Weeding the Web

Gardening gloves for women: product review

If there’s a large choice of anything in the gardening world, it’s gloves, and especially for women. I once stood in front of a large display and, really wanting to know, asked, “What are the different uses of all these gloves?”

The company rep’s reply was masterful. "All these dozens of pairs mean women can choose their own style."

Huh?

Oh, pattern! Pattern was their only difference. I was about to question this superfluity of choice when I heard a squeal. "Oooh, strawberries! I love that strawberry print." And once again it hit me; as Husband explains occasionally, I'm not a proper girl.

Still, plethora of pattern aside, there are plenty to choose from, and as I've got small hands and have always struggled to find a really good fit,  as well as an all-round useful pair, I've spent the last couple of years testing out six different pairs.

Different construction

First, construction. Some are stitched together (which tends to be the way of thicker, thorn-proof types, often with the disadvantage of a bad fit); others are “dipped”, made of a thinnish knitted base which is then dipped (mostly in Malaysia, it turns out) into a coating which covers the palms and fingers and at least part of the backs of the fingers (they usually fit more closely, but tend to be less protective). Although these also offer a degree of waterproofing, I find they make your hands sweat.

Gloves on Review

Joe’s The Essential One and Joe’s The Dexterous One

Joe’s Garden launched with the idea that they would “redefine the use and purpose of gloves in the home and garden.” (No, I don’t, either.)

Joe Page, the founder, also said he was “concerned about how cluttered and confused the market place had become [well, he has a point there] and felt it was time customers were introduced to a brand that is clean, fresh and simple”. Joe’s consists of only 4 styles, each available in 3 sizes and distinguished by colour.

To be honest, I can’t really tell much difference between the two I’ve tried. They’re both of the “dipped” variety and The Dexterous One has a slightly smoother, thinner coating and washes off more easily.

The bright colours make them easy to spot, but the elasticated cuffs are too short to cover my watch, have loosened their grip and acquired an annoying tendency to roll inwards, making it difficult to pull down their full length. The coating doesn’t reach much beyond the base of the nail on the back of the fingers, so you get damp quite quickly when dabbling in wet soil.

Fit: bit long in the ring and little fingers, bit short between thumb and forefinger.

With Garden Soft n Care

Another "dipped" glove. I didn’t expect much difference.

I was wrong.

These are dipped in natural rubber and employ MicroFinish (“The Intelligent Grip”). Whatever that is, it adds noticeable traction while pulling out weeds.  

They feel substantial but still communicate what's beneath your fingers. The longer elasticated wrist covers my watch with over an inch to spare and grips well one year on. There’s still a tendency for it to roll under, but less so, and it’s easier to unroll.  The coating covers more of the back of the fingers, so you keep drier.

Fit: bit long in ring and little finger but otherwise they were great, even at the join between thumb and forefinger.

Ethel These are the girliest of all my pairs, their “Canterbury” pattern described ridiculously in their brochure as “intricately symbolic”.  However, as well as having a wide array of pattern and colour, they are shaped especially for women.  

They’re certainly well thought out. The elastic at the wrist is good and sturdy, still gripping two years later. They’re made of breathable stretch fabric and synthetic “suede”, the latter offering more protection for the palm and fingers than the Soft n Care, and wrapping round the back of the fingers to protect the tips.

My main beef is that they get soggy quickly in the wet. But in drier conditions, of all the gloves, I find these the most comfortable – a bit short between thumb and forefinger but otherwise the seams sit well between the fingers, all of which are a perfect length; they're stretchy, easy to work in, and reinforced in the right places.

NB Their website, which did have a useful downloadable sizing chart, has disappeared as Ethel seems to have been taken back into the fold by Mechanix.

Town and Country Aquasure These are aimed at women, but for those with rather differently shaped hands from mine.

I find they’re short in the finger, so the seams don’t sit properly between the old digits, yet still manage to put empty space between the end of my fingers and the end of theirs.

The cuff is an elasticated knit which lost its elastication quite early on and now flaps around, letting soil inside. And, after a year (of not constant use), the stitching along the inside of the thumb went and the vinyl started pulling away from a forefinger’s seams. As you’ll spot, this rather compromises their raison d’etre.

However, my bright pink pair were certainly easy to spot when I took them and, despite the dodgy fit, I found myself using them a lot when the ground was wet as, intact, they certainly did keep me dry. They're the cheapest of the pairs, so I guess you can't expect everything. Their website has a sizing chart.

