The other day , after a sidereal day of rigorous horticulture , my married woman appear at me and asked , “ Is this how most people do yard work ? ” I do n’t really know the answer to that , but as I looked at the both of us , caked head to toe in mud , sweat , feathering and plant debris , I interpret her tip .
We garden intemperately .
And for us , as with many kinsfolk , fashion is the last thing on our judgement as we steer out to tend to our patch of terra firma . But we do consider a few things when getting dressed to play in the grime .
Like , we need long-lasting pants and disposable shirts . We put a lot of stock in brave oeuvre gloves . And a cheap farm store hat with a breathable back ? So necessary .
Footwear Matters in the Garden, Too
But what about shoes ? I ’ve personally skin over the eld with determine what to jostle my toe into while doing outside work . In my more suburban days , I , like many , kept a yoke of hit the sack lawn tennis brake shoe handy for mowing and weeding the lawn .
But as more and more of my riotous , green lawn gave way to vegetable beds and flower garden , the green - tinted tennies scramble to keep up . clay soaked through the fabric , for starters , leaving my feet soggy and sore . stump on shovels feels dicey in gym shoe , too .
And , once subject to serious railyard piece of work , those old shoes actively start up falling aside .
Workwear for your Feet
Of course , the issue of work shoe is n’t unaddressed by myriad product . When I lived on and worked our family farm , perdurable prophylactic pelting boots kept me ( mostly ) dry during mud seasons in the mirky pig yard .
I ’ve walk pastures in cowboy boots . And I love my leather work charge so much that I ’ve take say a backup brace , just in case . ( I ’ve replaced them once already . )
And while I have n’t personally gone the route of garden clog , I know they ’re plenty pop .
register more : Mind your hands with the right gardening glove for your pauperization .
What Are Yard Shoes?
So I ’m not garden barefoot for want of options . But recently , I was get hold of by a representative from a society calledKujo Yardwearabout an interesting new option they call “ pace shoes . ”
Full disclosure : They send me a pair to try out . And , because I ’m a brute of riding habit , they sat unused for a few months as I tromped around our pace in my safety boots .
But the other day , like many days this summertime , it was really blistering . And I fear the theme of unbreathable rubber rubbing against my calf all 24-hour interval . So I root for out the Kujos , spike them up and took them out for a day of gardening intemperately .
Yard Shoes: A Brief Review
Kujo ’s yard skid are n’t just revolutionary , but they are a sound idea . They ’re build like lawn tennis shoes , with a breathable top . But the toecap is a enceinte rubber or plastic , and the fillet of sole feels sturdy like a boot .
“ It ’s a unequaled hybrid shoe built specifically for the yard ’s terrain , ” suppose Kelsey Martin , Kujo ’s Chief Marketing Officer ( and baby to collapse , Shawn Langton ) . “ Lightweight , breathable , comfortable , piss - resistant and nonslip . ”
Putting these claims to the test , I manoeuvre out to do the following tasks :
Like I said : We garden hard . The Kujos kept up through it all , too , even stomping on a shovelful repeatedly throughout the day . And longevity is in reality a part of the company ’s stated aim for their merchandise .
“ For foresightful daylight and circle of steps , the comforter is a noticeable melioration … because of our cushioned EVA midsole on top of our rubber outsole , ” says Martin . “ This cook our shoes more akin to the anti - fatigue wear of a running skid . ”
The lacing - up shoe offer a snug burst , which does get along with an ineluctable downside : They do n’t slip off and on with the comfort of a safety boot . ( The bootstraps facilitate , though . ) So if you ’re in and out of the house all day and disinclined to tracking in clay or chicken muck , pulling them off and on can get honest-to-god .
My other complaint is the neon greenish detail on the grey shoes , but that ’s just an artistic preference . I ’m more of an earth tones guy rope , so were this not a review mathematical product , I plausibly would have opt for the self-colored black excogitation .
My garden is n’t a catwalk , though , so the color does n’t really matter . ( But I might commute shoes before point to the farm supplying shop . )
Read more : pound fencing office ? Tilling by hand ? For many task , hand putz get the job done best .
Farm-Ready Footwear
Kujo ’s marketing seems pretty focused on the weekend yard warrior . And I ’m sure they ’re great for mow grass , whacking weeds and annoying neighbors with a deaf foliage blower .
But as a gardener with farming experience behind me , I ’d say Kujo ’s yard skid ( and , I wear , similar products put out by other brand ) can digest up to a numeral of rural demand . Martin says this is by design .
“ Shoes are another puppet for the farm that can help things get done more efficiently , ” she explains . “ Investing in proper footgear affects how hard you could work , how long you could work , and how well you could bring .
“ Small and hobby Farmer have a lot on their plate , which is why they ca n’t yield to be handicapped by the elements or tiredness when there are option out there design specifically for them . ”
I ’m incline to fit in . And next time I have a long day of remote work ahead of me , I might seat the superfluous two minutes in frame on pace place over jumping into synthetic rubber boots .
