The best gardening gloves of 2025 for every type of task, tested and reviewed

Sizes: (Women's) XS-L | Material: Biodegradable nylon with a nitrile palm | Color: Green

For everyday gardening, you can't go wrong with these stretchy nylon gloves. Between their sturdiness, comfort and grippiness, they offer exceptional value. 

But what's coolest is that once they've reached the end of their life, they're designed to biodegrade in a fraction of the time of traditional gloves. For anyone who cares about their impact on the environment (aka most gardeners), this is an intriguing feature. The brand uses a proprietary additive called Reclaim that attracts microbes when the gloves enter a landfill. This helps them break down in as little as five years, based on standards established by the independent American Society for Testing and Materials.

I first heard about these gloves from Katie Tamony, chief marketing officer at Monrovia. Because she goes through gloves quickly, she looks for something inexpensive yet durable. "I used to buy gloves for the look, like I would want something that had a pretty pattern on it. Now I go for gloves that have a good grip and are the right size," she says.

This pair is indeed grippy, with a nitrile palm and fingertips that helped me hold onto slippery weeds and stones. I didn't expect them to work as well as they did because the coating is smooth, not textured like it is on most similar gloves. But even after rubbing it with sandpaper, it resisted any abrasions. 

I sprayed the gloves with a hose to test how long they would take to dry. While they got soaked almost immediately, they dried out in about an hour, whereas many other fabric gloves I tested stayed damp.

I have small hands and found the size small gloves roomy but comfortable. The nylon felt cool and breathable, and other than a little dirt slipping down my wrists, the gloves kept my hands clean when I reached into a big bag of potting soil (I suspect this wouldn't have been a problem if I had tested an extra-small pair.) The material also offers a decent amount of protection against brambles and thorns, despite being a thin knit.

A bonus (okay, make it two): These gloves can go in the washing machine, and the fingertips are touchscreen compatible, handy when you want to snap pics of your fabulous flora!

Sizes: (Women's) S-L | Material: Polyester with a rubber palm | Colors: Four color combinations (each set comes with two colors) including red and green; purple and apple green; pink and light blue; and multi-colored florals

It doesn't get any gentler on your wallet than this six-pack of gloves, which rings in at just over $2 per pair! Made from polyester with a rubber palm, these gloves have a nice, snug fit, especially around the wrist. My hands stayed pristine after digging deep into a bag of potting soil.

Though I find the idea of white gardening gloves a bit ridiculous, dirt brushed off these better than the other light-colored fabric pair I tried from Garden Works (read more about them in the "others we tested" section below). You can also toss the Cooljob gloves in the wash if needed.

The rubberized palms showed some signs of abrasion after I rubbed them with sandpaper, but during regular use, they seemed to hold up just fine. I'm curious how they'll do after a full season, but I also have five more pairs if these wear out.

Considering how breathable and comfortable they feel, I was surprised how well they protected my hands against thorns. They're not foolproof, but they performed the best of the fabric gloves I tried.

Sizes: (Unisex) S-L | Material: Polyester and spandex with a latex palm | Color: Lime green/blue

Not one, not two, but three experts I spoke to named Mud as a favorite for gardening gloves. And both Diane Blazek, executive director of the National Garden Bureau, and Suzanne DeJohn, a writer for the National Gardening Association, called out this Super Grip pair. "For general gardening use, my go-to is nitrile gloves. They are inexpensive, waterproof (on the areas with the coating), offer excellent dexterity and are surprisingly long-lasting," says DeJohn. "For more protection, I like Mud gloves — similar but with thicker fabric and a heavier waterproof coating."

These are knit from a polyester-spandex blend, so they have a ton of stretch, and the palms are an ultra-textured latex. I found them comfortable and breathable, and they lived up to their name when it came to grip. I easily held slick rocks, and the latex palms gave me extra leverage when I was pulling weeds. I also appreciated the bright, highlighter-like color, which made this pair easy to find in my shed.

They did a decent job protecting my hands against sharp thorns, despite how light they are. In our "rain shower" test, the knit soaked up water, but the palms stayed fairly dry. "If it's really wet, I go for Mud gloves," adds Lawson. I can see why!

Sizes: (Women's) S-XL | Material: Goatskin leather with a suede cowhide cuff | Color: Pale gray

Many gardeners who work with roses and other thorny shrubs go for gauntlet gloves, which reach up to the elbow for more protection. I did test a couple of pairs and liked them (read more about them in the "others we tested" section below). So why did these buttery beauties from Womanswork win the title?

Well, you can't beat their versatility. Like gauntlet gloves, they'll protect you from sharp, pointy objects: They're made from durable goatskin with a wide cuff that came up to my mid-forearm, so they covered more of my skin than any of the standard gloves I tried. But this pair is also a workhorse if you're lifting heavy objects, raking or digging. 

The leather is supple and felt amazing against my skin. It conforms to your hands over time, which made me especially happy because when I first put this pair on, it was too large, especially in the fingers. This caused some chafing on both my hands between my pinky and ring fingers. 

I was especially impressed by the way this pair held up to water. Even after a soaking, my hand stayed dry, and the gloves themselves dried out within an hour. When I talked to Lawson, she sang the waterproof praises of Womanswork leather gloves, and they totally lived up to the hype. "If I could only wear one pair of gloves, it would be a pair of goatskin gloves. They're pretty waterproof; if they get wet, they'll dry out. They also give you good touch, but are sturdy," she said. "And Womanswork makes the prettiest ones."

Sizes: (Men's) S-XXL | Material: Goatskin and Lycra with a silicone palm | Color: Brown

Many of the gloves I tested were women's, while a few were unisex. I admit that this was the only pair with men's sizing, which is why I crowned them "best for men." But I'd recommend these to anyone, as long as they fit. I tried the smallest size available, and though they were roomy, they were also extremely well made. 

These babies are made from goatskin, which several of the pros I spoke to prefer over other types of leather. "I never recommend cowhide, just goatskin, because it's more supple," says Daryl Beyers, a landscape designer, gardening teacher and author of The New Gardener's Handbook. "It's what you want when you're out there with a saw, picking up big sticks, digging a hole."

I had no problem hauling rocks and branches wearing this pair, and the leather felt smooth against my skin. Considering how padded they are — they are reinforced around the knuckles and palm, with silicone patches stitched on top — they were super comfortable. My hands felt extremely protected when I ran them against a rose bush in our thorn test and pulled stubborn weeds.

This was also one of the only pairs of gardening gloves that repelled water when sprayed them with a hose. I noticed droplets beading up on the palm, and when I put the gloves back on, my hands stayed dry. My only gripes are that the leather showed signs of wear when I rubbed it with sandpaper ... and, well, I wish they made these gloves in smaller sizes!