Get Started: Building your Garden’s Tool Kit

RECOMMENDED TOOLS

• Gloves

• Garden Hose

• Spray Nozzle / Watering Wand (*breaks up water, adjustable force)

• Hand Trowel

• Hand Cultivator

• Hand Pruner

• Watering can (*indoor and patio containers)

• Loppers (*pruning thicker branches >1” diameter)

• Digging Fork

• Garden Spade (*sharp square shovel for digging holes)

• Rake (*for leaf debris)

• Wheelbarrow (*for moving compost and mulch)

TOOL CARE

These simple steps will help keep your tools in good shape and last longer. It is important to clean and sanitize tools that have been used on sick plants to prevent the spread of diseases to healthy plants. Sharp tools are safer to use and make cleaner cuts that avoid damaging plants and making them susceptible to pests or disease.

DAILY MAINTENANCE

• Rinse digging tools and remove caked-on dirt with a stiff brush or scrubbing pad

• Rinse and scrub garden shears or pruners with soapy water. Use a foaming bathroom cleaner and let sit before scrubbing. Make sure tools are completely dry before storing them.

• Store tools in a dry, well-ventilated shed or garage. Large tools should be hung upside down so as not to dull their blades and be kept off of floors to control moisture (and rust)

SEASONAL TASKS

1. Removing Rust: To prevent rust, make sure that your tools are dry before you store them. Rubbing linseed or mineral oil onto the tool will also help prevent rust. If rust has already occurred, there are still a few options:

   1. Mix a 1:1 ratio of water and vinegar, and soak tools overnight

   2. In the morning, use steel wool to scrub in a circular motion

   3. Wash with soapy water and rinse thoroughly

   4. Once dry, you may also rub the tool with linseed or mineral oil (always wait 24 hours after applying oil before using tools to prevent solvent contamination)

2. Cleaning garden blades: Before winter storage, bladed tools like pruners or loppers should be sanitized and sharpened.

   1. Use rust prevention directions above

   2. Keep tools sharp with a pruner-sharpening tool, file, or stone.

   3. Push the sharpener in the same direction (not back and forth) across the blade and follow the original bevel angle.

   4. For damaged blades or expensive tools, professional sharpening is an option - Jansen Sharpening is a St. Louis based business that specializes in sharpening and blade repair.

3. Wood handle care: 

   1. At the end of the year, you can lightly sand and apply linseed oil to condition handles

   2. Large cracks mean that the handle may have to be replaced, but small splinters may be sanded down safely.

You can also find a helpful YouTube video tutorial on caring for your tools here.

SAFETY NOTES

• Do not wad up oil-soaked rags, especially those soaked with linseed oil, or put them in an enclosed container as there is combustion risk. Let them air dry between uses.

• Wear eye protection and heavy gloves when using any sharpening equipment to protect against metal slivers.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

St. Louis Guide to establish a Tool Library

Creating a Tool Coop