✔️ Identify the right type of shoe for your needs. Do you need a sturdy shoe with more coverage, like a pair of boots, or a more lightweight option that slips on and off easily? “Boots add stability that just isn’t available in any other shoe style,” says Karsten. “The heavy stiff sole is key to avoid hurting the arch of your foot when using gardening tools that require stepping with all your body weight to push into the soil.”
Ankle-height boots are ideal for intense gardening activities like deep weeding, pruning, or wading through vegetation, while tall boots are “best for heavy-duty garden work such as building beds, lugging compost, and working in wet conditions,” according to Kostovick. On the other hand, clogs and galoshes offer less coverage—which may be ideal for hot summer days—and “slip on and off easily,” says Karsten. Kostovick recommends this style especially for novice gardeners and those working in raised beds with clean pathways.
✔️ Consider the season. When finding the right type of shoe, it’s also important to consider the specific gardening conditions and the season you’ll be wearing them in, says Karsten. For example, in the early spring, he generally recommends wearing hiking boots. “A heavy sole is important because early season gardening means lots of heavy work turning over soil with a garden fork or a shovel,” he explains.
Once it’s planting time, however, he recommends “easy-to-clean rubber shoes that can be sprayed off at the end of the day.” By mid-summer, he suggests wearing more lightweight shoes that are “easy to clean up and cool.”