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Index : Miscellaneous Gardening Topics
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- 55. Safety Precautions for Desert Gardeners - Top
If you have lived in the desert for any time, your well aware that Summer sun and heat can take it's toll on plants. But what we gardeners seem to forget about is that these Summer conditions can be just as harsh on us. So it's time to review some of the safety precautions that we need to use when working outside.
Most importantly, schedule your garden work early in the morning, before temperatures heat up and the sun's rays become too intense. Of course, the worst time to word in the garden is mid-day. Extremely hot temperatures can cause heat stress and exhaustion.
If you must be out gardening during the day, drink plenty of water. Strenuous outdoor activity here in Tucson requires that you drink a minimum of 24 ounces of water every hour. Never rely on thirst to tell you when to drink. By the time you feel thirsty, you may already be dehydrated. Don't worry about drinking too much. Plants can become waterlogged, but not active people!
When working outside, wear lightweight, light-colored, loose-fitting cotton clothes as well as long-sleeved shirts and pants. Initially, you may feel cooler in sleeveless tops and shorts, but under a hot sun your body temperature will increase more rapidly. In addition, always wear a wide-brimmed hat to protect your head, neck and face.
For all the body parts not covered by clothing, including the hands, face, neck and ears apply sun-screen. The product you use should have a sun protection factor (SPF) of 30 or greater. Apply sun-screen 30 minutes prior to going outside to give it time to work. And don't think clouds will protect you. Here in Tucson as much as 80% of the sun's damaging rays can penetrate cloud cover!
With all the thorny, scratchy plants we grow it's a must to wear gloves. No one piece of safety equipment provides gardeners more protection than gloves. Choose a pair of high quality leather gardening gloves. They protect against scratches, scrapes, and the resulting entry of harmful bacteria that can be present in soil. Gloves should be worn during all gardening activities. Hands are especially vulnerable to sharp gardening tools, stakes, landscape timbers, edging, fencing and thorny plants.
For eye safety wear a quality pair of safety glasses or goggles. Puncturing or scratching the eyes can have serious consequences. The eyes are vulnerable to a number of garden hazards. Thorns of all sizes and numbers abound on desert plants. When pruning trees and shrubs it's easy to get careless and turn or walk into sharp stems and thorns. Safety goggles should be worn any time you prune, regardless of how simple or involved the job is. You can wear safety glasses, but make sure they're the kind with shields extending from the sides and top of the lenses. When mixing liquid pesticides, use safety goggles. This will provide the eyes protection from accidental splashing of the pesticide solution.
One of the most common ways gardeners become injured is with accidents involving power equipment. Chain saw are particularly dangerous! Unless you have lots of heavy clearing work to be done, I suggest using a good old fashion pruning saw. Leave the power work to professionals. This includes climbing up trees. Cut only what you can reach from the ground.
These may seem like cumbersome measures to protect yourself from injury. But the most likely place for accidents to happen around the home is in the garden and landscape. Make sure you're not "just another accident waiting to happen"!
- Updated: May 12, 2002
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