JW: This time of year, some folks may be happy to not have to go out and do yard work. Others can't wait until it's time to go dig in the dirt again. For those of us in that group, well, for all of us, what can we do while we're waiting? I'm Judy Wagley. This is “From the Ground Up!” Christian Zummer is a horticulturist at Dow gardens in Midland, he has a few ideas for what we can do in the winter, like taking care of our gardening tools. Thanks for taking time for me today, Christian.
CZ: Oh no problem. It's always fun to talk to you!
JW: Christian, with the exception of a snow shovel, we may not be using our yard and garden tools much right now. So what can we do this time of year?
CZ: Well, winter is a great time to take a look at your tool inventory, the condition of your tools and to do some sharpening, which is the favorite activity of us here at the gardens.
JW: How do we go about all of that?
CZ: Well, for sharpening, that's pretty easy. Take any tool that you have that involves cutting, like hand pruners-- I include a chainsaw too --and find a way to sharpen them. Usually a file. Many hardware stores sell sharpening kits. Make sure your tools are nice and sharp, and cleaned up. They don't have any debris from last year. Repairing tools. Take a look at all your tools visually. If you have cracks in the handles, if you have bolts or screws that are missing or loose, winter is a good time to tighten them down and then inventory. Obviously space can be limiting for everyone-- that applies to us at the gardens as well as the homeowner. Take a look at tools-- if you haven't used something in a couple of years, maybe it's time to move on from it. And if you think back to the growing season, if you really wanted a tool in April or May, maybe you should look at a catalog now and see if somebody has something that you're looking for.
JW: Well, Speaking of tools, there are so many different kinds of shovels and rakes and pruners and all of those things. What are essential tools that folks should keep in their shed or their garden? What are some of the essential tools?
CZ: So some of my favorites have to be the five-tine pitchfork. You can do a lot- you can move material, you can dig up stuff with it. It's a very versatile tool, it's not too big, it's not too small--a wide range of applications. Then some kind of square shovel. That's really good for digging and for cleaning up around the yard. Hand pruners—a good pair of bypass pruners are always handy, every gardener knows that. And a rake. You know, there are a lot of different kinds of rakes. We use a groundskeeper rake, but also there's metal, there's plastic. There's a wide range with some sort of rake to fit your scenario.
JW: So a good pitchfork, a shovel, a rake and some good pruners. Maybe some gloves too?
CZ: Yeah. Oh, yeah. Safety, equipment. There's gloves, there's glasses. If you're doing pruning work-- and even you know, a sun hat, a lot of people don't think of that as safety equipment, but if you're going to be out in the sun in July, it's always nice to have something to block the sun.
JW: This time of year, when we're itching to get out into the garden, at least we can go out into the garage or the shed, take a look at the tools, make sure they're clean, take an inventory, maybe make a wish list then too.
CZ: Oh yeah, it’s a great time to get yourself psyched up. You know when it's when it's -30 and windy. You can look forward to when it's 70 and sunny. You know, it's always fun.
JW: Those days will come!
CZ: Hopefully!
JW: Christian Zoomer, horticulturist at Dow Gardens in Midland. Thanks so much for giving us great tips today on taking care of our garden tools.
CZ: Yeah, no problem--anytime.
