Garden Work

Fair-weather gardeners will be stowing away their tools for the winter soon, while the other type will be soldiering on right through to spring. But whichever category you fall into, your tools will always perform better and last longer if they are cleaned carefully every time they are put away. At the very least wash off the soil under a hose, and if possible wipe with an oily cloth to prevent rust and corrosion. The late Geoff Hamilton used to keep a bucket of sand and discarded motor oil to plunge his forks, spades and hoes into before storing them. Stainless steel trowels and hand forks are easy to rinse off. Even if you don't believe in tidiness for its own sake, think of your plants: clean tools are less likely to spread pests and diseases.