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It's Time to Sharpen Your Gardening Tools

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· Handles: While fiberglass tool handles have far more tensile strength than wood, a smooth, well-cared-for wooden handle is less likely to cause blisters.

Get wooden handles in shape and reduce splinters by sanding them with fine sandpaper and rubbing a mixture of linseed oil and kerosene into the grain. Use kerosene to make linseed thin enough to soak into wood. Oil handles outdoors or in a well-ventilated area to keep from inhaling fumes.

Now, get into your workshop, and organize and tighten up all the nuts and bolts on your garden equipment. Check air pressure in wheelbarrow tires, and smooth, straighten and replace handles on other tools. Check your garden hose for leaks, and make sure you have enough length.

The real satisfaction will come when you are working with your well-maintained tools in the garden.

Joel M. Lerner is president of Environmental Design in Capitol View Park, Md. E-mail or contact him through his Web site, http://www.gardenlerner.com.

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