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The Dirt

Anne Gregory chose her Fort Wayne home in large part because it overlooks a swath of green boulevard and has a lot and a half to putter in. Not a fan of mowing, she's gradually adding more perennial beds and bird-friendly plantings. The Dirt, which publishes every other Sunday, is an extension of her chats with fellow amateur gardeners.
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Last updated: November 22, 2009 9:29 a.m.

Scrub, sharpen, oil garden tools before storing them for winter

Anne Gregory
The Journal Gazette
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Courtesy Ron Grabianowski

Ron Grabianowski of Antwerp, Ohio, has a reblooming iris named “Immortality" that bloomed this month. (Check out the burning bush in the background.)

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The dry leaves rustle their fall tune on a cool, bright November day. It won't be long now before the days stay cold and wet, freezing and slick, snowy and gray.

This is a good time to get garden tools ready for their long winter's nap. I'm repeating hints from a 2006 issue of The Dirt because, well, I'd be fibbing if I said the job changes from year to year.

Clean dirt from metal parts: I give them a quick, dry scrub with the stiff metal-bristled brush that also cleans the outdoor grill and then plunge the metal parts several times into sand moistened with motor oil.

I keep the oil-sand mixture year-round in a spare bucket and do the plunge routine whenever I think about it throughout the growing season. Cover the bucket loosely with an old trash can lid – or whatever comes in handy – so it doesn't collect dust.

Sharpen edges: I don't go overboard on this, mainly because I'm a bit of a klutz and enjoy my fingertips the way they are. I have a couple of ancient metal files and do a dozen angled swipes on a shovel's cutting edge and one or two on the other side.

Oil moving parts: The hinges of pruning shears and loppers get rusty and hard to use if moisture gets in there. I use a quick shot of WD-40.

Winterize wooden parts: Scrub with a stiff brush and sand lightly with fine sandpaper. I put linseed oil on an old rag and give the wood a thorough rubbing, working the oil into any cracks.

Store tools: I hang half on the wall – generally the ones I use the most. The long-handled tools that get only occasional use go into a dented metal trash can with their business ends up. The point is to keep the tools dry and off the damp floor.

Send us your photos

Thanks to Ron Grabianowski for sending in this week's garden photo.

We've started to get photos of your favorite indoor plants, which I hope to feature in the next edition of The Dirt, on Dec. 6.

Please send your photos to the e-mail address listed below, including your name and a little information about the plant by the end of the day Friday.

If you have any tips on how to keep your tender babies gleaming and healthy, please send those along as well.

Anne Gregory is a garden putterer, not a gardening expert, and JournalGazette.net writer and editor. Garden photos (JPEGs, please) and tips may be sent to garden@jg.net (please put “The Dirt” in the subject line) or 600 W. Main St., Fort Wayne, IN 46802.