Another item I have a hard time finding in garden centers and nurseries is heavy-duty gloves suitable for handling thistles and other spiny or thorny plants. All the so-called gardening gloves they stock are uselessly thin vinyl or cotton, and only offered in "one size" that doesn't fit me. Luckily, my local feed store and farm equipment store both sell sturdy leather work gloves in various sizes - and also sell lined ones for the cold weather!
