Gardening with Allen: Guard garden tools from winter weather

Could you give me some suggestions for yard cleanup and protecting my equipment and tools from winter damage? I have an unheated outdoor shed.

The grass stops growing about mid-November. Now is an excellent time to get power equipment such as mowers, tillers and trimmers serviced so they will be ready for the next growing season. Equipment service businesses are not as busy now as in the spring.

If your equipment does not need servicing or sharpening, I would recommend cleaning and spraying metal parts with WD-40 or a similar oil. Drain fuel from engines and run them until all the fuel is used. This prevents gasoline from hardening into a sticky shellac that gums up engines.

I also like to clean hand tools and spray metal parts with oil. Wooden handles can be wiped with linseed or mineral oil to prevent cracking.

Hoses that are left outside all winter are damaged by alternate freezing and thawing. They should be removed from faucets and drained of water. Roll hoses up and store them in your shed for the winter. Equipment and tools should also be stored inside for the winter. Faucets should be protected with an insulating cover.

Leaves can be collected and composted to be used as mulch for beds next spring. Leaves can also be left among shrubs. By spring, they will have broken down into mulch. They can also be spaded or tilled directly into the soil of vegetable gardens. In a few months, they will have become valuable organic matter.

Perennial flowers that lose their leaves can be pruned off 1 to 2 inches above the ground. Perennials that retain their leaves are typically pruned by about half. Ground- cover perennials can be trimmed lightly for shaping or left unpruned. Vines such as clematis can be cut back by about half.

Dead annual flowers may be composted with leaves. Plant pansies to give color through the winter and spring. It is not too late to plant spring-flowering bulbs such as tulips and daffodils. They can be planted until the end of December.

Protect young trees from cracking bark caused by alternate freezing and thawing. Wrap the trunks below the lowest branch with a white plastic or fabric which has holes for air exchange.

Keep ahead of newly emerging winter weeds by hoeing them while they are still small.

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