Tool Up For Fall

Tools are a gardeners best friends. They are the extensions of our hands that perform all the hard work for us. We would be lost without them, but how many of us take the time to care for these pals of ours the way we should?

Fall is the perfect time of year to give some extra attention to our expensive garden equipment so it can continue to serve us faithfully for years to come.

First clean any caked soil from the tools. If you have been as lazy as I have during the season, you may need a wire bush for this chore. Scrub off any rust that has formed as well. Then wipe down blades and tines with a cotton cloth soaked with oil.

Most people recommend machine oil for this task, but I prefer something less toxic on tools I'm sticking into soil where vegetables grow. I use a good thick olive oil. It cleans and protects the metal without harming my environment.

Tools with wooden handles also need some attention. Sand out any rough spots with superfine sandpaper and then oil the handles with boiled linseed oil. Make sure it is the boiled type...raw linseed oil stays sticky.

You should also check for cracks and replace any handles that may break on you next spring. You don't want that spade handle snapping in the middle of double digging a row. Drat! Have to take time out to run to the hardware store for a replacement when you can least spare the time.

You wouldn't try and cut steak with a dull knife. So don't attempt moving soil around with dull implements. Gardening is hard enough work as it is. Sharpening the blades of spades, trowels and hoes is a chore that shouldn't be ignored. It is not difficult and all you need is a vise and a file. If you don't have these necessities, look up a local handyman, tote your tools to his place and have him do it for you.

To sharpen blades, secure the tool in a vise with the edge of the blade pointing up, or at least being accessible. Use a medium-toothed flat file, grasp it by both ends, and hold it at a slight angle to the edge of the blade, working on one side of the blade only. Most blades have an obvious bevel you can follow. File in one direction. Don't saw back and forth. Make long firm stokes along the entire length of the blade.

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