Your garden depends not just on the work you do but on the tools that you do it with. Keeping these implements in the best condition helps you to maintain a garden to be proud of and prolongs the working life of your tools.
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Cleaning
Tools should be cleaned as soon as possible after use to keep them in good condition. Digging tools like garden forks, spades and shovels should be rinsed off and any caked-on mud should be removed with a wire brush or scraped off with a putty knife or similar.
Using a bucket of warm water and some detergent, wash the tools thoroughly, soaking if needed to dislodge heavy clay deposits. Give them a good scrub with a plastic brush in the cleaning solution. Rinse in clean water and then allow to air dry if the weather allows or use a towel. This routine maintains your tools and helps prevent cross-contamination if your tools have been in contact with pest-infected soil or diseased plants.
Cutting tools such as pruners, loppers or hedge shears should be washed to remove any plant residue or sap, use a nail brush to remove stubborn deposits. Air or towel dry after cleaning.
Sharpening
Cutting tools need to be sharp to do their job properly and to prevent damage to plants through blunt blades. If your pruners are not sharp they will crush stems rather than cutting them cleanly, and this can lead to disease entering the plant.
Not only is a sharp cutting tool better for your plants but it’s also safer for you. A blunt blade is more likely to slip and injure you than a sharp blade that cuts effectively the first time.
Sharpening the edge of your spade, hoe or shovel makes your work a lot easier and creates a neater finish.
Mending
Check your garden tools regularly for signs of wear or damage and repair as soon as possible. Working with a damaged tool is dangerous and will make the work you’re doing harder. It can also lead to more damage and costly repairs or the need for a replacement.
Check the handles of your digging and cutting tools as well as all blades and moving parts. If a tool has come to the end of its useful life, it should be replaced. Never work with broken or faulty tools.
Oiling
When you have cleaned and checked your garden tools, making repairs where necessary, it’s time to treat them to some oil. Linseed oil works brilliantly for wood and metal parts and it forms a protective barrier against rust. Always be careful when using linseed oil as it is flammable.
A bucket full of sand and some linseed oil is a fast and effective way to clean metal tools. The sand acts as an exfoliation and a great storage medium while the oil coats the metal and protects it.
Apply oil to blades, moving parts and tool heads to form a protective barrier and act as a lubricant.
Storing
Now that you have thoroughly cleaned, sharpened, repaired and oiled your tools you need somewhere to store them. A brick-built shed is the ideal storage area for all your garden equipment and tools.
Building a brick shed provides a dry, secure and durable storage area for all your gardening implements as well as giving you an outbuilding that will last for a lot longer than a wooden shed. Your tools will be safe, dry and organised, ready to help you create a beautiful garden.
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