Why I never wear gloves in the garden, by Monty Don
WHILE most gardeners instinctively reach for their gloves before getting down to work, Monty Don prefers the feeling of digging soil with his bare hands.
The Gardeners’ World presenter said he has always ignored advice urging the use of gloves to protect against diseases and cuts.
After a talk at the Chalke Valley History Festival, sponsored by the Daily Mail, Don was asked by an audience member why he never appears to wear gardening gloves on TV.
He replied: ‘I never wear gloves because I like to feel the soil on my hands.
‘I do wear gloves for things that sting a lot or prick a lot. But I just like to feel with my hands. I find gloves cumbersome and uncomfortable, and I’ve got tough old hands so the odd cut doesn’t matter.’ The Royal Horticultural Society says wearing gloves is a ‘common sense’ approach that protects against bacteria lurking beneath the earth.
Legionnaires’ disease can be caught from stagnant water, while Weil’s disease and salmonella can be transmitted through compost heaps. Similarly, gardeners can contract tetanus through soiled cuts or wounds made by plant thorns.
In his talk Don, who has a column in the Daily Mail’s Weekend magazine, said Britain had seen a resurgence of interest in gardening, with allotments in particular enjoying a spectacular revival.