It was with a new found sense of inspiration that I watched an ABC Collectors segment last Friday night on my neighbour and friend, Richard Jones. Richard and his wife Rosemary run Cloudlake Mountain Retreat, a working agri-tourism property and outstanding garden nestled in a hidden valley at Ravensbourne. The show featured Richard’s extensive collection of old and rare garden tools, all of which are used regularly on the farm yet beautifully maintained to keep them in excellent working order.

I can identify with Richard’s love of old gardening tools. One of my most treasured possessions is an English-made digging fork that belonged to my late Pa. Even though it’s more than 50 years old, Pa’s fork is a joy to work with. There’s something undeniably special gripping a timber handle that was similarly gripped by your mother and grandfather, and I’d love for one of my kids to enjoy the same sense of connectedness.

But I’ve been slack. On more occasions than I care to admit Pa’s fork and other treasured garden tools have been left out in the rain and few get looked after the way I would like.

If I’m to hand my tools down, I need to get myself organised. Here’s how I plan do it. You might think of this guide as a kind of “three pillars of garden tool care”.

1. Invest in quality

I’ve had my share of frustrating experiences with cheap garden tools, including perished plastic watering cans, and shears that kept losing a handle. But what really gave me the “irrits” was a spade that folded in half like a piece of tinfoil the first time I tried to drive it into the soil.

Since the spade incident a decade ago, I’ve resolved to always invest in quality tools. My purchasing strategy is simple: go for items that are strong enough be handed down to my grandkids, just like my Pa’s fork. In the case of garden tools, this often means seeking out a classic manufacturer that’s been around for decades, but still makes a quality product from top materials. My Swiss-made Felco secateurs are a good example. A much loved Barnel grafting knife (American) with a bobinga wood handle and Solingen blade is another. Don’t fall for the con that cheap tools represent value for money. Junk is junk.

2. House properly

My Mum, who helps me out in the garden when home from being a grey nomad, is always onto me about this one. Fair enough too. Exposure to the weather is bad news for metal surfaces but worse for timber components. Handles and shafts will expand and contract in the elements, making them dry out and splinter.

What I ought to do is put my tools back in the shed after I’m finished using them. Of course this strategy depends on a couple of things : having a shed to house tools in, and keeping it organised enough to house them properly. The shed bit’s no problem. I’ve got four old outbuildings in my garden. Keeping them organised, however, isn’t my strong suit. It’s time for a good cleanout, and I’ll make some proper racks to both get my tools up off the ground, and make them easy to find.

3. Maintain for longevity

Like pillar number two, this one was drilled into me from an early age. “If you want things to last you need to look after them” was a favourite saying of my Dad, and I’d be lying if I said that those words had never passed my lips when chiding my own kids. I ought to apply them to my own behaviour. Considering point number one – invest in quality – it defeats the purpose to fork out good money for something and then cheapen its lifespan by neglecting to maintain it.

So here’s what I plan to do. I’ll try to keep blades sharp. I actually manage to do this with knives and secateurs thanks to a small diamond sharpener, but I must admit that most of my large tools have never seen a file since the day of purchase. Sharpening would benefit both the tool and the user. I’ll also attempt to keep timber handles well seasoned. A quick sand followed by a coat or two of linseed oil remains as useful as ever. Finally, a regular spray of lubricant on moving parts will ensure tools operate beautifully for decades to come.

So thanks, Richard, for the inspiration. I’m off to the shed to start getting organised.

First published in the Toowoomba Chronicle 24th April, 2010. Photo by Justin Russell – “Pa’s Fork”.

Sustainable. This is my personal theme for the year, a New Year’s resolution of sorts that I shared with Secret Garden readers back in January. The more curious among you are probably wondering how I’m faring, so I thought it might be instructive on this first winter weekend to again spill the beans and offer a brief run down on my successes and failures to date. Here goes.

1. Replace petrol powered machinery with manual labour and electric power.

The area of energy use has proven to be a challenge in the sense that I’ve actually added a petrol powered machine rather than replaced one. To my ride-on mower and whipper snipper, I’ve added a chipper. I suppose this is one step forward and one back, because by chipping branches and other green material, I’m reducing the amount of waste that leaves the property and creating mulch. The downside is the extra petrol use.

2. Producing home-made fertiliser and other soil amendments.

Some progress is being made in this area. I’ve been using green manures to improve soil structure and boost organic content, and thanks to a perennial supply of material left over from the vegetable garden, I’m witnessing the gradual decomposition of a rather massive compost pile. I’m recycling potash from winter fires for use on flowering plants, and the chook pen is about 80 percent finished. A flock of at least half a dozen birds will be in by spring, boosting our fertility system enormously.

3. Rainwater harvesting and efficient irrigation.

At this point I’m relying solely on rainwater to irrigate the garden, though I’m conscious of the need to increase our harvesting capacity to account for growth in our nursery business. To make up the shortfall, recycled water from our on-site sewerage system will be used to drip irrigate fruit trees, and we hope to be in a position to purchase more rainwater tanks in the second half of the year. I’ve also been busy planting windbreaks to help prevent plants drying out, and continue to mulch extensively.

4. Purchase quality, long lasting tools.

To be honest, this has been pretty easy too achieve. Like most gardeners, I’ve got a thing for tools, so it hasn’t been hard to shop for good quality gear. I’ve replaced a cheap pruning saw and hedge shears with professional grade models, and after getting fed up with plastic watering cans, I purchased a decent English version built from heavy galvanised steel. Besides being much more durable than plastic, the new can is easier to carry and pour, and the brass rose allows for efficient delivery of water to everything from seedlings to newly planted trees.

5. Avoid excess packaging and recycle.

This is the hardest of the lot. I’ve started buying things like fertiliser, mulch and seaweed extract in bulk to reduce packaging, but to be honest there are still lots of containers and plastic packets that get tossed in the bin. At our place we don’t have a rubbish collection service, which means we don’t have access to a wheelie bin for recyclable material. I really need to find another recycling option rather than dumping stuff in landfill. On the upside, my shed is starting to look like downtown New York thanks to growing towers of stacked plastic pots.

So there you have it. A mid-year report card on my efforts to become more sustainable that can be best described as mixed. In my defence, I’ve found that it’s hard to make wholesale changes in just a few months, and learnt that what’s important is a commitment to incremental, long term change.

I’ve also found the lack of support for sustainability from the nursery and garden industry a surprise. In my experience, the wholesale nurseries in particular remain conservative and reluctant to embrace genuine green innovation. Take plastic pots for example. How many nurseries do you know that offer a discount on plants if pots are returned for recycling? How many offer the option of bare-root (pot free) plants and biodegradable pots? How many sell vegie seedlings in pots made from coconut fibre? All of these options exist, but are yet to be given a decent go.

If the general gardening public is to change, the garden industry needs to offer its support by embracing changes of its own. Green initiatives might cost a bit more initially but as in other industries, economies of scale will reduce prices and facilitate the changes gardeners have every desire to make. I for one would be more than happy to pay a bit extra for something that helps, rather than hinders my efforts to garden more sustainably. Wouldn’t you?

First published in the Toowoomba Chronicle 6th June 2009. Photo by Justin Russell.