Briers Washable Gardener

These are the sturdiest I’ve tried. Of sueded leather, they’re thick enough for me to don when I prune the blackberry.

They fit extremely well, fingers all the right length, sitting properly between thumb and forefinger. They only lack the extra stretch that makes the Ethel gloves so comfy.

The wrists are quite short but, being chunky, if they weren’t they would interfere with clothing. Partial elastication over the back of the wrist helps the fit.

Washability

I don’t normally wash gardening gloves, but in the interests of review, I tried. Ethel, Soft n Care and Briers Washable Leather all came up a treat on 40C in the washing machine: no shrinkage, still soft. Joe’s gloves recommend cold wash only.

Which is the best gardening glove?

So which is my favourite? Well, horses for courses. It all depends on the job "in hand" (sorry).

If I have something prickly to deal with, the Briers handle it well and their good fit adds dexterity (unlike those one-size-fits-all leather gauntlet types that only fit where they touch).  Of all the gloves I've tried, these are the ones I would travel to find again.

For wet soil, the Aquasure served well, and they're cheap enough to buy more often, but I prefer Soft n Care, especially if I’m weeding, and am willing to suffer a bit of water ingress for them.

While I love the Ethel gloves, I often reach for something else more specific to the above conditions, and to be honest I'm not sure I'd rush out to buy another pair for that reason. But Ethel is better in summer when getting wet is less of a problem and the breathable fabric is a definite plus. 

I'd probably ask for these as a present.

Do read the comments below. Julianne at Gwenfars Garden has lots to say, including this comment:

My favourite glove for really tough tasks, dealing with thorns, brambles etc, is the Gold Leaf ‘Tough Touch’ glove, which I blogged about a couple of years ago http://www.gwenfarsgarden.info/2011/11/solving-thorny-problem.html. They are perfect for tough jobs and they fit my fingers well.

And Rita Rushmore tweeted:

@HelenGazeley Current fav - Master Gardener thermal lined, haven't split, are warm, thornproof, waterproof. Should 'dip' the whole glove.

— Rita Rushmore (@RitaRushmore) February 6, 2014

And thank to VP for drawing attention to her review of Ethel gloves a couple of years ago.

I'd love to hear what other gloves you think worth buying, so do leave any recommendations/observations below. If your comment doesn't appear immediately, then it's probably caught in the spam filter and I'll instate when I do my daily spam inspection. Or you can email me (address above, right) and I'll add your response here.

All the gloves reviewed here were given to me by the respective companies.

Garden Product Review: Glossy (self-watering pot) from ebertsankey

Glossy is not a word people associate with me. It implies svelte, manicured, sophisticated. (I can hear Husband laughing...). Nor is it a style I attempt in interior decoration (enough with the loud guffaws!).

This is possibly why the Glossy pot that I was given at last year's Garden Press Event disappeared into the cupboard and was only unearthed before Christmas when I delved into the depths for the it's-Christmas-so-we-must-the-effort serving dishes.

Abusing Cyclamen

It resurfaced just in time for the cyclamen. These are tough little souls. Generally, about mid-summer, my mother gets sick of seeing them languishing, motionless, in the outhouse and chucks them into the compost bin.

Some indeterminate time later, I spot them, fish them out again, and put them back in their pots. They survive every time.

They then suffer their winter home on the windowsill, where I forget to water them, or leave their feet too wet, something I don't notice until the leaves begin to yellow.

The Glossy pot for cyclamen

The Glossy pot has been a new experience for all of us. Shiny black, 7 inches (18 cms) tall, it contains a clear plastic pot that slips into the top and a thick string that exits the internal pot and dangles in the water reservoir.

If my opinion were asked, I'd prefer the top of the internal pot to be black to match the external pot, but otherwise, despite my prejudice against plastic, I have to say that it's very smart. Being black and shiny, it needs wiping down a fair amount, but that's because it's near the sink in the kitchen.

One of the corners of the external pot is clear, so you can monitor the water level within, but it's not an obvious deviation from the design. 

The cyclamen clearly loves it. The only time it began to look a little droopy was when the string had become so slimy that I suspect no moisture was getting through. (Note to self - just because the water level doesn't descend, it doesn't mean the water shouldn't be changed.) 

It seems that the string is the weakest link, as it has a woven sleeve around a straight core and, in less than a month, the sleeve has already rotted enough for it to slip off while I rinsed it, leaving a rather diminished thickness. We'll see how the plant fares.

