If I'm going to be digging with a standard shovel or am going to be in tall grass/weeds, I do not wear my shoes; I wear a hard-soled, high-top boot. The high top (6 inches or taller) will keep the burrs and such from getting into my boots. I quit using "waffle stomper" type soles as they gather tons of mud and rocks which makes a mess of the truck and the house. (I seldom hike on steep hillsides, so I do not need the aggressive tread anymore.) I prefer a shallower, non-slip type of sole. I prefer a hard sole because with a lot of hard digging, the bottoms of my feet get bruised through a soft sole.
Gore-tex is an awesome material and is my preferred waterproofing material when walking in dewy grass or shallow water or wet snow. If the water is going to go over the top of my boot, I wear my "skins" (non-insulated, non-waterproof, plain old leather boots) because when water gets in a Gore-tex lined boot, it stays in. It does not drain out, so I end up slopping around in water after getting back on dry land. Very irritating. Gore-tex is also expensive and wears out after about a year of hard use. If you are kneeling and bending your foot on the balls of your feet, you will crease the material and will eventually create a hole in which water will leak in. Gore-tex is the best, but it has it downsides.
The more expensive boots aren't worth the money, but cheap footwear sucks!!! For a no frills boot I prefer to spend $100 to $120 and buy boots more often instead of buying $200+ boots and then re-soling them. Once you damage the upper part of the boot, it is pretty much done for. Or if you wear through the lining inside the boot, you can develop a spot that could create a blister. Again, the only solution to fix that is to buy another pair of boots. Accidentally cutting into your 18-month-old $350 dollar pair of Whites with a freshly sharpened shovel can be an expensive mistake. A quality $100 boot will last a year and potentially more. The downside of that is going through an annual break-in period. Ouch!
Slip resistance is important to me and not every boot manufacturer's definition of "slip resistance" is the same! Wolverine make a surprisingly high quality boot at a reasonable price. Their long-lasting soles have superb slip resistance, too. Redwing makes an excellent, long-wearing, slip resistant sole as well, but they can be pricey.
Healthy feet are happy feet!