How to get your garden tools ready for winter

The last leaves are down, the beds are mulched and the first frost is on its way. Before you close the shed door for the winter, give your tools an hour of attention. A trowel or spade that goes into storage clean and oiled comes out in spring ready to work, and it will keep doing so for decades.

What a season does to your tools

Wet soil, plant sap and grit all stay on the steel and the wood after a day in the garden. Left alone over winter, that leads to rust on carbon steel, dull edges and handles that dry out and crack. A dull spade or a rusty pair of shears does not just make the work harder. It tears plant tissue instead of cutting it cleanly, and a tool that slips is more likely to hurt you.

Stainless steel tools, like the ones Sneeboer forges, will not rust through, but they still work better and last longer with a little care. The routine below takes four steps.

Step 1: clean off the season

Knock off the soil, then scrub the blade with water and a stiff brush. A brass or wire brush shifts dried mud and old rust spots, and removing that dirt also stops plant diseases from traveling from one bed to the next on your tools. Dry everything well before you move on, because moisture left in the joints is where rust starts.

The easiest way to keep this step short is to wipe your tools after every use during the season. Then the fall clean takes minutes.

Step 2: sharpen the edges

A sharp edge cuts through roots and sod with less effort and leaves cleaner cuts on plants. Use a sharpening stone or a file, and only work the beveled cutting edge. Keep the angle that is already there and move along the edge in steady strokes.

Never use an electric grinder on hand-forged tools. The heat it builds up changes the hardness of the steel. If holding the angle feels tricky, practice on an old tool first, or use a guide. Our Tool Sharpener is made for exactly this job.

Step 3: oil the steel and the wood

Rub a thin layer of boiled linseed oil over the blade and the handle. On the steel it keeps soil from sticking next season. On the wood it stops the handle from drying out and splitting, and it brings back the warm color of the ash.

One safety note: a cloth soaked in linseed oil can catch fire on its own as it dries. Store it in a closed metal can or lay it flat outside to dry.

Step 4: store them dry and off the floor

Pick a dry, ventilated spot such as a shed or garage, out of direct sun and away from big swings in temperature and humidity. Hang your tools on hooks or a rack instead of standing them on a damp concrete floor, and give each one its own place so blades do not knock into each other. Cover sharp edges, and keep tools out of reach of children.

Everything in one box: the Sneeboer Maintenance Kit

If you would rather not hunt for the right supplies, the Sneeboer Maintenance Kit brings them together: a wire brush for cleaning, a sharpening stone for the edges, a bottle of boiled linseed oil and a polishing cloth. It works for a first-time gardener with a single trowel as well as for a full tool wall.

A few habits that add years

• Check the fit of handles and any fixings now and then, and tighten what has worked loose.
• Use each tool for the job it was made for: a pruner is not a saw and a trowel is not a pry bar.
• Protect cutting edges in storage with a sleeve or cover.
• Keep tools out of frost and out of a hot attic; steady temperatures are kinder to wood.

Ready for spring

An afternoon of care in the fall means that when the soil warms up, you reach for a tool that is clean, sharp and ready. That is the whole idea behind a hand-forged tool: you look after it, and it looks after you for a lifetime.

Tools for life and generations to come.