It won't be long before your garden wakes from its winter slumber, so use the next few weeks to replenish supplies and equipment. You'll be ready to dig right in when spring arrives!

The gardening equipment you need depends on the size of your garden, your age and strength, and whether you want to get the job done in a hurry or prefer to take your time. To get the most out of your gardening experience, you'll want to use minimum elbow grease for maximum results. The minimum equipment needed by most gardeners includes a shovel or spade, a hoe, a rake, a garden fork, bypass pruners, and a trowel.

Garden shovels come with long handles or short handles in D-shaped styles. A garden shovel with a pointed blade is lighter and smaller than most other shovels and is well suited for garden use. For general-purpose digging, lifting, and moving, a long-handled shovel with a dish-shaped blade is ideal. The choice of handle style depends on personal preference. Long handles offer greater leverage and may be less tiring to use, while short handles are often thicker and stronger.

Spades have a flat blade designed for cutting rather than lifting or moving soil. Spades are excellent for shaping straight-sided trenches, digging into undisturbed soil, edging, removing sod for a new bed, and similar tasks. It is important with spades to choose a handle and head size that you'll be able to manipulate. Spades, like shovels, occasionally need to be sharpened. The quickest way to sharpen a spade or hoe, or any tool like that is on a 1" belt sander with Aluminum Oxide belts. Belt sanders are quick and don't overheat the steel. You literally sand away against the bevel originally on the blade. Alternatively anyone with a bench grinder can do the same thing but they need to be careful they don't overheat the steel. (If you like to sharpen hedge shears this way this caution is particularly important or they will ruin the blades.) If you have no power tools at all a mill bastard file (very run of the mill and found in any hardware store) will suffice. You file the bevels and the file cuts quite well as it is significantly harder than the tool steel.

Rakes are great for raking grass clippings and other garden debris. You can also use a garden rake for smoothing new beds and removing thatch from lawns. To maintain the handle, paint it or rub on paste wax to condition the wood.

Garden forks are ideal for breaking and turning heavy soils and for loosening subsoil layers. A digging or spading fork minimize lifting when turning coarse compost, spreading mulch, and digging root crops or picking up bulbs. Chose a D-handle for the best grip.

Hoes are perfect for chopping or loosening soil or for weeding. They come in a variety of sizes and lengths to meet a variety of gardening tasks. Probably the most commonly used hoe is the square-bladed hoe, which lends itself well to most garden tasks. Hoes should be sharpened once or twice a year using a file.

Bypass pruners are best for light pruning uses such as trimming shrubs and perennials and to remove spent blooms. A hand pruner should not be used to cut branches more than ½ inch thick. Never leave your pruners outdoors overnight or in the rain. To sharpen pruning shears, you should use a small sharpening stone and try to match the bevel on the blade as you pass the stone over it. A small 1000 grit Japanese water stone would be a good one for this but you need to dry the blade well afterwards. There is also a small plastic jig device for sharpening pruners. It is clamps on the back of the blade without removing the blade and a stone swings back and forth across the bevel. Whatever method you use, the trick is to not let them get too dull or it will be too difficult a chore. You can maintain your pruners by spraying a lubricating oil on the metal parts every couple of weeks to ward off rust and to keep moving parts in good working order.

Trowels are one of the most versatile gardening tools. They can be used for planting, cultivating small areas, digging weeds as well as scooping and potting soil but not to open a paint can. Using tools improperly not only ruins the tool, it also puts you at risk for cuts and stained muscles. At the end of your day's work, be sure to scrape or hose off any excess dirt that is stuck on your trowel. Then plunge it into a 5-gallon bucket half-filled with sand and topped with left-over motor oil. You'll clean and oil in one quick step. Store the bucket where you keep your garden tools.

Whether you are new at gardening or an experienced pro, having the proper tools and keeping them in good condition can only enhance your gardening experience. Using the essential tools and keeping them clean, sharp, and well-conditioned will lighten your load and beautify your lawn and garden. If you would like to learn more on gardening equipment, visit the OSU Plantfacts website at http://plantfacts.ohio-state.edu/