The outdoor garden chores are winding down for the season but, I try to garner a little more energy to do one last chore; organize my garden shed. To save time, over the summer I often toss stakes, tools and supplies into the shed. But come fall I look at my cluttered mess and think I can never work in this space next spring! So I start organizing, getting everything ready for next year.
Clean Tools- I’m not good at cleaning and sharpening my garden tools on a regular basis, but I do give them a nice tune up in fall. I sharpen the blades of shovels, pruners and hoes, oil the wooden handles with linseed oil to preserve them, and take apart hedge trimmers and hand pruners to clean and oil the moving parts.
Store Hand Tools- Once all my tools are cleaned and sharpened, I organize them to have more space. I hang hand tools, such as trowels, cultivators and weeders, from the wall using VELCRO® Brand Ties and Straps. This keeps the tools in plain sight so they’re harder to lose or trip over. Plus, with the ties and straps, the tools can be moved around the shed to accommodate other projects.
Stack Stakes- Wooden and metal stakes used to support plants are often just thrown into the corner. Invariably, some stakes break or get lost in the process. A better idea is to wrap the stakes with VELCRO® Brand Garden Ties into a bundle to store them.
Organize Supplies- Go through your seed starting and plastic pots and decide how many of each to keep. I like saving a few of each sized pot for transporting divided perennials and other flowers in spring. Otherwise, most of these pots are off to the recycling center.
Have any other tips for preparing for winter? Tweet them to us and Charlie at @velcrobrand and @charlienardozzi.
