Time to pack my bags—again! I’m off to that most magical of places—the John C Campbell Folk School nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. My friends rib me about going to adult summer camp and they’re not wrong!
Anyone lucky enough to spend time at the Folk School knows it is a special place where you can surround yourself with creativity, escape from every day cares and revel in Mother Nature’s finest. If you’re a regular reader, you’ll know this is not my first visit to the Folk School. It will be my third time and I’ll be participating in the Work Study program again. Yay! The program “offers a unique opportunity to learn, volunteer, and participate in the Folk School community for an extended period. … Most participants spend work weeks contributing primarily on garden and grounds projects… Participants spend half their session weeks taking classes and half working in service of the Folk School” explains the Folk School website.
In preparation for my time on the garden and grounds crew, I’ve gathered my favorite gardening gear and made a simple backpack to carry it with me. I’d like to share my favorites with you in today’s blog post. Links to the vendor websites are included in the More Info section at the end of the story. Please note this is simply my personal opinion—I’m not compensated in any way for calling out these products.
1. SHOWA® Gloves First on the list is gardening gloves. I’ve tried a variety of different gloves over the years and these are, by far, my favorite. They are SHOWA Atlas® 370—I just checked the SHOWA website and it appears the latest model is called SHOWA 370B. These gloves are comfortable and lightweight—I can easily wear them for hours of work in the garden.
They’re not waterproof but the nitrile palm coating keeps the finger tips dry. In the right size, they are truly form-fitting meaning I can keep them on for even the most precise tasks. The elasticized wrist is comfortable and keeps debris out. And, while most gloves claim to be washable but prove otherwise, these gloves come out of the washing machine looking new.
See my gloves in action below. Isn’t the color of this American beautyberry (Callicarpa americana) gorgeous?
2. Kneelo® Knee Pads The next gardening accessory I’d like to share is knee pads. I prefer the convenience of knee pads over a garden kneeling pad because they move around with me. You can tell from the below photo my knee pads have been put to good use.
These Kneelo® knee pads, by Burgon & Ball, are filled with memory foam which provides good protection with great cushioning. Unlike solid foam, the memory foam is flexible and has lots of give, so it’s comfortable for extended periods of time. The pads are held in place with a set of hook-and-loop (aka Velcro®) straps which are very easy to open and close. The straps are designed to give freedom of motion without digging-in at the back of the legs. I have found, however, that the knee pads can slip, especially when worn over smooth fabric, making it necessary to readjust them frequently.
Note the colorful baseball player shown beside my knee pads serves as a hose guard to protect the azalea shrub. You can learn how to make your own quirky hose guard in the blog post Trophy-Topped Hose Guard – DIY Tutorial.
3. Sloggers® Garden Shoes Waterproof footwear is an important consideration for working in the garden. My favorite are rain and garden shoes by Sloggers®. They are surprisingly comfortable and I can wear them all day without complaint. They are waterproof and have good traction for tricky, wet surfaces. They’re easy to clean. And best of all, they’re available in a variety of bright, cheerful prints and colors like “Spring Surprise Blue” shown below.
They slip on and off easily making them, as the Sloggers website reports, “America’s #1 Backdoor Shoe”.
4. Rootstock™ Gardening Smock I’ve grown fond of wearing denim shirts for gardening but my all-time favorite is the gardening smock from the Rootstock™ Gardening Collection by Duluth Trading Company. It’s made of organic, cotton chambray so it’s lightweight, breathable and machine washable. The pockets are ideal for gardening since they’re big enough to hold small tools, such as a pair of pruners or a roll of twine, and they have “sand holes” at the bottom corners to let any fine dirt fall out.
The smock can easily be worn alone or slipped over a T-shirt or sweater. It is generously sized with a roomy fit as Mother Nature kindly demonstrated with a timely breeze while I was taking these photos.
Mother Nature also managed to distract me with this lovely Red-spotted Purple Butterfly (Limenitis arthemis). Interestingly, with the sunlight showcasing its beautiful wings, I thought it looked more orange and blue than red and purple. Regardless, it’s a beauty!
5. FanningSparks Drawstring Backpack I recently designed and sewed a drawstring backpack. It is made of repurposed denim for strength, durability and easy maintenance. The simple drawstring style utilizes cord to close the top opening and create the backpack straps. I’ll be sharing step-by-step instructions for the FanningSparks Drawstring Backpack in my next blog post.
A few custom features make this bag unique. Sliding cord locks are used to adjust the length of the backpack straps. On the front of the bag, I’ve included a pleated pocket with a drawstring closure specifically designed to hold an insulated water bottle.
On the back of the bag, I’ve included a flat flap pocket with a hook-and-loop closure specifically designed to hold my phone.
This wraps up my list of favorite gardening gear. Obviously, the list is not intended to be comprehensive since there are additional items, such as a sun hat, gauntlet gloves and rainwear, you’ll want to have at the ready. What are your go-to gardening accessories? Do you have any favorites you’d like to share in the comments below?
More Info
You can learn more about the John C Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, North Carolina on the John C Campbell Folk School website, their Facebook page or Instagram account. All my blog posts about the Folk School are listed on the FanningSparks’ About > Folk School category index.
See the following websites to learn more about the gardening gear mentioned in today’s blog post:
1. SHOWA® 370B Gloves
2. Burgon & Ball Kneelo® Knee Pads
3. Sloggers® Garden Shoes in Spring Surprise Blue
4. Duluth Trading Company Rootstock™ Gardening Smock
The gloves, knee pads and garden shoes are also available via Amazon.
As noted above, I’ll be sharing step-by-step instructions for the FanningSparks Drawstring Backpack in my next blog post. Please check back for the tutorial.
The trophy-topped hose guard mentioned in this blog post was featured in the blog post, Trophy-Topped Hose Guard – DIY Tutorial.
Today’s Takeaways
1. Consider comfort and protection when choosing gardening gear.
2. Keep good gardening gear at the ready for quick, easy access.
3. Wear fit for purpose accessories to increase your gardening enjoyment.
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