Tools owned by professional gardeners always receive special care before they are stored away for the winter. This is not just for the sake of the tools themselves but for the garden as a whole.
Lawns will be smoother, pruning cuts straighter, and tempers sweeter if tools are kept in good condition. So let’s take some tips from the experts.
First of all, tools must be stored in a place protected from excessive dampness, as well as from rain and snow.
A few days of mild, moist weather in midwinter will rust any exposed metal surface as surely as if it were left in the open.
Cleaning and Maintenance of Tools
Before tools are stored, they should be cleaned with a wire brush. A piece of wood 2″ or 3″ inches wide and carved to a fine edge at one end will also prove satisfactory. Rust should be removed with emery cloth and then coated with oil or grease.
Without a protective film, oil tools will rust, and they will be in poor condition by spring. Be it a spade or trowel, a shining surface will fairly bite into the earth, but soil clings to a dirty, rusty tool and impairs its usefulness.
The most satisfactory storage method is to drive spikes or nails into the garage, cellar, or shed walls, on which tools can be hung.
Rakes and similar equipment need two spikes about 2” inches apart. With handles hung between the spikes, tools will remain clean and rustproof.
Sharpening Tools
It is a good practice to sharpen dull tools before putting them away. Edging irons, spades, and hoes can be sharpened with a file. An ax, however, will be ruined by this treatment, for a file will spoil its face and remove the temper.
Ax, scythe, and sickle need a grindstone, and if no grindstone is available, an oil stone having a coarse and smooth surface will do.
Each implement should be taken apart and gone over piece by piece to remove all traces of residue. Then, oil and reassemble all metal parts.
Repairing Broken Tools
Occasionally, shovels and forks are used for jobs requiring a crowbar and split handles result.
Little can be done with broken tools, although a dibble might be made from a spade or fork handle. Broken tools are discarded as well.
Wooden lawn rakes, however, can be repaired if both the handle and crossbar are whole. New teeth are sold at hardware stores and are easily hammered in place.
Prevent Misplacement of Small Tools
Small tools are easily mislaid while working in the garden, and much time is lost searching for them.
Dab a coat of red paint on the shaft, as that color will bring any wayward tool quickly into sight.
Maintenance of Large Implements and Power Mowers
For example, large implements, lawns, and power mowers should be put in order first. The hand lawn mower requires special care.
It can be taken apart by first removing the side wheels —which will show the gears to be full of a mixture of grass and grease.
This should be cleaned out, and the parts washed with gasoline. Apply a little grease to the gears when they are replaced.
Mower blades should not be sharpened with a file, for the blade surface will be made uneven.
They should be sharpened on a lathe. Machines in fairly constant use require sharpening at least once a year and should be done in the local lawn mower shop. A fresh coat of paint on the blades is a finishing touch that prevents rusting.
Power mowers are more complicated and require more than just surface cleaning and painting. The gasoline must be drained, and the motor must be checked before storing.
The motor requires an overhaul occasionally, just as an automobile does, and, as a rule, that includes the removal of carbon, inserting a new spark plug, and a general tuneup at the shop.
Winterizing The Garden Hose
The garden hose can be troublesome if neglected over the winter. All water should be drained out.
Otherwise, it might freeze and burst the hose. If a reel is unavailable, hang the hose loosely over the overhead supports in the garage or cellar.
A garden hose hoist simplifies draining and later keeps the hose out of the way since it can be attached overhead in any convenient place.
Preparation of Sprinklers
Sprinklers should either be stored where they will not freeze or have the plugs removed and all water is blown out of them.
Organizing Garden Stakes and Labels
Garden stakes that support tall plants and labels should not be forgotten. Many of the stakes are probably still standing in the flower borders.
Gather them up, wipe them free of soil, and tie them in bundles according to length for use next year. Some may need paint.
A good job for the winter months is making permanent labels to use next season. Wooden labels last only a year and are not suitable for permanent marking.
Copper labels that tie with copper wire are most satisfactory. The plant name is impressed into the soft metal of the label with a style that lasts for years.
Maintenance of Cold Frames
Cold Frames may need new panes of glass or hinges. Even minor repair work, such as putting loose glass, is worth doing now.
If extra coverings are used to cover frames during cold weather, bring them to a place where they can be quickly reached when needed.
Protection of Garden Ornaments
Birdbaths, sundials, and other garden ornaments do not come under the heading of tools, but they can be damaged by frost. They will hit longer if stored under cover for the winter.
44659 by Mildred F. Bush