October 2013 - Fivestar Landscaping

Preparing Garden Tools for Winter

Ahhh, the lowly garden tool – you probably don’t think too much about their care and maintenance. Gardening tools aren’t cheap and after a season of heavy use, it’s always a good idea to perform a little TLC and preventive maintenance before putting them away for the winter.

A few simple tricks will keep them in tip top condition over the cold, sometimes wet winter months, and will help to ensure that they’re ready to tackle another season of hard work in the garden in the spring.

Power Tools

Change the oil in your lawnmower or tiller. While you’re at it, clean the air filter and sharpen or replace the blade. Fill the tank with fresh gas and be sure to add fuel stabilizer to prevent condensation. Remove the spark plug and pour a teaspoon of oil into the cylinder, then re-install the spark plug.

Hand Tools

Sand rough wooden handles with fine sandpaper then rub them down liberally with linseed oil to prevent them from cracking. Remove dirt and rust from pruners, shovels, and hoes by rubbing them with crumpled aluminium foil. Sharpen cleaned shears and pruners by cutting up the aluminum scouring pad. Wipe steel tools down with oil and then put the metal parts in a plastic bag with a couple of pieces of barbeque charcoal to prevent rust.

The business ends of small tools can also be stuck in a flower pot or pail filled with sand with a little machine oil or WD 40 mixed in and left there over winter.

Store hand tools in the garage or a shed and hang them so they’re not resting on damp floors.

Hoses

Good hoses aren’t cheap and putting them away full of water can cause them to freeze and burst. Stepping on a frozen hose buried in the snow can also damage it. Drain hoses, connect the ends, and hang them up out of the way.

Soil and Fertilizer

Bags of soil and fertilizer should either be stored under cover in watertight containers, or on shelves away from moisture.

A good garden tool is worth its weight in well-rotted compost. With a little TLC, they’ll provide you with years of service.

Calgary Bylaws About Snow Removal

Are you unsure about the bylaws concerning snow and ice removal around the city? Have a look at the link below for more info on when sidewalks have to be cleared, who is responsible for clearing them, and what qualifies as a sidewalk.

See here for more.

Fall Gardening Tips

Now that fall is upon us our thoughts tend to turn to other, non-gardening related matters like Thanksgiving and Christmas. However, fall is a great gardening season and here are a few of the jobs that you can do right now to help your garden survive winter and come back even better next year:

Mulch young plants and new beds. After the first light frost of the year, but before the ground freezes, till decomposed mulch into the soil. Add five to ten centimeters of new mulch around young plants to keep them warm. Resist the urge to add more than ten centimeters of mulch though because too much could smother roots.
Drain drip irrigation systems. You probably remember to have your underground sprinkler lines blown out don’t forget to drain your drip lines as well.
Root vegetables like carrots and parsnips actually taste better after a hard frost and can be left in the ground and harvested over winter. Cut off the tops and cover the plants with 15 centimetres of mulch or straw. If you want, cover that with a piece of carpet and just pull back the covering when you want to dig up some veggies.
Rake up rose leaves infected with black spot and crab apple leaves infected with scab and throw them in the garbage. Be sure not to compost them because the spores will re-infect plants in the spring.
Squirrels are smart enough to recognize freshly dug soil. Outwit them by camouflaging newly planted bulbs by planting them in large groups and then spraying the soil with water to level it out. Cover with five centimeters of leaves and twigs.
Don’t wrap plants tightly with burlap as that can do more damage than good by allowing ice to form against tender tissues. Wrap burlap around stakes to create an airspace and block wind.
Anti-transpirant sprays available at garden centers are great for preventing evergreens from being dried out by cold winter winds or being scalded by the sun. A generous coating will also keep your Christmas tree looking fresh longer.

Even though there’s a chill in the air and winter is on its way, gardening season never really ends. There are a lot of things that you can do now to prepare for next year.