January and February give the gardener time to organize and prepare for the coming season. One necessary and rewarding task is organize gardening equipment. If you are at all like me, putting tools away depends on how exhausted I feel. Organize and place your tools with that in mind. Pick a “warmish” day in January or February and through your tools, gloves, fertilizers, etc. Group your tools by frequency of use and store them closest to the area where you will use them. I keep my hand tools in a tote designed by Brookstone that I received as a gift. It has pockets around the outside and a flexible cord to hold the tools in place. I have put a bucket inside to keep the shape and give me room to store other necessities like twine, extra shears, plant labels, etc. You can create something similar if you would like to keep things together and handy.

I have also fashioned my own style garden cart out of a heavy duty hand truck with a plastic garbage can placed on the skids held on with bungee cords. I simply put my plastic lawn bags in the garbage can and hold them in place with the bungee cords which attach the can to the hand truck. I also have my pruning saw in its carrier attached to the back of the cart for easy and safe access. This cart helps me to carry my tools to the work site when I start a job and helps me remove the heavy bags of litter to compost or discard. Since I use these all the time, I keep them together and ready to go.

I decided to reorganize the whole garage this year. The reorganization took three days of work but it was well worth the effort. I purchased a free standing rack for my garden rakes, shovels, loppers, etc. I placed this near the garage door for easy reach and access. I scoured local stores for appropriate hook, brackets, and shelving and installed them. In the process I found tools and other items that had long been misplaced and was able to discard others that were unusable. Although this is not one of my favorite chores, it is gratifying to see everything in place and saves time when I need to find something. It also forced me to take inventory of what needed to be replaced or purchased for the spring season.

This brings me to the next important chore, maintenance of tools. This is important to increase the life of your favorite helpers. Be sure to brush off excess dirt and wipe down all tools. Sometimes I spray the shovels with a light coating of Pam so dirt won’t stick. This also works on snow shovels. Keep the WD40 handy too to keep the moving parts oiled and ready to go. Sharpening tools is important. Every gardener has favorite pruners, shears and loppers and these need to be maintained. Felco and other companies have sharpeners that are available with complete directions for use. They can be found at felco.com. You might search for gardening tools on the internet too to replace or add to your collection.

Gloves are an important part of any gardener’s attire. I was surprised to learn that not wearing gloves seemed to be a badge of honor among some gardeners but I recommend gloves for all gardening chores. I have acquired a variety of gloves for different chores. I usually have to buy a new pair of mud gloves every year. They are available in gardening centers, on line and at garden shows. Buy something sturdy since it’s been my experience that these are used in many mucky situations. Kid and reinforced suede work gloves are helpful in early spring, late fall, and winter gardening. They are great at protecting your hands and help make those chores easier. Since I have many rose bushes, I also have kid and suede gauntlet gloves that extend up the arm to protect against thorns and scrapes. This prevents the gardener from looking like they lost a nasty battle and make access to roses less painful. Cowhide gloves are great for all heavy duty garden chores. There are some that are made especially for women by a company called Womanswork so women can get a glove designed for them. I also bought myself a pair of Foxgloves made of Supplex nylon and Lycra spandex at the recommendation of my local greenhouse workers. They had just spent hours transplanting seedlings and loved them.

They are comfortable and allow you to plant with precision and to feel what you are touching. You don’t have to buy all these at once but as the season moves along, the purchase of appropriate gloves is worth the money. A gardener’s hands are his/her most important tool and should be protected used carefully. By the time these chores are finished, it will be time to order seeds and plan your garden. Spring is just over the horizon. Happy gardening!!!!

Gardens by Judy,

If you have any remedies or products that have worked for you, and that you would like to share, email me at gardensbyjudy@townedigest.com

Have your garden questions answered by Judy. Questions and answers will be included in the monthly column. Send an e-mail to: gardensbyjudy@townedigest.com

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Garden and landscape evaluations, personalized garden services, creative garden plans, containers planted on site to your specifications.

About the author: Judy is a certified Master Gardener with Cornell Cooperative Extension who loves sharing the joys of gardening with others. She helps garden hobbyists solve their problems and is happy to provide information and suggestions about garden planning and maintenance.

Gardens by Judy prides itself in helping the home owner and garden enthusiast plan and maintain that special garden. Judy works cooperatively with the gardener. She evaluates each garden visited and consults with the gardener about his/her goals. She helps in the design of new gardens and in the re-creation and improvement of present gardens. Judy also creates beautiful container gardens to enhance decks, porches and landscapes.