Time becomes a little more available in winter, so it is the ideal chance to catch up on tool care. Perhaps this subject reveals a little about you and how you approach your gardening tasks in general. I’m no chef, but good kitchen tools — razor-sharp knives, a responsive cooker and a few gadgets — make a huge difference to my enjoyment of cooking and, with any luck, to the end result.
In my imagination I’m a bit of a professional chef and swan around the kitchen as if I know what I’m doing. Gardening can be the same. See yourself in that professional role, use the tried-and-tested processes, and your garden will get the benefit.
Hand tools can make all the difference. I like to invest in decent tools because they last longer, are more effective, speed the work and make the whole experience more pleasurable. Plants hate to be pruned with blunt, rusty secateurs, which leave the cut bruised or ripped and difficult to heal.
Secateurs, long-arm pruners and hedging shears should all be razor sharp and well oiled with no loose blades that miss each other by a mile. Test by cutting a length of bamboo or stick, or try hedging shears on the back of a hedge. They should cut cleanly, not squash or rip.
These types of tools have either a bypass action, with the blades passing each other like scissors, or an anvil action, in which the blade cuts down centrally on to a block. Bypass secateurs have a single sharp blade, so you need to concentrate your sharpening efforts with one flat side on the inside and the bevelled edge on the outside. I know it sounds complicated, but have a look at yours and all will become clear. Sharpen only the pre-bevelled edge, never the flat side.
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Bypass secateurs may be bevelled on one or two sides, so check first. You can use either a sharpening stone or one of the extremely effective small diamond sharpeners that are around now and do the job well. To sharpen, hold the tool flat and steady on the edge of a table or bench and run the sharpener at the same angle to the original bevel.
I used a great shear-sharpening tool recently, which clamps on to the top of a worktop and allows you to pass the shears through it to achieve the prefect angle and sharpness.
Once the blades are sharp, take the time to remove any rust or dirt with fine wire wool and then spray an oil lubricant around liberally and wipe off. Tighten the central nut with a spanner — just enough to make sure that there is no loose play between the blades but without hindering the movement.
Digging spades, hoes and mattocks can be sharpened, too. I like these tools to be sharp, and you will certainly notice the difference when digging or hoeing, especially if you garden on clay. It makes work much quicker and more efficient.
A decent-sized sharpening stone will do the job, or perhaps you have an angle grinder with a metal grinding disc to speed the process.
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If these tools have any wooden handles, remember to apply plenty of linseed oil, although vegetable cooking oil will also do the job. This will stop the handle drying out and cracking, extending its life, and will also make it smoother to handle. Wipe off any excess oil and store all tools somewhere dry.
Unless you know what you are doing it is best to take power tools and mowers to a specialist for servicing. Blunt blades will give a rough cut and usually “rip” the grass. Look closely at the individual blades of grass after cutting and you will be able to see whether or not they have been well cut. Poor cutting can encourage disease and will leave the lawn looking a little ragged.