Getting Ready for WInter

Once you have prepared your gardens for winter, it is time to take care of your tools and supplies.  A little time spent now will preserve your tools and assure you are ready for spring when it is time to  begin the new gardening season.

HAND TOOLS

1. Clean every metal surface.  Scrape and scrub away soil using water if necessary. 

2. Coat the metal with a layer of spray lubricant like WF-40.

3.  Sharpen shears, loppers, and pruners with a whetstone.

4.  Sharpen hoes and shovel edges with a mill file.

5. Store hand tools in a box or bin.

6. Store long handled tools in a shed, cellar, or garage on the wall.

POWER TOOLS

1. Clean all surfaces and spray lubricant on any metal surfaces.

2. Run 4-cylinder engines until they are warm, then change the oil and air filter.  Run the engines until they are out of gas or add a gasoline stabilizer to the tank.

3.  Sharpen blades on lawn mowers or any other tools that may need sharpening.

WATERING TOOLS

1.  Drain all hoses and wrap them up for storage.

2. Store all nozzles and attachments in a box.

POTS AND POTTING MIX

1. Clean all empty pots with soapy water and a scrub brush.  Stack them away.

2.  Pots can be sterilized in a 5-percent Clorox bleach in water.

3. Tightly close any opened bags of peat moss or peat-moss based potting mixes to prevent them from drying out.

CHEMICALS

1.  Store any chemicals like fertilizer, pesticides etc in a cool dry place away from children to prevent freezing.

2. Synthetic fertilizers will absorb moisture and lose nutrients unless wrapped tightly in plastic.