You’ve put the garden to bed, turned off the water and stored the hoses. Perhaps the final task before the snow flies is cleaning and sharpening tools.
Emma Erler, host of Homegrown NH and Lead Horticulturist with Squam Lakes Natural Science Center, focuses first on her cutting tools, like hand pruners and loppers.
“For my hand pruners, I will completely take them apart when I’m cleaning and sharpening them,” Erler says.
Emma Erler found these pruners in the Kirkwood Gardens compost pile.
“I sharpen one blade at a time,” she says. “One helpful thing I tell people to do is to take a picture of what they looked like before you start unscrewing pieces, so you can have an idea of how they go back together again.”
Erler uses a diamond-edge sharpener, as well as a sharpening set intended for knives.
Some tools aren’t going to come apart easily, Erler says, so she will just hold them as best she can and try to get the same bevel that came from the factory on the blade.
It can be a good idea to take care of things like shovels and edging tools that have taken a beating over the course of the season as well.
“I scrape off any dirt or sand away any rust that’s on them. You can also give them a sharper edge,” says Erler. “Then I’ll oil them up and put them in a bucket of sand so that they don’t get any more rust if the garage or shed is damp.”
Tools with wooden handles can use a bit of maintenance, too.
Brush off as much of the dirt as possible, and then treat them with boiled linseed oil to give them a finish that will preserve the wood for as long as possible.
If you have a gas-powered lawnmower, fall is a good time for an oil and filter change.
“I try to make sure that it has good quality gas in it for the winter,” says Erler. “That means, if I can find it, ethanol-free gas.”
Whether it’s gas powered or electric, if you have your lawnmower in the garage, fall or early winter can be a good time to sharpen the blades on your lawnmower as well.
We’re always eager to get out there in the spring, and having your tools sharpened means you can pull them out and get to work immediately when it warms up.
See you in the garden!
Homegrown New Hampshire is a collaboration between Squam Lakes Natural Science Center and NHPR.
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