Sun Safety Tips for Gardeners of All Ages

Gardening is a popular pastime in the UK, with annual expenditure on gardening, plants, and flowers in the country showing year-over-year growth, reaching approximately £6.2 billion. More people have even started cultivating gardens in the past few years, as the pastime relieves stress and anxiety. Moreover, it’s an enjoyable hobby that appeals to people of all ages and is a great way to bond with loved ones, as there is no age requirement or time limit for working with nature and helping plants grow.

However, gardeners can struggle without proper sun protection. Since gardening needs a lot of sunlight and care, gardeners expose themselves to ultraviolet (UV) rays for long periods. Whether you’re a younger adult, a senior, or caring for kids in your garden, sun safety is essential for everyone involved. Here are a few sun safety tips for gardeners of all ages:

Wear sunglasses

Gardening involves spending a lot of time outdoors and under the sun, so the proper protection is needed to keep your eyes safe from harmful UV rays. Gardeners of all ages should wear sunglasses while gardening to protect their eyes from damage. Young children and seniors especially need to take great care of their eyes, as they’re more sensitive to light and susceptible to lasting adverse impacts on vision. Sunglasses should have 100% UVA and UVB protection or have a rating of UV 400 for maximum protection.

If you wear glasses and find shades and contact lenses inconvenient, prescription sunglasses can help make things easier for you. Many retailers have made these shades more accessible, offering many tints, lens options, and shapes from top eyewear brands for a high-quality experience. You can use a stylish and flattering pair from a designer, such as Oakley, in and out of the garden to keep UV light at bay. Their sunglasses are designed for sports and outdoor use, so you could rock a pair of Sutro or Holbrook whilst weeding the garden or walking down the streets on a holiday.

Slather on sunscreen 

Sunscreen is often seen as a beach essential, but it’s just as crucial for gardening and everyday life. Prolonged sun exposure, typical for gardeners, can lead to short and long-term effects on the skin, from sunburns to skin cancer. As such, applying a layer of sunscreen before heading out into the garden, even on cloudy days, is crucial. When looking for an appropriate sunscreen, choose a product with at least a 4-star or higher UVA protection and a sun protection factor (SPF) of at least 30 to protect against UVB.

Sunscreen is vital for all ages, especially for younger gardeners whose skin is more sensitive. Apply it all over the exposed skin 30 minutes before heading out and just beforehand for maximum protection. Applying it every two hours is also recommended since the sun can dry it off. Besides sunscreen, you can cover up by wearing long-sleeve shirts, long trousers, and an appropriate sun hat to keep the sunlight away from vulnerable areas of your face and body.

Stay hydrated 

Just as your garden needs watering, you need to stay hydrated if you’re going to spend a lot of time tending to your crops. If you don’t hydrate yourself before or during your activities, dehydration could lead to heat exhaustion. You can take breaks from gardening to drink water, which benefits seniors who can be more dramatically affected by dehydration. However, it’s often a hassle to put down your tools and clean yourself off to head back inside the house for a glass of water, so keeping a water jug in a nearby shady area can help you keep cool without the extra fuss.

An insulated bottle stays colder longer, so you don’t have to worry about lukewarm water. Other than drinking water often, be conscious of your gardening hours to avoid the sun at its most intense. Gardening in the early morning allows you to take advantage of daylight instead of basking in the harsh heat of the afternoon sun.