The Human Perspective

According to the ebertsankey catalogue, these are orchid pots, but the pink cyclamen looks really lovely. The plant is half the height of the pot, which makes the proportions pleasing.

One niggle, though, has surprised me. The cyclamen is flowering its heart out, bushy, bouncy, vibrant. All by itself.  In its current state, it's more of an ornament than something to look after (however badly).

Anything wrong with that? Well, up to now, I wouldn't have said so. But (this sounds daft) I miss having something to do. I'm now over-zealous in my readiness to pluck off any flower that looks remotely past its peak.

Am I alone in this? Do you like houseplants that thrive without you? This is the reason I really dislike Moth Orchids. Mine, received two years ago, sits there, in flower, for months.

Looks lovely. Bores me rigid.

So, yes, I recommend the Glossy pot (with a new string at the ready). A row of them on a plain windowsill or shelf, with bright pink cyclamen, or an appropriate orchid, would look very designer-magazine.

Your plant will love it.

You may feel a bit wistful.

Presents to create gardeners: review of Grow Your Own kits

Last-minute presents are exercising grey cells at the moment. With that and the fact that, every so often, a gardener wants to inspire a non-gardener to try the magic of growing, I was pleased when Find Me a Gift sent for review a choice of gardening kits by Gift Republic Ltd.

OK, so some might be excited at opening a present to find a trowel, gloves and seeds, but I think we all know that many non-gardeners need a bit more encouragement and, noticeably, almost all the kits carefully avoid mentioning the growing an actual plant. Instead you're tempted by the notion to Grow Your Own Chocolate or Grow Your Own Extra Hot Chilli Peppers. The latter has a box guaranteed to make a small boy look twice.

Inside each are 4 coir pots, 4 compost discs, 2 packets of seed and 4 plant markers.

And no instructions.

At this point my inner gardener began to get grumpy. Then I checked the box and found the instructions on the outside. They're brief enough not to scare anyone off. Too brief if you know nothing about growing.

I know nothing about compost discs, so placed one, as instructed, in a pot and added water. Coir pots let the water drain through. My suspicion that a brief immersion would not be enough to expand the compost disc quickly proved correct. 

I plunged the pots up to their necks in water, with the discs in them, thus soaking the compost enough to break it apart. Not according to instructions.

"Sow the seed" sounds a simple enough instruction, but there's nothing to tell a non-gardener how deep to sow them. "Keep warm and moist until germination" also sounds simple. How warm? How moist? How long till germination?

You get my drift. Another kit, Grow Your Own Bug-Eating Plants (a different box to that currently on offer) offers Venus flytrap and pitcher plant seeds. This came with a colourful leaflet of games and bug-eating plant facts and a few more instructions, but a search on the web will prove there's more information needed if you're to grow them successfully (Little Shop of Horrors gives details on growing Venus Flytraps) and it's not clear which Pitcher Plant it might be (though I assume it's Sarracenia).

Something that does need to be borne in mind is that these are the products of a non-gardening company. I may find that they all germinate brilliantly, but all the boxes carry the following disclaimer: "The seed can die before or after germination...Due to the varying nature of the conditions that the seed are stored and grown in, neither Gift Republic Ltd nor any other company supplying this gift can accept any liability in relation to any non-performance of the seed."

This is obviously the risk one has to take if one doesn't buy direct from a dedicated gardening company. My grumpiness didn't leave me, though.

One of Husband's abiding memories of childhood is the frustration of being given tools and equipment made especially for children that just didn't work (his particular bug-bear was soon-broken walkie-talkies.) These kits enrolled me in his remembered frustration.  If you want to encourage someone to grow something, you want the instructions to be made as foolproof as possible, and the outcome darn near guaranteed.

However, the fun presentation of these boxes might be one way to awaken the interest of a child (or adult) hitherto uninterested in growing things. The Chocolate Daisies (Berlandiera lyrata) are an easy-to-grow perennial and, with a bit of (uninstructed) bottom heat, the chillies shouldn't present a problem. 

There is still time to order for Christmas. If you do want to buy this for someone, and you're the only member of the family with experience of seed-raising, then it's certainly offers a chance to pitch in, amaze them with your gardening wisdom, and (maybe with some seeds on standby) help grow something together.

Garden product review: Nottcutts' tomato feed teaches me a lesson

It always pays to think a little before rushing to do something - in this case, buy tomato feed.

