Preparing your garden tools for winter - Garden Basics - Brief Article

Your garden may be about ready for a long winter's nap, but your work isn't done. A little attention each fall will give you years of good service from gardening tools.

It's hard to know when to call the gardening season quits in some parts of the country. But when you do finally give it up for the winter, prepare your tools by giving them a thorough cleaning.

Those steel-wool, barbecue-grill scrubbing pads are great for removing caked-on soil from shovels, hoes, trowels and spades. Scrub the blades and handles with soap and water. Allow them to dry completely before storing.

Rub a little linseed oil or a similar protector over wood handles to keep the wood from drying and splitting. While you're at it, sharpen your tools now for a quick start next spring.

Drain water from garden hoses and sprinklers, and hang them to dry before coiling the hoses for storage. Replace washers and repair leaks. Hoses left outdoors during the winter could crack and split, especially if they still have water inside.

Rinse and dry your fertilizer/pesticide spreader, and oil all moving parts. Rinse sprayers and allow them to drip dry before storing. The best way to dispose of unused chemicals in the sprayer is to apply the product as directed on the label.

Store unused pesticides in their original containers with the label intact. Place all pesticides away from children and pets, either in a locked cabinet or on a shelf at least four feet off the ground. Protect pesticides from freezing temperatures and excessive heat.

When you think your lawn has seen its last mowing this year, run your mower until it is out of fuel. Changing the mower's spark plug and sharpening the blade now will save you time next spring.

Some products are now available to help stabilize fuel so it can be stored over winter, but I still recommend you drain it or use up the leftover fuel.

Use up or drain the fuel from the garden tiller before storing. If your equipment has a 4-cycle engine, drain and replace the crankcase oil. Clean the machine by scraping off matted grass and wiping off accumulated oil. Lubricate moving parts as the manufacturer directs.

Now you can finally relax and enjoy the fruits of your gardening labor. Curl up next to the fireplace with your favorite gardening catalog and order new plants for spring.

COPYRIGHT 2001 KC Publishers, Inc.
COPYRIGHT 2001 Gale Group