I have lots of little patches of blackberry on the 5.5 acres here. No one patch is too big, but it does need to be taken care of. I am asking for advice on gloves or other garments you might wear to protect against blackberry thorns. Thanks! When I Google "blackberry gloves", all I get are purple gloves, or gloves which work well when using your Blackberry (electronic device).

I use welding gloves for that, especially if it's an old patch with a lot of old, woody canes. Typically they will have a long, thick cuff that protects your wrist and forearm, and are made of much heavier leather than any gardening glove.

I knew if I asked here, someone would have a brilliant idea. Thank you so much. Maybe I will pick some up at Harbor Freight with the 20% coupons they're always mailing out. Great tip!

If you grab them near the base, the thorns are much smaller and won't pierce your gloves as much.

I like to tackle blackberries by smashing them with a 2x8 first. i.e. put the board on the blackberries, walk up the board, jump up & down. Move the board, repeat. Just be careful not to fall into the blackberries face first.

i use police/military gloves, they are leather with a kevlar lining, anti cut and piercing, they are expensive, around 30 euros, but they have better tact than much heavier leather gloves

I agree with the welder's gloves...they are tough, and designed to keep molten metal from burning your forearms.

Has anybody tried "berry rakes"? I have heard they are great for huckleberries and blueberries.

http://www.amazon.com/Harold-Import-Company-Berry-Picker/dp/B00176HU90/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1322518714&sr=8-1

Plenty of good stout gloves on the market. If this is not an option, any pair of gloves, plus duct tape, plus cardboard or plastic will be all you need to fashion something that will give you protection. Cut the cardboard or plastic into finger and palm shaped pieces, apply a few layers of duct tape.

Wanted to add my two cents; We got welders gloves on the cheap from Harbor Freight Tools, none of the blackberry thorns made it though the gloves. I am going to go back and pick up a few more sets for future use.

Thanks Tiffani - you probably used one of their ubiquitous 20% coupons which flood our mailboxes. I save them up and try to never buy anything their without using one - even if it's just a few bucks since the coupons are so easily had.

I'm so glad to hear my suggestion was helpful. Thanks for the update!

My solution was to get some thin goat skin or pig skin gloves and a larger set of regular cow-hide gloves. A few really nasty thorns might make it through but they don't hurt as bad.

I have 2 sets of welding gloves though that I will try out soon as I had the idea to use them too but just came into some pairs a few months ago but havn't pulled any blackberries.

for dealing with them, thick welding gloves work well

but for harvesting tight, thick, rose pruning gloves work best ive found.