thank you! i've walked around with disgusting hands for a week now!

I'm assuming that you're using a "green/organic" soap for this...or I'd be concerned with how the soap would affect the plants....although I suppose there's not a whole lot of it that could wind up mixing in the soil...

I'd wear garden gloves for really messy projects.

I'd vote gloves, too. Spending an afternoon with soap under my nails sounds uncomfortable!

gloves. Scraping soap under my nails just sounds weird and uncomfortable. Is it really that tough to scrub under your nails clean after you're done?

I like feeling the dirt on my hands and finding gloves that fit me is a pain. I'm definitely going to try this!

@MyAliya: I doubt soap contamination is an issue, to be honest. Very little would mix with the soil and what did would definitely get washed away with the next watering.

I keep my nails very very short, so I'm not sure I'd manage to get enough soap to really help without making my fingers hurt. (And the dirt still manages to get in there even with short nails.) I always scrub my hands with a pumice stone after gardening and it helps loads -- but then I have rough "man hands" so they can take it.

I've tried this in the past and it really does work. I have really short nails too (guitar). As a city dweller who needs to improvise with my "gardening" on my balcony I'm certainly not going to buy (or even find) a pair of garden gloves when I'm already using a serving spoon as a spade.

Dark nail polish is my cover up when all else fails.

The idea of having something crammed under my nails is way too creepy. I'll stick with the pointy end of a nail file and a shower!

Maybe I'm in the minority but I don't mind dirty hands.

Just keep a small finger nail brush in the shower...sheesh.

I have really long nails, so I would have to scratch up a LOT of soap. I find that a good handwashing and the use of a stiff bristle nail brush do the job well enough. And if not...well, thats what black nail polish is for!

I tried the soap trick but still ended up with dirt under my nails. My hands typically look like I've been clawing my way out of a premature burial.

Wow. Really? I never wear gloves and just a simple wash with soap and water works for me. I do "claw" the soap but only after, and it works fine. Why contaminate the soil?

This is what my Mum and Gran do! We all have short fingers and even small gloves don't always provide the necessary coverage, this is a tried and true way to keep clean.

First of all, this works really well. Scraping your nails across the bar of soap does not feel at all creepy. If it is soap you are using allready, it is probably ok. Finally, if we are encourage to save water by using "grey" water (from washing machines, sinks and tubs) for irrigation how is this tiny amount of soap toxic to the soil?

This is a great idea and it totally works! And yes you still need to use a nail brush after, it just makes the whole process way easier. I also find having a shower and washing my hair a great way to clean nail dirt.

Gross, that would drive me crazy... just thinking about the feeling of having thick soap build up under my nails... *shudder*

Or you could just WEAR GLOVES......???

This would drive me crazy too! I vote gloves or a good nail scrubbing after.

A couple years ago a friend mentioned that her daughter had a case of intestinal worms after working in their veg garden without gloves. Her doctor told her that soil can be infected with organisms from animals using the garden as a litter box, and those organisms can pass through the skin to give you intestinal parasites.

Now I ALWAYS wear gloves (and closed toe shoes - no sandals or bare feet) and wash my hands carefully after working in the garden.

I like using a bar lotion (e.g. Bee Bar) on my nails and calluses to keep them from getting gunkified.

I haven't tried this put I will this summer:). I wouldn't at all be worried about the soap in the dirt, just a little bit of soap in a garden is actually good for plants.