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Winter is approaching rapidly and gardeners are now preparing their gardens for the long winter rest period. Gardening equipment must be properly stored for the winter to ensure that it is in tip top condition for the upcoming spring season. Pots, planters, gardening tools and garden furniture should all be put away in an orderly fashion in the garage or the garden shed. Not only does the equipment have to be properly prepared for storage, but room must be made for all these items to be stored. If necessary, take the time to reorganize your garage to house all your summer garden equipment. Often over the summer the garage becomes disorganized and full of clutter and fall is a good time to donate items that have appeared in the garage from the house. By the end of October most plants in their planters and pots are either dead or nearly dead. Before freezing temperatures begin, it is important that all pots are emptied out and cleaned. Pots that are left with plants and soil in them over the winter months run the risk of cracking and splitting. Remove plants for composting and create a pile of dirt from the pots for use as top dressing in the spring or add the soil to the garden immediately. Thoroughly hose down and scrub your pots and allow them to dry in the sun. Carefully store them in the garage in an area protected from falling equipment or bikes. Don’t stack too many pots together as the weight can cause pots to shatter. Gardening tools should be gathered up and cleaned. Any dried on dirt should be washed off to prevent your tools from rusting. After the tools are washed they should be thoroughly dried. Any rust can be removed with steel wool or oil. Once the tools are cleaned and dried they can stored using the appropriate storage solutions. Racks that are applied to the wall are great for large tools like shovels and rakes. Small trowel and garden clippers can be stored in plastic storage bins on industrial casters on the floor or on shelves. Garden furniture should also be stored in a covered area, either in the garden shed, the garage or the basement to increase its longevity. Garden chair cushions should be kept indoors whenever possible because if they are allowed to become damp they can get moldy and stained. Like garden tools, it is best to hose or wipe down your furniture before storing it. Stack chairs whenever possible to save space. Keep covers on chairs when you are storing them in the garage or the garden shed to protect them. Garden umbrellas can be stored in the top of the garage to save space. Any decorative items like wind chimes, lanterns, statues and small bird baths should also be stored indoors keep them from breaking. At the end of the fall season take a walk around your garden space and collect up all the small decorative items that may get damaged in extreme weather. Store all these items in a properly labelled plastic storage bin, wrapped in newspaper, if they are breakable. If your items are particularly breakable the basement is the best place for them as the changing temperatures in the garage may cause them to break.
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storage, winter, cold, clean, organization,
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