their own pair of gloves to keep their small hands clean and protected. Kids' gloves don't tend to be heavy-duty, so keep the green thumb in training out of the rose bushes.
The slightly stretchy cotton gloves have knit wrists, come in three colorful patterns, and are meant for kids ages 5-8. They’re not going to protect against thorns or last a long time, but they’re great for handling branches and flowers.
While they might be for kids, these gloves don’t skimp on quality. They’re 100% suede leather and feel soft, thick, and sturdy. They come in two sizes for kids ages 4-6 or ages 7-9.
For our first major update to this guide, we consulted Karen Musgrave from Hicks Nurseries and Vanessa Dawson from plant care brand Arber to learn more about how to shop for gardening gloves, features, and materials to look out for, and brands they recommend. We combined that information with our own research to choose a few glove options per category.
Next, we'll be calling in samples of these contenders and evaluating them for comfort, fit, functionality, and durability.
Gardening gloves FAQs
What to know before you shop
How you plan to spend time in your garden and backyard will help determine the style and material of your ideal gardening gloves. Cloth and nitrile gloves will do just fine for light gardening, but for anything involving heavy or thorny objects, you should use leather gloves. It's likely you'll have several pairs of gloves on hand, depending on your task at the moment.
Fit is another important factor. Consult provided sizing charts to figure out which size to buy, and look for fitted wrist cuffs. If the glove is too small or large, your hand will feel uncomfortable and be more prone to injuries. Incorrect sizing can also allow soil or other debris to fall into the glove.
Pros and cons of nitrile, cotton, and leather
"Nitrile [a synthetic rubber] gloves are lighter, breathable, and less expensive than leather gloves. Leather gloves provide the best protection and often last the longest. Cotton gloves are good for smaller projects and are often the least expensive," said Musgrave.
How to wash and care for your gardening gloves
"In general, keep them dry when not in use and out of the sun as that cracks the rubber. Use saddle soap on the leather ones," said Dawson. Depending on the material, some gloves may be machine-washable.
Keep in mind that most gloves won't and aren't meant to last a lifetime, especially with regular use. It's good to keep a few different pairs on hand to rotate through. Luckily, most gardening gloves are affordable.