Gardening Hats: The Good, the Bad, the Ugly

A good gardening hat can make all the difference in how much you enjoy or dread heading out to the backyard to get some work done. Sunburns and sweat are no fun, but the right hat can fend both off with ease and take your focus off the weather and put it back where it belongs: your plants!

So what is a gardening hat supposed to do exactly?

A few different things. A good hat will:

• Shade your eyes, face, ears, neck and shoulders from the sun (yay no greasy sunscreen on your nose!)
• Keep you cooler in hot weather (certainly shouldn’t make you hotter)
• Stay put in a light breeze (no one wants to chase their hat into the thorny hedge of roses)
• Look stylish enough that you aren’t embarrassed to wave or talk to a neighbor while wearing it (oh hi, Karen…)

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Seem like a tall list? Yes and no. There are some bad hats out there (like this one?!) but also lots and lots of good ones. Choosing one can be difficult though with so many factors to consider — fashion, fit, eco-friendliness etc. Where to start?

We’ve compiled this list of our favorite gardening hats – all different types made by different brands and at various price points. You’re sure to find at least one here you love!

put hats here

Best overall hat – stylish, nice wide brim, chin strap is adjustable and removable, wide brim, a few color choices, con: not machine washable https://www.amazon.com/FURTALK-Women-Summer-Bucket-Foldable/dp/B079QKBS1M/ref=sr_1_36

Best for avoiding bug bites/convertible — net is removable, neck shade is removable, https://www.amazon.com/Palmyth-Mosquito-Protection-Repellent-Removable/dp/B08X4FB8PG/ref=sr_1_51

Things to consider when buying a gardening hat

Fabric/hat material — breathable, washable

Neck/chin strap — you don’t need to use it all the time, but having the option on a breezy day is priceless

How wide is the brim? — It should offer good shade

Color — a brightly colored hat (red, yellow, orange) may not only be pretty to you, but the birds and the bees as well! You may appear to them like a big beautiful flower bloom just waiting to be harvested. Being checked out by all the buzzing things may be welcome (hummingbird!) or worrisome (bees and wasps) but definitely something to consider.