Tips for Gardening Tools

Susan M. Keenan
Many gardeners come up with their own tricks of the trade to make their gardening more enjoyable, more economical, or more productive. Below is a list of a few tried and true strategies that actually work.


Purchase hand tools with brightly colored handles so they are easily spotted in the garden.


Clean your garden gloves easily. Simply wash your hands while wearing the gloves. Rinse and repeat as many times as needed. Hang to dry.


Use a ruler to create a handy depth gauge. Simply paint markings on the most commonly used depths for easy use. Remember to wash or wipe clean after a day's use.


If you don’t have a pair of garden gloves handy to wear while working, gently scrape your fingernails on a bar of inexpensive and unscented soap. This places a small barrier of soap under the nails that prevents the dirt from caking up under them. It also dissolves easily once you are finished gardening, wash your hands, and apply a little bit of scrubbing with a nailbrush.


A small whiskbroom dipped in water makes an excellent sprinkling device for young seedlings.


Salt stains on terra cotta pots are easily removed with this simple process. Place a solution of vinegar, rubbing alcohol, and water in equal parts in a bottle. Pour a small amount in the bottom of the dishes for the flowerpots. Spray and coat the flowerpot. Allow the solution to soak for a short while, and then scrub with a soft bristled brush, and rinse. Repeat as necessary.


To prevent tools from rusting, store them in a bucket that contains a mixture of sand and oil, cooking oil or motor oil.


To remove rust, at least partially from tools, use a fine grade of sandpaper on the tool. For rusty clippers, try using a cloth dipped in a solution of lemon juice and cream of tartar in a paste consistency.


Watering cans are available in different sizes for more than just a selling feature. Be sure to purchase the size that fits under the water faucet that you will be using to fill it.


Use old Popsicle sticks to create plant markers; simply coat with a waterproof substance for long use. In fact, color coordinate them with your plants by painting them different colors first - for example, light green for lettuce, maroon for beats, red for tomatoes and radishes, orange for carrots, etc.


To rid your garden of aphids, place a few flypaper strips in strategic locations. Even though these strips don’t seem to be able to catch flies, they do catch aphids. Plus, using wide strips of scotch tape to gently remove the aphids from your plants is another useful strategy.


Recycle spice containers or saltshakers and use them to scatter the smaller seeds that you will be planting.


When transplanting large plants or small trees, simply place it on a snow shovel or large sturdy piece of cardboard and drag it to its new location.


Purchase a set of inexpensive measuring cups and measuring spoons for use in the garden.


Use coffee filters in the bottom of a small flowerpot to prevent the dirt from seeping through with the leftover water flow.


Reuse the water that you rinse your vegetables and fruit with to water your plants or garden, unless, of course, it is bug infested. Plus, once you allow the water to cool down, you can reuse the cooking water to water your plants - it's chock full of nutrients.


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