Winter Care for Garden Tools

It's that time again:  Tool Time. Time to clean oil and store garden tools for the next growing season. Taking care of your garden tool will greatly diminish the high costs of replacements and make you a much happier gardener when springs roll around again.

What You'll Need

1. Soap
2. Water (hot if you're lucky)
3. Large bucket
4. Clean cloths
5. Wire brush
6. Fine grade stainless steel wool pads
7. Fine grade sandpaper
8. Sharpening file
9. WD-40 lubricate
10. Linseed oil
11. Eye protection for sharpening blades

• Start out giving everything a good cleaning. Dirt left on your tools is a breeding ground for rust and rot.
• Fill your bucket with hot water and dish soap.
• Brush off dirt with the wire brush and remove damaged edges and rust with the stainless steel pads.
• Place your garden tools as space allows for a good 15-20 minute soaking.
• Rinse thoroughly.
• Dry thoroughly with the cloths and leave out until completely dry.
• Tighten nuts, bolts and screws.
• Smooth dull cutting edges with your sharpening file. A few long strokes is all you need. You're only removing roughness, not creating a new blade.
• Use sand paper to smooth wood handles.
• Coat wood handles and metal with oil using dry, clean cloths. Wipe away excess.
• Use WD-40 to lubricate hinges and other moving parts.

Other Tasks

• Sterilize pots and clean garden ornaments (unless you are going for that weathering effect with the latter). Pots need to be free of bacteria, mold and fungus before any replanting occurs so don't skip this final garden chore.
  • Rinse with the garden hose and remove debris with your wire brush.
  • Using your large bucket, prepare a solution of 10 percent bleach and dish soap.
  • Soak your ceramics in the solution for 10-15 minutes.
  • Rinse complete and let dry before put on storage shelves.

• Drain garden hoses, wipe clean with an oily cloth, roll and hand in a dry location.

• If rust is extensive apply a rust-proofing primer and spray paint.

• If you're a novice sharpener, mark your blades with a black felt pen and in long, smooth strokes in one direction file until the blades are free of the black marks. Be sure to lift your file between strokes; no back and forth movements.  If in doubt of your abilities, have your tools professional sharpened.

• Lawn mowers can prove to be in a job within themselves so give yourself plenty of time (or help) to clean out grass, sharpen blades and oil metal and wood parts. It's a good idea to have a professional do the sharpening unless you are well versed in the craft. If a power mower, check the spark plugs and replace the oil in the crankcase to keep the engine protected from winter cold and ready for that spring startup.

• You can store larger metal tools in buckets filled with dry sand and enough oil to create a thoroughly moist environment. At winter's end just brush off the sand and oil.You can save the sand/oil mixture, or prepare a new, clean mixture if necessary, to use throughout the year. Just dunk the tools in the mixture a few times to remove debris, wipe the excess and hang the tool. This wintering and maintenance process will protect rust and corrosion when the elements would have otherwise.

Now put those clean and oiled tools in a protected, dry location preferably on a rack elevated from the floor. Smaller hand tools can be stored in a basket as long as air circulation is possible.

Gardening is so much more rewarding with the right tools in the right condition. Proper care will ensure your tools last for years and do the jobs intended.

Wonderful Ways to Use Tomatoes

You did it! You planted, watered and fertilized those tomato plants just perfect. Good for you. Now just what are you going to doing with all those tomatoes?

The love apple of the garden and once thought poisonous, tomatoes are one of the easiest garden plants to grow. Once you've tasted a fresh ripe tomato from your garden, you'll never want to go back to store bought. But you can eat just so many fresh tomatoes and it's probably one less than a hardy harvest.  So here are some ideas to use your tomato bounty.

• CANNING.  A tradition for centuries and probably responsible for making spaghetti sauce a household staple. You'll never again lack the meal making ingredient for a quick dinner.  Canning tomatoes isn't hard and generations of non-so-great sanitization canned tomato eaters survived but don't take a chance on botulism. Learn how to do it right here.

• FREEZING. A a quicker alternative to canning, frozen tomatoes can also be used for winter dishes. Just make sure you have high quality freezer bags that are well sealed. Wash your tomatoes, blanch them in a single layer in boiling water about 30 seconds, transfer to cold water, cool completely, cut,  peel and package.

Remember to package in the size bags you will be sure to use in one meal.  Never refreeze.

