Show Date: 15 Oct 09 
If you’re like me, you’ve abused your tools over the season.  It’s time to pay them some attention.

Dirty tools

Wash off any dirt, grab the steel wool and clean off the rust.  Use a little paint thinner on a cotton cloth to wipe off any gummy stuff like sap. 

Once your tools are clean and dry, give them a light coat of oil.  One recommendation is to cut a quart of motor oil with a pint of kerosene.  This isn’t enough to cause the E-P-A to hunt you down but if you’re uncomfortable with a petroleum based product then use a vegetable base.  A cheap brand of cooking spray is an option. 

Clean tools

Show Date: 10 Jun 09

I saw a couple of tools that intrigued me. The Cobrahead:

Cobrahead garden tool

This thin, tough blade is great for tight plantings. You can weed without risk of uprooting your ‘good’ plants!

Another tool I want to try is the Hori-Hori knife:

The Hori-Hori knife.

It’s tough to see the serrated edges in the photo above … but they’re there!

• Hori-Hori knife [Lee Valley Tools & Veritas]

A traditional Japanese tool that scoops, slices and dices! Quality tools mean the difference between enjoying what you do and it being a pain-in-the-butt chore. Not all quality tools have to be expensive so I suggest you do a little of your own research. I would recommend stainless or carbon steel.