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Care of gardening tools
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Posted by mxk3 z5b/6 MI (My Page) on Thu, Nov 19, 09 at 10:50
| Do you guys do anything special to your tools at the end of the season in terms of care? If so, what do you do - please describe what I should be doing. |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Care of gardening tools
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| Clean them off well, dry them, sharpen if necessary and spray all metal parts with a light coat of WD-40. Wooden handles can be treated with linseed oil or other vegetable-based oil. Store in a dry, well-ventilated location until you need them again. |
RE: Care of gardening tools
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| maybe in the damp PNW ..... they will be frozen solid in a few weeks .... the soil will brush off any rust in spring .... sharpen in spring.. otherwise.. they will just dull from the rust ... ya know.. we are known as the rust belt for a reason .... lol best thing i ever heard... AND NEVER DID ... get an aquatic pot ... no holes .. fill with sand and motor oil.. and stick them in that for winter ... basically.. PUT THEM AWAY ... thats about all you really need.. and in your case mx.. shop for new ones all winter.. lol ken PS: over the winter.. i will take an enjoyable evening to completely disassemble, polish, sharpen, oil, grease and re-assemble my 20 year old felco's ... |
RE: Care of gardening tools
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| The gardening season never ends here, so I am happy when I am able to find the tool needed. Never have mastered the "put it away when finished" routine. At garage or estate sales I buy the garden tools, my theory being with enough of any tool, I am sure to be able to find one when needed. When a shovel I paid a dollar for breaks a handle, throwing it away is not traumatic. Al |
RE: Care of gardening tools
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| ken, the purpose of the WD-40 is to prevent rust. And it does a decent job. The PNW in winter is not exactly a dry place, either :-) Allowing rust to accumulate over winter will eventually have a detrimental effect on your tools. It eats away at the metal parts. If like Al above, you buy them as you find them for bargain prices, that may not be a concern but if you've invested some serious dollars in quality pruners or a solid steel English spade, you might want to do a bit more to protect your investment. The bucket of sand with oil (doesn't have to be motor oil but not a bad way to recycle that stuff) is a good alternative. A gardening work group I am associated with does that for all big gardening tools - not hand tools - but we do it on a daily basis throughout the season as well as in winter. Just like a chef or a carpenter, using and caring for your tools properly will enhance your gardening experience. |
RE: Care of gardening tools
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| my shovel is 20 years old ... i stick it in the pole barn with a sand floor ... that is its winter care ... i sharpen it in spring ... THE ONLY THING YOU REALLY NEED TO DO .... >>>>>>> is make sure you put away wood handled tools ... splintering handles really hurt i suppose we are back to the type A.. type B discussion .... all you A's just want to make us feel guilty that we arent as perfect as you .. like my mother made me feel .... there each of you B's send me $100 for the therapy .... ken |
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