In preparing to write about basic garden safety, I researched what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had to say. Their recommendation for “dressing for success” in the garden looks a lot like what I wear to work in my garden: long-sleeved shirt, long pants, boots, hat and gloves. Although I am thinking about sun protection with my garden attire, my outfit also protects me from mosquitos and ticks and the possibility of contracting one of the diseases carried by these insects.
I wear gloves most of the time. My garden includes prickly plants, active compost, thriving insect populations and a lot of dirt. When handling soil, compost and other amendments, I use flexible gloves with Neoprene-coated fingers. In addition to keeping most of the dirt from under my fingernails, these gloves protect me from possible ant bites, smaller scratches and things I'd rather not touch such as dead gophers. They also help to prevent blisters when I am shoveling soil or amendments.
I switch to thorn-proof gloves when dealing with bramble berries or rosebushes. Thorn wounds are not only painful but a great breeding ground for some types of bacteria, including clostridium tetani, the organism that causes tetanus. Spores of this bacterium are widely distributed in ordinary garden soil. There are a few cases of tetanus every year in the United States. Almost all reported cases are in people who have either never been vaccinated, or who completed a primary series but have not had a booster in the preceding 10 years. You can be sure that I keep my vaccinations up-to-date.
If you use power tools, protect your hearing with plugs or head phones, and protect your eyes with safety glasses. Actually, safety glasses might be a good idea for some tasks that don't involve power tools. Once while I was pulling ivy down from an exterior wall, I managed to scratch my cornea with a wayward branch that slapped me in the face. I now borrow my husband's safety glasses when I work in brushy areas.
What about ladders? Ever know someone who fell from one? In the garden,a ladder can be particularly unstable, so use care when you need one for any garden task. If you are planting new fruit trees, plan to keep them small so that you don't need a ladder to prune or harvest fruit. If you do need a ladder in the garden, choose a three-legged orchard ladder, which provides more stability on uneven ground than a step ladder. Make sure the ladder is stable before climbing it, and move it rather than reach too far while you are on it.
Review your garden for tripping hazards. Put hoses away when not in use, and leave tools out of your pathways when you are not using them. Gopher holes abound in my yard, so I try not to back up but to always watch my footing, especially when I am carrying bulky garden items.
So far the most serious injury I've experienced in the garden is the aforementioned black eyes. The annoying thing is that I had been forewarned. Several years ago, a friend had to get several stitches in her lip after cutting it on her yard-waste bin. Yes, the yard-waste bin.
I was pruning dead canes from my boysenberry patch, wearing my best thorn-proof gloves while pitching the trimmings into the can. The lid was open, of course. I needed to move the can a few feet as I worked my way down the row. I did not bother to close the lid, and as I tipped the can back on its wheels and pushed it forward, I managed to step on the lid, trip, and smack my forehead on the edge of the bin. It was a very hard hit; I had a headache as well as a large goose egg that afternoon and evening. In subsequent days as the swelling subsided, first my left eye and then the right were encircled with colorful bruising. It was dramatic enough to scare my young grandchildren.
I love working in my garden. I love watching plants grow, bloom and produce food for my table. I alsowant to be able to work in the yard for many years, so I am careful out there. I dress for safety, not fashion, and so far the plants don't mind.
Upcoming event: The Napa County Master Gardeners' “Down the Garden Path” Garden Tour is Sunday, September 13. The second garden on the tour is the proud recipient of a new drip system. At that site, you can peruse a reference binder with step-by-step instructions for installing drip irrigation. Click http://bit.ly/1fqLJZe for information and tickets.
Workshops: Napa County Master Gardeners will host a workshop on “Good Garden Resources in Print & Tech” on Saturday, July 11, from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., at the University of California Cooperative Extension office, 1710 Soscol Avenue, Napa. Who do you trust for dependable gardening information? Where do you look for answers to your horticulture questions? Participants are invited to bring tablets or laptops. Master Gardeners will help you evaluate sources of gardening information, both online and in print. Online registration (credit card only); Mail-in registration (cash or check only).
Napa County Master Gardener will also host a workshop on “Dealing with Drought and Drought-Tolerant Plants” on Saturday, July 11, from 10 a.m. to noon, at Mid-City Nursery, 3635 Broadway, American Canyon. Learn what to do now to help your garden survive on very little water. We will discuss what kinds of plants do best with minimal water. Learn about easy-care, long-flowering, colorful plants for your garden and ones that will attract pollinators. We will also discuss fire-wise plants and gardens. Online registration;Mail-in registration.
Master Gardeners are volunteers who help the University of California reach the gardening public with home gardening information. Napa County Master Gardeners ( http://ucanr.org/ucmgnapa/) are available to answer gardening questions in person or by phone, Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 9 a.m. to Noon, at the U. C. Cooperative Extension office, 1710 Soscol Avenue, Suite 4, Napa, 707-253-4143, or from outside City of Napa toll-free at 877-279-3065. Or e-mail your garden questions by following the guidelines on our web site. Click on Napa, then on Have Garden Questions? Find us on Facebook under UC Master Gardeners of Napa County.