Tools

Bucket Jockey® where have you been all my life!?

In all my years of gardening, I’ve simply “made do” with my tool storage. For the past several years I’ve used a small plastic caddy intended for cleaning supplies. Not bad for a two dollar investment.

So I can’t tell you how excited I am with my upgrade: an all-in-one tool storage caddy from Husky® and Home Depot. I’m not sure why I assumed this would be a costly investment. I grew up in an all-female household, so I never really learned my way around a hardware store. For just ten dollars I was able to create this system, below.

For starters, I wanted to personalize my new tool organizer. I have nothing against Husky who made this fabulous system, but you must admit they have a grouchy-looking logo. Since I’m organized at heart, I used a jewelry finding full of hearts. I blacked out the logo with a permanent marker, then attached the hearts with a safety-pin. Now I can change out the bucket jewelry when the mood strikes.

I hid the logo with a jewelry finding (with apologies to Husky®)

I used the inner pockets to store my freshly cleaned and sharpened hand tools, including spades, pruners, saws and weeders. My garden fork hangs from an outer pocket, originally intended for a drill. I cut an unused garden glove to cover the prongs so I don’t scrape my leg on the rough edges as I carry it from place to place.

Bucket Interior houses tools

Gloved garden fork

Drill holder doubles for tools and gloves

This would typically hold a drill. It works well for gloves and a garden fork.

The Bucket Jockey includes a strap attached to the exterior. I don’t know its intended use, but I’ve re-purposed it for twine. One of the tricks I learned on a garden tour was to cut several lengths of twine ahead of time so you have them at the ready when you need them. I threaded several pre-cut lengths of twine through a couple of binder rings. They’re attached near the ball of twine.

: Strap and hook attachment

Garden Twine

Strap holds garden twine

“Bucket Jockey ®” transformed

What a joy to have all the tools sharpened, cleaned and stored in one easy to access, portable system.

On the subject of organizing, I recently launched my new and improved organizing website and blog, Organized at Heart. If you’re interested, please take a look. If you would like to follow along, you can subscribe to receive regular updates.

Organized at Heart

Garden Tools

I’m a lazy gardener when it comes to tools, but I’ve promised myself I’ll be better this year. I expect the spades and forks to dig on demand, with very little TLC between seasons. When my hand shears are dull, my husband works his magic and returns them in sharp shape. The rest of the tools deserve the royal treatment as well.

Lounge Cushions

I can hardly wait to get them out of storage each spring, but putting them away feels like such a chore. I’m ready to move on to the next thing. Right now, they’re stacked in the garage in a not-so-convenient spot. I need to slap them together to loosen the dust. Then I’ll damp wipe the surfaces before storing them in the shed for the winter. I use extra-large Ziploc® bags to keep them clean between seasons.

Slipcovers

I made a slipcover for the garden swing in May with a few easy ties for quick removal I tossed it into the washing machine yesterday, then dried it on low. It’s ready to store for the winter. I want to come up with a teepee-styled cover for the entire swing to keep the original cover and frame clean and dry. One year I used an old vinyl tablecloth with flocking on the back. It worked fine until the squirrels moved in, shredding it into nesting material over the course of a few days.

Empty pots

I don’t have too many empty pots, thanks to our mild winters. I clean the pots that aren’t in use and store them upside down in the side yard. Some gardeners scrub with a mild solution of bleach to kill off any parasites, but I try to go the organic route. Using mild detergent and super hot water does the trick.

Stakes, trellises and supports

Saving the easy stuff for last, I just stack these in a corner near the shed and have them at the ready for next season.

Have you already tackled your garden-cleaning chores? Do you put it off like me? Check back tomorrow for a progress report. Once I click the “publish” key, the pressure is on!