A good home gardener should have a good dry place to store his or her tools or equipment. A storage space within the garage area, a storage building, or a good shed are all workable options.

Before storing your hand tools, be sure to clean them and apply a light coat of oil to all metal surfaces to prevent rust from forming. Check to see if any repairs are needed; repairing tools now will save time next spring when you want to use them again.

Inspect your power equipment - belts, blades, etc. - and make any needed repairs now. Then drain all gasoline from tanks into a container for disposal. Start and run engines until they quit, to be sure the carburetor is dry. That will prevent diaphragms from sticking together.

Thoroughly clean each piece of equipment and pay special attention to the cylinder fins and the air filter. Another good hint is to remove the spark plug and put a few drops of oil on top of the piston. Pull the starter rope a few times, then replace the spark plug. This will keep the cylinder oiled and prevent rust during storage.

These simple tasks will keep your tools and equipment in shape and ready to go next spring.