I don’t know about you, but I don’t own “the best gardening shoes.” To me, that would be something I could wear all season long. The best gardening shoes in early spring, at least for me, don’t work as the best gardening shoes when the weather heats up and the soil is dry.

For instance, I don’t wear garden clogs throughout the season (I prefer boots unless it’s super-hot) but every spring I shop for new ones.

There’s a million-dollar business idea for you – create gardening clogs that actually last.

Anyway, gardening clogs are at the top of the list. So, I thought, why not share the gardening shoes shopping experience (which is usually quite frustrating) with my friends at Gardenologist.org?

So, let’s head over to Amazon and see what they have this season in gardening shoes – women’s gardening clogs, men’s garden clogs, women’s gardening boots and, yes, men’s gardening boots (not all gardeners are women, but you’d never guess by how many gardening sites cater to only women).

But first, let’s take a look at what we should seek in a gardening shoe, during any season.

• They should be easy to kick on and off (at least in my world)
• They should be non-slip
• Gardening footwear should be flexible
• They should also be waterproof (duh)
• Garden boots, shoes, clogs, sandals, etc. should be comfortable enough to wear for hours and stay on your feet.

Last year I bought a pair of Peips Eco garden clogs and hated them. I gave them away in fact. Too heavy, too clunky – felt too much like shoes.

Crocks? Nope. Too many complaints that the quality has all but disappeared.

I ended up buying Western Chief clogs and, although they run big (I had to send the first pair back for a smaller size), they worked throughout the season. They come in different patterns, if that type of stuff is important to you. You can find them here.

It’s boots for me — at least when soil is soggy

I had a very British aunt who referred to what we call “boots” as “wellies.” Whatever you choose to call them, every serious gardener must have a pair.

You never have to worry that they’ll slip off, they are absolutely insect-proof and they keep your feet dry much better than gardening clogs. My only wish is that boots were as easy to kick off as my summer garden shoes.

We’ll start our review of the Best Gardening Shoes (for mucky days) with boots, for both men and women. Scroll past them if you’re looking for clogs or shoes.

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Bogs Women’s Work Boot

These are my favorites, the Bogs Classic High Solid Boot, which I bought on Bogs’ website in basic black. Wish I’d checked Amazon first because they have some other really cute styles and patterns there that I didn’t know were available, and they are less expensive. But I do love these boots.

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Men’s Fieldblazer Classic Muck Boot

 

Because it’s a men’s boot, we can’t tell you first-hand how they feel or work, but the reviews are, overall, positive. We like the adjustable snow collar. Replace “snow” with “mud,” etc. and you have yourself a pretty smart spring gardening boot for men.

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Sloggers Women’s Waterproof Shoe

You’ll find a ton of different colors and patterns for these garden shoes. If you live in a region that gets particularly hot and/or muggy, though, you may want to consider a different garden shoe because your feet will sweat in these.

Otherwise, they’re easy to slip on and off, they have removable insoles and there are few complaints on Amazon. The complaints we noticed had primarily to do with sizing, but there’s a sizing chart on the product’s Amazon page, here.

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Muck Boot “Muckster” Men’s Garden Shoe

 

Rugged, comfortable and waterproof: what more could you ask for in a gardening shoe? Made of Neoprene they have a mesh lining to keep the sweat at bay. And, yes, they’re easy to slip on and off. I think I love them. Check them out at Amazon.com.

 

What NOT to wear in the garden

Oh — by the way: do you watch YouTube gardening videos? We love to watch them but some raise our blood pressure. There is one man, in particular, who drives us nuts with his proven-to-be-useless-and-unscientific advice. Yet, he is a “Biologist & Plant Expert.”

We couldn’t help ourselves and grabbed a screen shot of one of his videos that we recently watched. This is what “Biologists and Plant Experts” wear on their feet when gardening:

 

His videos are meant for nothing more than selling products for the company he works for, so take his advice with a tablespoon of salt.

Then, there’s the Best Gardening Shoes comparison at Good Housekeeping written by someone who has obviously not gardened much (her bio confirms our suspicions). Her description of a pair of “gardening boots” that she recommends says “While these boots work great in the garden, you’ll want to wear them with just about everything you own.”

Would you EVER wear your muddy, stained, yet functional gardening boots or shoes with anything other than what you wear to garden? I’d look like a homeless person! Yet every pair of “gardening shoes” she recommends mentions that they are either “chic,” “stylish,” “cute” or “sleek.”

When did gardening become such a high-fashion endeavour?

We’re working on The Best Gardening Shoes for summer, so check back.

We’re almost there – spring is only seven weeks away!