Sharpening Garden Tools

It's gotten to that time of year where if you're like me, it's definitely time to give your tools some TLC. I've gotten better over the years and now tend to wipe most of the dirt off my tools after each use, but as I have quite cheap tools I do tend to 'forget'.

The other day I spent an hour just sorting out my tools. This included using some sand paper (I've run out of wire wool!) to clean off any dirt and rust. I also sharpened the blades on the secateurs, axe, gardening scissors and knife with a sharpening stone. I also removed damage to the edges of the secateurs and spade where indents have appeared. I still need to apply some linseed oil to the stem of the fork, but I did apply some lubricant to the secateurs and gardening scissors and they're in much better condition now.

Here's a video below that seems to me to be the best on YouTube! There was some good advice from Monty Don from BBC Gardener's World the other week - mark the bevel of the blade with a permanent marker pen. This allows you to see where you've sharpened and allows you to sharpen evenly and not concentrate unnecessarily on one area of the blade. The video below is just for tips as I'm sure a lot of you, unlike me, have your own routines well in place.