Earlier this summer, Nottcutts offered me a choice of products from their new own-brand range of fertilizers and chemicals and, in a move that makes it look as if I have something of a red-fruit fetish, I chose their Tomato Pour and Feed and their Tomato Feed Concentrate. Both contain seaweed extract and magnesium and I'm pleased to say my tomatoes developed as expected without a sign of deficiencies.

In other ways, though, my expectations were confounded. The concentrate that I thought I'd use a few times and then leave on the shelf has remained to hand. Instead, the Pour and Feed languished unloved. Why? Because I hadn't considered the whole picture.

Certainly, it sounds much easier just to dole out a ready-diluted feed when necessary (100mls, once a week, after the second truss has set), and it would have been, had I grown my tomatoes in a border. But I don't. I grow them in pots.

Were I to water these with a hose, the Pour and Feed would also have been useful. But I don't; I water with a watering can. And, in these circumstances, it is much, much easier to add a capful of concentrate to the can, than water and then feed.

Actually, the container made the concentrate easier to use, too. It has a cap which, though it could do with some calibration for smaller doses, doubles as a measure for the required 15mls to 4.5 litres, whereas the Pour and Feed requires you to find a 100mls measure [Not the kitchen measuring spoons! Husband]. The latter would be much improved by a cap like that on the concentrate, as things like useful jugs tend to go AWOL. It was also clear, the first time I sloshed Pour and Feed clumsily into a jar, that it's much easier to pour from a small container than a very much larger one, especially when almost full.

I'll bet you're laughing at me. Either that, or wondering just how dim I can be.  It all sounds so simple and obvious, when you think about it. But I realised how easy it is to accept blurbs without thinking. Pour and Feed - "simple to use".

Obviously true for some people, but not for me. This little exercise has taught me to concentrate on the way I work. Then I can make sure everything is simple to use - my way.

Garden product review: Keira Watering Can

A newly designed watering-can seems a bit unnecessary. Most do the job pretty well, though some are better balanced and easier to tip than others. 

The new Keira, launched in the UK at Chelsea Flower Show this year, comes from the drawing-board of Croatian industrial designer Igor Juric. He seems to bend a little more towards vehicles, as he's responsible for Croatia's first electric car, a rather nifty-looking bicycle design, and a three-seater concept car, but is particularly keen on adding an enviro-friendly dimension to his work.

When he saw how much space was taken up by watering-cans in store and in transit, he turned his mind to creating a stackable design that reduces the space needed for transport and so saves on fuel.

The Keira watering-can carries other eco-credentials (as well as two, five or ten litres of water, according to the size of can you choose) as it's made of 100% recycled polypropylene, which itself is fully recyclable.

I was given the 2-litre size* and rather like it. The position of the handle makes it comfortable and easy to tip up and the long spout delivers water quite precisely to the spot you want, though if you're too enthusiastic and tip too quickly you risk a gush over your toes as it overflows the sides. If you need a fine spray for seedlings, obviously this isn’t for you.

I've also noticed that, after four months outside, the colour is beginning to fade on the handle and the top edge. It's not the sort of thing that bothers me, but some might find it irritating.  I haven't tried the larger cans, so can't say how easy it is to pour with the heavier weight of water.

What I particularly like, though, is that if you leave it outside you’ll catch far more rain in it than in conventional watering-cans because of its wide open top. This point has struck other designers, as can be seen in the Raincan, available from The Organic Gardening Catalogue. The Raincan is cheaper for its size, but when I played around with one in the Wisley shop I found its lid distinctly fiddly. 

The Keira can will be available from Bulldog Tools, who launched it at GLEE this year. They seem a bit tardy in getting their Keira website up and running; however, it is already on Amazon.

*By Keira, for review.

Garden product review: the Realbarrow - a better wheelbarrow?

Hubris and humility. Isn't gardening the perfect combination? We proudly think we'll grow the most unsuitable plants in the most inhospitable places, and our failures make us humble.

In the design world, it's been thought reasonable to improve the wheelbarrow, the basic conformation of which has remained steady, yea, even since Medieval times.

A fascinating article on the development of The Medieval Wheelbarrow by Dr Andrea L Matthies dates the wheeled barrow's arrival in England to the early 13th century (or, at least, the desire to draw one).  Needless to say, though, the Chinese probably got there first.

So, can you improve a design that’s been around hundreds, if not thousands, of years?  Realbarrow from Keter set out to do just that and, in 2011, won a Red Dot Design Award in the prestigious international competition that recognises excellent design quality in new products.  But does it work in the garden?

