Organizing the Equipment Barn in the New Year
No better time like the start of a new year to get everything around the farm in good order.
Whenever it is stormy outside and my outdoor grounds crew is unable to work in the woods or gardens, I encourage them to take stock of the equipment, clean everything, and then organize all the tools and supplies. My large Equipment Barn is about 40 by 120 feet, with a substantial amount of height. It is where we store mowers, blowers, tractors, tools, and other pieces of important machinery. Not long ago, we cleared the space, swept the floor and inspected every item before returning it neatly to its spot, so everything is organized and ready for use. Keeping everything well maintained and properly stored will always save time in the long run.
Enjoy these photos.
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- I built this Equipment Barn soon after purchasing the farm. There are two giant sliding doors at each end for accessing equipment. This structure is located just down the carriage road from my main greenhouse and close to my vegetable greenhouse and hay barn.
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- This is one of three lead-coated copper finials that sit atop the Equipment Barn. In winter, these can be seen clearly from across the paddocks.
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- Here is a view of the inside. To clean it thoroughly, everything is brought out, the floor is cleaned and then everything is returned to its proper place. At night, this barn accommodates all our farm vehicles and equipment.
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- The Equipment Barn is well lit with these big overhead lamps. I use very utilitarian lighting and fans where I can on the farm.
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- Natural light also comes through these windows near the ceiling.
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- Ladders of various sizes rest against one wall close to one set of large barn doors.
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- Near the ladders, we keep all the wheelbarrows. These are very helpful for carrying mulch and tools to various gardens. I always remind the crew to use the right tools for the right jobs and to bring everything they may need to complete specific tasks.
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- All the garden tools are hung on sturdy hooks. Especially during this pandemic, it is important that each tool is wiped down thoroughly after every use. We take all the necessary precautions here at the farm, and thankfully it has helped to keep everyone safe.
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- We keep like items together, so we always know where to find them and how many we have in supply. Here are some of the short-handled spades. Do you know the difference between a shovel and a spade? Shovels are broad-bottomed tools for moving loose materials, while spades tend to have a flat bottom edge for digging.
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- The tools are hung on these flip-up holders – they’re made of steel with a vinyl coating, and can hold up to 50-pounds each.
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- And here – broadcast spreaders are also suspended on hooks.
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- On this section of wall, we hang all the leaf blowers and weed-whackers, or string trimmers.
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- This is STIHL’s professional loop-handle trimmer. It delivers long run times and simplified starting. It’s great for cutting dense thick weeds in summer.
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- Our blowers are made by STIHL too. We’ve been using STIHL’s backpack blowers for years here at my farm. These blowers are powerful and fuel-efficient. The gasoline-powered engines provide enough rugged power to tackle heavy debris while delivering much lower emissions.
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- This is STIHL’s backpack battery and hand blower. The backpack battery eliminates the cost of fuel and engine oil and can be used with several other useful accessories.
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- For pruning, we use these telescoping pole pruners from STIHL. It has a quiet, zero-exhaust emission, and is very lightweight. Plus, with an adjustable shaft, the telescoping pole pruner can cut branches up to 16 feet above the ground.
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- If you follow my Instagram page @MarthaStewart48 regularly, you may have seen me using this HSA 25 Battery-Powered Garden Shears from STIHL. The HSA 25 is lightweight with a rubberized handle for user comfort and a secure grip. It comes with its own roll-up case to store all its accessories.
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- STIHL’s most well-known tool is the chainsaw. STIHL designed and built its first electric chain saw in 1926 and 94 years later, it is still one of its best pieces of equipment. The chainsaw has soft grips for comfortability and secure maneuverability.
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- Also hung up is this clever contraption. This tool is used for raking the four-miles of carriage road here at the farm. We attached four soft rakes to pieces of wood that hook up to the back of our Polaris ATV. The roads are neatly raked as one drives.
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- On the opposite side of the Barn – lots of walk-behind power equipment. This is our Troy-Bilt “Big Red” Garden Tiller. Troy-Bilt introduced the first residential rototiller in 1937 and now has several rugged and reliable models to fit every need. Rototilling is one method of turning up the soil before planting the garden.
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- On this side of the Barn, we keep our fleet of Kubota mowers. They are all parked by the back entrance to the barn during the summer season when they are used daily.
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- We keep our big Kubota tractor parked in the Equipment Barn also. This is my Kubota model M7060HD12 tractor. It is used every single day for transporting soil, mulch, heavy pots, multiple tools, organic debris and so much more. A tractor is essential to any working farm.
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- And, I also have this vintage Allis-Chalmers tractor from the 1940s. It reminds us how much these farm pieces have evolved over the years.
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- The wood chipper is another important piece of equipment at the farm. I am fortunate to have this machinery to chip fallen or cut branches and then return them to the woodland for top dressing various areas.
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- In the back corner, we have this bank of lockers for the crew. Everyone has their own set of lockers, where they can store safety equipment, extra shoes, clothing, and other personal items.
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- Finally, do you recognize this? The Martha by Mail truck was a postal delivery truck from the 80s, which I bought years ago and had painted green. The Equipment Barn is clean and organized once again. What organizing goals do you have for the new year? Share them with me in the section below. Here’s to a better 2021 for all of us!
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