Seize the opportunity offered by stormy weather to clean and sharpen your garden tools. William Bryant Logan, author of Smith and Hawken’s The Tool Book (Workman, 1997), suggests a simple maintenance regime. First scrub the dirt off your shovels, trowels, forks and pruners, then plunge the long handled tools into a sand filled bucket to which a bit of vegetable oil has been added, finish off by wiping everything off with an oiled rag.
For pruners dulled by use and abuse a little sharpening work now translates into clean cuts that heal quickly. Fine Gardening offers detailed pruner sharpening instructions with video