Gardening Tools 101
Good quality garden tools will last longer with the right care and maintenance. Here are our tips on what tools to have, how to care for them and more!
ESSENTIAL GARDENING TOOLS
With so many gardening tools available, which ones do you really need? These good quality basics will get you through many of your garden projects throughout the year.
A trowel, hand fork, weeder and gardening gloves will assist you with most basic gardening tasks.
The larger tools for larger gardens and projects should include a rake, broom, shovel, hoe and pitchfork.
Pruners, secateurs, and a curved blade pruning saw make cutting and pruning in your garden easy.
A tree lopper is good for larger branches.
GARDEN TOOL CARE
Having clean and sharp gardening tools is important for best use and also to ensure they last longer and minimise pests and disease spread in your garden.
To maintain your tools, all blades need to be properly cleaned after every use. Remove dirt with an old toothbrush or scrubber (while wearing gloves). Wipe secateurs down with warm, soapy water (or diluted methylated sprits) after each use. Then rub the blades with vegetable oil to prevent them from rusting.
Keep tool edges sharp with regular sharpening. Use an axe-sharpening stone on the sharp-edged blade of a spade. Use a sharpening stone or diamond sharpener on secateurs and pruners. To finish, wipe over with an oily rag to prevent rusting.
GARDENING TOOL TIPS
Make a sand plunge bucket. To prevent rusting, make up an oily sand mix by adding ‘bricky’ sand and vegetable oil into a bucket and stirring it up. Sliding the spade in and out of that mixture will wipe off any muck and most importantly, coat the blade with a fine layer of oil to stop rust. Trowels and
other hand tools appreciate this treatment as well.
Keep a rag soaked in linseed or vegetable oil near your gardening tools so you get in the habit of wiping them down after each use.
To avoid losing your tools in the garden, you can wrap the handles in coloured insulation tape or spray paint the handles in a bright colour, this will make them less camouflaged and easier to find.
Want more gardening tips? Check out our other gardneing blog posts:
Source: https://www.abc.net.au/gardening