• DRYING. Roma tomatoes are a favorite for this process as they have fewer seeds but any tomato will do. You can easily dry tomatoes in your oven but it can take up to 12 hours  so if you find you enjoy this method, invest in a dehydrator, which has endless uses.

To test drive the drying method:  heat your oven to 200 degrees F., wash, trim and half or quarter tomatoes in uniform sizes.  Arrange cut side up on baking sheet (tomatoes should not touch to prevent incomplete drying), lightly salt and bake until the tomatoes are shriveled and dry to the touch but not brittle. Check after 6 hours and continue until you have shriveled but flexible little tomatoes. Remove those that dry more quickly as necessary. Let cool completely and place in air tight containers or plastic bags.

Dried tomatoes are wonderful on pizza, in dips and salads. But remember dehydrators take most of the work out of drying.

• GRILLING. Put that natural sugar to work on a high heat grill (charcoal works better than gas grills). Chose ripe but firm tomatoes that are large enough to sit on the grill slates.  Cut horizontally, coat with oil and place open side down. Watch carefully because tomatoes cook quickly and will do a disappearing act if overcooked. Within minutes (3-4) you'll notice a wilting of the skin. Brush a little oil over the tomato halves and turn them on their sides; a minute or two on each side.

You can also use grilling racks, baskets, aluminum foil, woks or other grilling pans for a more steamed effect.

Grilled tomatoes make an excellent side dish with a little herbs or garlic. Or let them cool and make an absolute fabulous salsa, marina sauce or tomato olive dip.

• FRYING. I know frying isn't the healthiest cooking method but you must indulge on that last batch of harvested tomatoes or you will never know the joy of a real comfort food. Greens are great and reds are perfect. You can't go wrong with a fried tomato.

Cut unpeeled tomatoes into 1/2 inch slices, add a little salt and let the slices drain on a paper towel for 10-15 minutes. In three shallow dipping dishes: 1. combine half cornmeal and half flour (1/3 cup per tomato) 2. milk (1/4 cup per tomato) 3. beaten eggs (1 per tomato). Dip each tomato slice in milk then eggs, then cornmeal. Fry on medium heat in oiled skillet 4-6 minutes per side until brown.

Oh my, aren't you glad you grew tomatoes!

Solar Lights Up Your Garden

If you can't get enough of your garden during the day or just love the romance of midnight and roses, solar landscape lighting is for you.

Modern solar lighting is durable and comes in charming, elegance, sculptured and whimsical designs that light not only your roses but your patio, deck and pool while adding safety and security to driveways and walkways.

NO electricity means no fear of weather damage or risk of electrical shock even in water.  Solar lights have panels that absorb sunlight and recharge their NiCad battery during the day. Automatic sensors activate the light at dust and produce a beautiful soft white/blue LED light so you, your love ones and guests are never left out in the dark.

NO wiring, minimal installation effort and made of durable materials such as  stainless steel, polyresin, plastic and copper; solar lights are fast, easy and made to last.  The lights will run for eight to ten hours on one charge.

So What Are You Waiting For. Solar Light up that Garden Now

Solar Light Buying Tips

• To get it right, first scope out your property at sunset. No need to add lights next to a street light or a neighbor's porch light, which you may not even notice during the day!  Look for dark areas, line pathways and highlight your best work in the garden. Mark your spots and sleep on it.

• Next, check out your solar light markers during early, mid and late afternoon. Remember, solar lights need sunlight to charge. So that perfect spot may not be so perfect if it never sees the light of day.

• If you live in an area not so blessed with sunlight, buy solar lights with extra solar panels, more LED lights and longer battery life. Also check recharging time; some are as low as 2 hours while other lights require 6 hours of sunlight.

• Now, stake your solar lights and be patient. It may take several days for the panels to fully charge.  Wait for the brightest light then make any necessary adjustments. So easy, just unstake the light and restake in its new location until you get it just right. Do loosen the soil a bit if the stake doesn't go in easily.

• Solar lights look best when they aren't competing for attention and have something to show off! Don't put them near other artificial light sources or you will be robbed of their true beauty.

• How many do you need? That's a tough one with so many variables so you'll have to try a few and add more as desired. Don't go crazy and get more than you need - you can always get more. Lights usually come in packs  so pick up one or a few packs to get started.

Solar lights are so easy, lovely and inexpensive.
If they're not using solar lights, you're missing half the fun of your garden.