I adore my Muck Boot Co. gardening shoes. They have removable,washable insoles too. Mine have lasted for years and I was a farm girl. I'm not especially fond of clogs in the garden for real dirty work so guess it just depends on what you want to do in them.

I think some kind of work boots over clogs if I were to buy something specific; however my main garden working shoes are some disgracefully filthy and stiff but completely intact Nikes.

:)
Rose

Rose, sounds like you and I have almost identical gardening shoes. The sole on the left shoe is starting to fall off, but I figure that's nothing that a little duct tape won't fix.
{{gwi:797363}}

Dear iVillage, even though you may not need it, you have complete permission from me to reproduce this picture in any way or form you'd like.

Good one Wildflower! Let me know if they use it so I can send in mine!

Yes, wildflower, something like that, only a little more "terracotta" colored.
ta,
Rose

There is an assessment of women's garden footwear in the lastest edition of Horticulture magazine. They tout Sloggers, Ladybugs and Muck Boot Co. They tell you what is best in a soil situation and also for certain kinds of feet. They discuss everything except REALLY HUGE feet, lol :)

GGG

Wow that's cool Glynis, wonder if my library has it, I can't remember if they have that one. What do they say for narrow feet? I probably should have both work boots and clogs but I just love the ease of slipping the clogs on and off so quickly. That was especially important when my daughter was toilet training, nothing like having to "run" in the house when you are caked in mud, nice to slip off those clogs in a hurry. I have some tennis shoes that have become gardening shoes since sprouting the hole in my clogs. The clogs I had before were called "anywears" I just found it on the bottom of one. Anyone see them for sale any place locally? I really loved them, they were so comfortable. I know there is always the Internet.

All I've seen so far are answers from the ladies, so here's a guy's perspective: Combat Boots

Seriously, I have two pair I use extensively in the garden (since I retired from the USAF and no longer need them for work.) They are not easy to put on or take off, but I look manly in them (important to the male persuasion.) More to the point I have a severe but unconfirmed case of "fireantus attractus" when I don't wear armored footwear that extends at least half way up the calves and covers all bare skin.

Privately, though, I've been known to slip on sandals to journey out to the greenhouse, but only if it's very late and very dark out.

Ahem, on second thought, I never said that . . .

So funny mcrean1! Maybe I need to look in an army supply store for some combat boots. My yard is covered in ant beds, and I'm always screaming and half undressing when I'm outside doing any yard work! The kid's just look at me and laugh like crazy of course. I just thank goodness I live in the country on a wooded 5 acre lot, so when I do have a case of "fireantus attratus" no one has to be unhumanly tortured, other than the kids and DH. The shoes I am currently wearing for gardening are an old pair of shoes I picked up at Walmart on clearance for 3 bucks. Best gardening shoes I have had. They need to be retired and replaced though. Hmmm......have to check out the clearance rack next time I'm out..........

Target has good clogs for narrower/smaller feet.
anywears are available from uniform supply stores.

GGG

I don't care how hot or cold or wet or anything, I'll stick with hiking boots, preferably GoreTex. Here's why:
1. I got tired of slip-sliding around in old sneakers. Once the sneaker end up twisted 90 degrees on my foot. Hiking boots give you plenty of ankle support.
2. Old sneakers have no tread, hiking boots have tons of tread.
3. Hiking boots have nice thick soles so you don't end up with bruises on your feet from pounding a shovel into the ground.
4. If you get GoreTex boots, you have nice, dry feet all the time. Sneakers have holes in them and you end up with wet feet just walking across the lawn.
5. Snakes can't bite thru hiking boots.
6. And best of all, they last about 5-10 years, with no extra expense from doctors visits.
7. You can drop things on your feet, kick things (accidentally, of course), trip over things and not get stubbed toes.
8. You do actually get used to having all that foot gear on. Get cool-max socks that wick the moisture away for the summer, nice wooly ones for the winter.

Margaret

I vote for hiking boots as well, but I buy cheap ones from the boys' rack at Walmart. Goretex would be nice if I had the money. Clogs are great and sometimes I wear those too if I'm not really planning to do any work, like if I just want to go out and water or pull up a weed or two. Boots and shoes that fasten with velcro rather than shoestrings are also very nice for gardening, as they are much easier to remove when muddy or wet.

For those who live in Atlanta, this past weekend I noticed that Smith & Hawken at the Peachtree Battle Shopping Center has, on their clearance rack at the back of the store, a number of rubber clogs and garden boots right now. Of course, keep in mind that since this is Smith & Hawken, clearance prices still are not like thrift store prices, but they are much lower than normal. I also saw a really nice set of garden gloves for a very good price, but too small for my hands (2 pair in a box, a Christmas gift set, one leather and one nylon, originally about $50 but marked down to I think $13 but it may even have been $8, I forget which).

In my experience it does not matter what kind of shoes you are wearing if you step in a bed of fire ants. The ones I've stepped on have always followed the same m.o. They quietly climb up my legs, en masse, and once they have sufficiently covered most of my legs and torso, some one of them sends out the signal, at which they all bite down at once. If your shoes are stopping them from getting to you, I suspect they're not really fire ants.

The smith & hawkin clogs have steel toes!! I bought a pair for $12, and they are narrow. Unfortunately, the stripey ones make you look like you have clown feet!

Free red nose with purchase,

GGG

Man don't know when I could get down there, where exactly is this Smith & Hawkin? I haven't heard of that center, but I love Smith & Hawkin.

It's on Peachtree Street, generally in the Buckhead area but not as far north as Lenox Mall. Further north than Piedmont Hospital, though. If you ever went to the old Oxford Bookstore, you were in the Peachtree Battle shopping center. If you didn't, boy, you really lost out on a true cultural experience. Smith and Hawken is in the old building that once housed the Oxford, and I want to weep every time I go there. The memories. . . .

Clown feet in the garden?....Now why would they make them look like that? I already look bad enough when I'm out there to begin with....

I'm happy to announce that the old pair of Nike's in the pic above are about to be trashed. I just got an early birthday present of a new pair of shoes so my "wearing-out-somewhere" shoes are the new gardening footgear.

Kathy, it's not far from the Cathedral of St. Phillip.

GGG