Most professions and pastimes require some specialized accoutrement to facilitate the activities involved: we all have work clothes and play clothes. I feel lucky because my closet has little division between the two. But almost all of the pants I own are jeans with a frayed right front pocket from my pruner holster, and faded if not blown out knees. My sweaters bear snags from thorns and are impregnated with seeds; my shoes are muddy boots. And before every special occasion I stare at my closet in despair of having "nothing to wear".

Nonetheless, I sympathize with anyone who has to change out of their work clothes before going outside. That takes up such precious time.

Even though I played dress-up as a kid, changing outfits for every scene change, I’m too easily distracted now. Inevitably, during a wardrobe change, I will decide to throw laundry into the wash, notice the dishes need doing, and if I were the kind of person who cooked, I’d probably realize it was time to get dinner on and never make it out to the garden. So I tend to wear whatever I’m wearing when I head outside. But I also don’t want to spend great gobs of money on new (or used) replacements and have adopted some preservation practices.

I recently purchased an apron made of coated cotton similar to oilcloth. It has divided pockets generous enough for stashing gloves, notebook, seed packets, phone and whatever else I might want to carry into the garden with the bonus of keeping those things dry. I wore it for the first time to protect my outfit while I sowed a flat of sweet peas and immediately realized its failing: aprons should also prevent us from wiping wet and dirty hands on our thighs when we go to answer the phone. I’ll have to add a clean dish towel to the stash in its pockets.

My kingdom too for an apron with sturdy enough pockets from which to hang my pruner and weeder holsters. I know a lot of gardeners who carry unsheathed pruners and how they don’t lose those expensive tools in the garden daily is beyond me. Holsters aren’t just for professionals! But over time their clips will wreck your pockets. A comfortably wide belt strung with tools and worn over an apron is an excellent answer.

I have solved the problem of dirty, holey, and perennially bruised knees with cushioned knee pads. The ones made of neoprene and memory foam by Burgon & Ball are comfortable enough to wear for hours at a stretch and make me feel like a roller derby jammer in need of a new name, a combative attitude, and a better costume. If only I remembered to strap them on before kneeling down to admire every snowdrop and crocus on my dog walks around town.

I keep all of these things: the apron, holsters, knee pads and anything else I might want with me outside, within easy reach of the garden door. I never know what gotta-garden impulse or squirrel-at-the-bird-feeder sighting will pull me outside, and I have no excuse now not to return at least as presentably tidy as I went out.

Gardening is dirty work but we don’t always have to dress for it. A long stretch of focused time would warrant undressing from suit to jeans, even for me, but daily toing and froing from the garden shouldn’t be so inconvenient.

Kristin Green is a Bristol-based gardener and author of 'Plantiful: Start Small, Grow Big with 150 Plants that Spread, Self-Sow, and Overwinter'. Follow her blog at trenchmanicure.com.