Springtime Gardeners Beware! #2

Dress appropriately and protect yourself. 

Dress comfortably but cover yourself with long sleeves, long pants, a wide-brimmed hat and a sunscreen SPF 15 or higher.  This attire helps protect your skin from sunburn and skin cancer.  The long pants and sleeves can also protect you from hungry mosquitos and ticks.  The CDC recommends using an insect repellent with DEET to prevent tick and mosquito bites and the diseases they may bring.  Another option would be clothing treated with permethrin, another insecticide.  Tucking pants into socks and wearing high rubber boots can help protect a person from ticks.  When our outside work is finished, we have ‘tick checks’ where David & I inspect each other in an effort to find any ticks before they bite.

Wear gloves.  A friend of mine developed a bad infection around/under her fingernail which required a trip to her doctor and antibiotics.  Consider what kind of germs live in dirt.  Does the neighbor’s cat like to use your flower bed as a potty?  Gloves also protect your hands from cuts/blisters.  Protect your hands by wearing gloves.   
Shoes worn while gardening should be sturdy and protective.  Please leave sandals in the house and protect your feet while gardening and working in the yard.