Aw don't Plantminded, it's coffee time. I'm a sucker for challenges. I might go out in these 'ere shoes o' mine and try the new secateurs to make sure they don't jam like B3's
If it’s wet or I’m digging/venturing deep into the borders, I wear Muck boots - very comfortable and warm in winter. Before that I used to buy the joules wellibobs which I love, colours and comfort, but they don’t last very long maybe 12-18 months. They always split. The Muck boots are on year 2 maybe 3 and still going strong - they would look like new if I ever cleaned them 🙄
I always wear flat shoes and usually slip ons so when they get too shabby for public use they become my pair for light garden work and popping in and out of the garden. Currently using an old pair of Hotter, they look a right mess but comfy and do the job.
If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.”—Marcus Tullius Cicero East facing, top of a hill clay-loam, cultivated for centuries (7 years by me). Birmingham
That's great to know @Butterfly66 thank you. After reading other gardeners' responses I was inspired to expand my range of footwear! I've just purchased a pair of Muck Boots, so your endorsement is reassuring. They look like a much safer option than my laceless walking shoes - I'm just waiting for the garden to get a bit drier so that I can put them to the test!
Just read this thread and it seems most of us wear similar things on our feet when it comes to gardening depending on weather and time of year and usually cast offs from other uses. These are my must haves, kept by the back door to nip outside when I don't want to be bothered putting gardening shoes on. I haven't shoved them in the washing machine yet but plan on doing so when they get filthy inside.
My winter croc-substitutes (for light pottering, putting the washing out, taking stuff out to the bins/compost bin etc) are similar to that but red, with ladybirds on the insoles. They came from Lidl, or maybe it was Aldi. 'scuse grubbiness, they've been well worn. I don't fancy them bouncing around in the washer, but a bowl of soapy water is in order, when I can be bothered!
Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
I use my old walking shoes in the garden - laces tied [ ] but slacker, so that they're easy enough to get on. I've spent too much of my life in wellies, so I certainly don't want to wear those in the garden.
Most of my walking shoes [not boots] were Merrell, until recently. The quality of the soles is dreadful now, even when they're Vibram - they must be lightweight cheapo versions. Wouldn't last five minutes on an actual hill. The old shoes I wear in the garden are still in better nick than the most recent pair of Merrells.
My gardening shoes are just old walking shoes; unfortunately, they're currently full of chainsaw chips where I was cutting some scrumped firewood the other day.
@Fairygirl can I ask what you now use for walking? I've noticed merrells aren't what they were, especially the newer styles, though the "Moabs" I bought recently seem ok
I had to resort to Peter Storm ones @mikeymustard, which are ok, but a very bad design. The tongue is too short, so the laces can easily slip over. Annoyingly, when I tried to give a review on the Millets site [where I'd bought them] I had to jump through hoops, and it still hasn't been shown. I asked them outright if it was because it was a negative review, but they just keep fobbing me off. I eventually gave up [not like me] because it was beyond ridiculous. They're quite sturdy, but I only use them for walking every day round here for about 5 miles or so. I'd have used my old Merrells for the odd hill here and there - if there was suitable terrain - but I'd never use these. They'd certainly not be good if there was scrambling etc involved because of that problem with the tongue. I wouldn't trust them to stay secure.
I had a pair of Moabs, which are the ones I now use in the garden. They were superb, but were no longer available when I tried to get another pair. Too many of the shoes are more like trainers. Those soles on those recent Merrells were knackered after around 6 months' wear. If I could have got them re soled it would have been a better shout
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
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I always wear flat shoes and usually slip ons so when they get too shabby for public use they become my pair for light garden work and popping in and out of the garden. Currently using an old pair of Hotter, they look a right mess but comfy and do the job.
East facing, top of a hill clay-loam, cultivated for centuries (7 years by me). Birmingham
@Fairygirl can I ask what you now use for walking? I've noticed merrells aren't what they were, especially the newer styles, though the "Moabs" I bought recently seem ok
Annoyingly, when I tried to give a review on the Millets site [where I'd bought them] I had to jump through hoops, and it still hasn't been shown. I asked them outright if it was because it was a negative review, but they just keep fobbing me off. I eventually gave up [not like me] because it was beyond ridiculous.
They're quite sturdy, but I only use them for walking every day round here for about 5 miles or so. I'd have used my old Merrells for the odd hill here and there - if there was suitable terrain - but I'd never use these. They'd certainly not be good if there was scrambling etc involved because of that problem with the tongue. I wouldn't trust them to stay secure.
I had a pair of Moabs, which are the ones I now use in the garden. They were superb, but were no longer available when I tried to get another pair. Too many of the shoes are more like trainers. Those soles on those recent Merrells were knackered after around 6 months' wear. If I could have got them re soled it would have been a better shout
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...