Compared with a standard wheelbarrow, the Realbarrow’s main difference is its tipping ability. Designed to combine the conventional design with a sack trolley, it can be stood on its end, allowing sacks and compost bags to be dragged into it without lifting. Holes placed along the edges let you tie loads in with bungee cords, if necessary. You can also use it as a giant dustpan, brushing debris over its metal-reinforced lip, which sits flush with the ground.

I was really sceptical when the barrow arrived. I mean, if the wheelbarrow's design weren't so good, it wouldn't have been pretty much static for so long.

However, the Realbarrow can be loaded without lifting, which is a real bonus when you've got a bad back. I've dragged compost bags into it five times in succession and never felt a twinge. It is also very stable and incredibly light (6kg, 13.2lbs), making it easily lifted and manoeuvred when empty.

Its deep shape lets it double as a water carrier with a 100 litre (22 gallon) capacity, and it will carry 100kg (220lbs) although, understandably, as it's made of polypropylene, there was slight flexing of its sides when tipping it back into the wheeling position under such a very heavy load. If you need to subject it to really heavy loads on a regular basis, I'd be looking at something more heavy duty, like Henchman's barrows, but those are far, far more expensive.

The widely placed, ergonomically designed handles made it unexpectedly comfortable to drive and, with the wheels, are in line with the edges, which makes it easier to avoid snagging on corners.

Bad points? Well, all the advantages are made possible by its two small wheels, and these are also its weakness. Pushing it over very rough terrain, gravel or, heavily loaded, over soft soil, can take considerable effort. In negotiating steps, I found it necessary to go up backwards, to prevent the base catching. In these circumstances you are never going to replace the manoeuvrability of a single, pneumatic tyre.

Nevertheless, sceptical as I was when it arrived, it won me over. The Realbarrow shows a real advantage in its lightness and the combination of wheelbarrow and “bulldozer” shovel. I think that the long-performing medieval design is safe to stay, but this is certainly worth considering as a second, versatile piece of kit.

 

The Realbarrow was supplied for impartial review by Keter. NB I received this barrow last year. Since that time, Keter has withdrawn it for sale in the UK, although it's still available elsewhere - Canada, Australia etc. Read the Canadian reviews if you're likely to subject the barrow to really heavy work. There's another positive report from Miranda Bell at JardinMiranda.  Satisfaction seems to depend on the sort of loads you want to put in it.

For UK purchasers, Keter suggests contacting Amazon Germany. 
UPDATE: April 2014. Kris Gardener has kindly left a comment to say that it's now available in Costco, £29.99 +VAT.

Product Review: solar-powered garden lights

Have you ever wondered how well solar-powered garden lights work, as you've missed a step in the dark and tripped over a wayward flower pot?  Well, over the last few months I've had a chance to find out. 

Four varieties of light arrived at the beginning of October, in time for me to report the results in an article for the Christmas edition of Smallholder magazine. The raised bed looked increasingly bizarre as more and more lights appeared among the beetroot but I put them all together to ensure that the conditions for each set were as similar as possible, and this is the garden's sunniest spot with the longest exposure to daylight.

They've been there ever since, so now's a good time to sum up how they've stood up to the wet weather and are coping with this particularly dreary winter.

Solar Light Features

The four types are:

1. Gardman Stainless Steel Solar-Powered Marker Light (stands 26 cms (10¼ ins) high)
2. Benross Gardenkraft 18100 Stainless Steel Garden Lights, set of 4 (18.5 cms (7¼ ins))
3. Smart Solar Dual Function Solar Light Posts, set of 8 (29 cms (11½ ins))
4. Gardman's Solar Sparkling Bubble Lights, set of 3 (29 cms (11½ ins))*

* These are sometimes labelled Gardman, but the name on the box is actually Cole and Bright.

They're set to automatic, which means that they turn themselves on as twilight deepens. At the beginning of October, they came on around 7 pm. This week they've been turning themselves on around 4.45, which is about half an hour after official sunset time.

All can be turned off except the Smart Solar, which instead gives you the option of a steady white light or a rather pretty, gentle colour-changing cycle from green to blue to red.  Of those that can be turned off, only the Bubble Lights have an easily accessible switch that doesn't require the lights to be partially dismantled.  The advantage of being able to switch them off is that they can build up a reserve of power over several days.

The Bubble Lights are also the only ones wired in a string to a separate solar panel. All the other lights stand alone, each containing an inbuilt solar panel.