Storing Garden Equipment and Tools

Storage of garden tools in a precise fashion helps keep them in good working order, and saves you time in locating them. A tool house 3x6 feet can take care of a great deal of equipment. Because tools are usually kept in unlighted places, and often not wiped off after use, rust is the major enemy. One way to safeguard against rust is to keep vulnerable tools away from air when not in use, storing them in a box of sand saturated with crank-case oil. Avoid having so much oil that it makes the tools greasy and hard to handle, and do not put the working parts of the tools, such as the pivot part of shears, in the sand. The garden hose is often badly taken care of. Besides using a reel, you can preserve the life of your hose by not letting it kink while water is running through it. Don't leave it in the hot summer sun (especially if it is a plastic hose). Coil it loosely on your reel or rack made on the exposed studding of your garage. An improvised reel can be fashioned from wooden TV cable or wire reels. Tools should be cleaned immediately after use, while the soil is still moist. Use emery cloth, a wire brush or steel wool. Rub in crank case oil. Keep your wooden handles sanded down and preserve the wood with linseed oil. Sharpen hoes with an 8-inch mill file, stroking toward the cutting edge, but don't sharpen digging tools too keenly for when they are thin they nick easily. Apply your file to only one side of your sickle, with the bottom edge kept flat. Power sprayers should be washed with clean water and washing soda after each using, and the nozzle should be examined to get out the grit particles. Clean the sprayer's rubber hose with vinegar and the shower, and the nozzle with kerosene. Oil the leather plunger washer after using to prevent the leather from drying out. Plan to have your drying yard and service area out of sight yet close enough to the house so that you are not inconvenienced. Screen these areas with shrubbery or fences. The service area should include propagating beds, cold frames, a tool shed or storage locker and your compost pit if you have one. Hotbeds and cold frames should be located in a spot where they will be protected from north and northwest winds. Be careful not to place your cold frame in a damp place unless you have first drained it thoroughly with drain tile.