2. Clean, sharpen, and oil hand tools.
It's time for that protective maintenance on your stuff. Use a stiff brush to clean soil, dirt and debris off trowels and shovels, then apply a thin coat of oil and store in a dry place for the winter. This will keep your tools in good order for the next gardening season and keep the rust at bay. Clean and sharpen pruners and loppers. Take an inventory of your hand tools to see what's missing and make a note to add anything that is missing to your Christmas Wish List.
3. Organize your tool shed.
Hang long-handled tools from hooks or nails on the wall; store small tools in a covered container to keep the moisture and rodents out. Gather old stray seed packets and decide which ones to keep for next year and which ones didn't live up to your expectations and to toss. Place birdseed in a squirrel-proof container (I thought I had done that with the clear store containers with a lid but the squirrels chewed the handles off and then chewed through the lid, so perhaps metal trash type containers would be better). Store all fertilizers and pesticides properly - the labels will tell you how - out of the reach of animals and children. A well organized tool shed is a good selling point for the coming season, if your home has nice landscaping and garden beds and a well organized tool shed future owners will want to maintain that and a gardening buff buyer is more likely to jump in with a contract if your tool shed matches their expectations.
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