• A Tool Shed Sponsors Kiwanis Event

    Join us at the Kiwanis Turnaround Scholarship Benefit Thursday, May 21st. There will be a silent auction, live music, wine tasting and more! The event runs from 6pm – 8pm at Villa Ragusa (35 South Second St. Campbell, CA)

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  • Lawn Maintenance Tips for Spring

    Before you gear up for summer, enjoy the last days of spring while you can. Besides the cooler temperatures, spring is also the best time to prepare your lawn for the long, warm summer days ahead. Use a rake to clear your lawn of leaves, twigs, animal droppings, and other unsightly debris. You will also need to apply a spring lawn fertilizer to help your grass grow strong and healthy into the summer and fall months.

    For more tips on caring for your lawn this spring, watch this video series. In it, a landscape horticulturist from the National Gardening Association provides tips, tricks, and techniques for taking care of your lawn in the spring. 

    A Tool Shed has all of the tools and equipment you need to keep your lawn looking great. From gas-powered lawn mowers to hand tools like shovels and rakes, we have the best selection of rental equipment in San Jose . Visit our website to see our entire selection of rental tools and equipment, or call us at (831) 359-4769 to speak with us directly. 

  • Deciding Whether or Not to Till Your Garden

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    There are advantages and drawbacks to tilling your garden, but then again there are also advantages and drawbacks to not tilling your garden. While tilling helps to get garden beds started quickly, not tilling improves soil quality in the long run. Depending on the soil condition where you live, you might not have a choice. That’s because areas with heavy clay require tilling to break up the soil before converting to a no-till system.

    If you decide that tilling is best for your garden, come to A Tool Shed to find the right rototiller for your needs. We have a large selection of gardening and landscape equipment for rent , including tillers, aerators, levelers, seeders, and more. Visit our website or stop by one of our six equipment rental locations in San Jose and the surrounding areas to see everything we have to offer. If you have any questions, please call us today at (831) 359-4769. 

  • Getting Your Lawn Ready for Spring

    gardening

    Your lawn probably looks the saddest it has all year, but it certainly doesn’t have to stay that way, especially with spring arriving in San Jose. With the right advice (and the right equipment), you can turn your lawn into a lush, green haven that will be the envy of the neighborhood. A Tool Shed supplies all the gardening and landscape equipment rentals you need, and we’d like to offer all of the advice you need as well. Here are some of the best tips for getting your lawn ready for spring and summer.

    Cut Your Grass Low

    If you have a warm-season lawn such as Bermuda, St. Augustine, or Zoysia grass, you will need to move that old, brown grass low to remove the dead stems and leaves that accumulated during the winter months. Heavy thatch prevents water and nutrients from reaching the roots. If you are not sure how to change the setting on your rental lawnmower, the staff here at A Tool Shed will be happy to show you.

    Aerate Your Soil

    Once you give your lawn a haircut, you will need to aerate it. Your local equipment rental store has aerators that you can borrow for the day. This machine uses steel tubes to take plugs of soil from the lawn. This allows water, air, and roots to penetrate compacted soil, which promotes healthy growth throughout the spring and summer months .

    Stop Weeds in Their Track

    Ideally you should apply a pre-emergence lawn weed preventer in late winter, but it’s never too early to battle weeds at the source. You can rent a seeder to disperse lawn weed preventer evenly. A word of caution; if you are sowing grass seeds this spring, don’t put down a pre-emergence treatment, as weed preventers keep grass seeds from coming up too.

    From push mowers and aerators to seeders, edgers, and tillers, A Tool Shed has everything you need to keep your lawn and garden looking its best this spring and beyond. Visit any one of our six equipment rental stores in San Jose and the surrounding areas. For additional information about our tool and equipment rentals, call us at (831) 359-4769. 

  • Building an Outdoor Kitchen

    If you love cooking as much as you love being outside, build an outdoor kitchen and bring your two passions together! With the right materials and the right knowledge, you can have the outdoor kitchen of your dreams. In this video from HGTV, you’ll learn what you need to build a beautiful outdoor kitchen. 

    You can find everything you need to get the job done at A Tool Shed . We carry a huge selection of hand tools and power equipment for rent, including nail guns, circular saws, table saws, and more. Visit our website to see everything we have to offer, or stop by one of our six equipment rental locations in San Jose and the surrounding areas. If you have any questions about our tool and equipment rentals, call us at (831) 359-4769. 

  • How to Use a Lawn Edger

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    Do you ever wonder how your neighbors get their lawns to look so perfectly manicured? Chances are your most landscape-savvy neighbors are using a lawn edger. The thin strip of grass that lines your driveway and walkways and surrounds your flower bed and patios is just as important (if not more so) than the large expanse of green inside it. Riding mowers and push mowers are too wide to get a crisp edge around your lawn. Here are some tips on how to use the lawn edger you just got from your local equipment rental store .

    Safety First

    First and foremost, consider your safety and the safety of those around you before you operate a lawn edger. Wear long pants and closed-toed shoes when edging your lawn. Before you take the edger home from the equipment rental shop, have the staff show you where the safety guards are located and make sure they are working properly. Also, never use a lawn edger at night unless the area is well light by good artificial light.

    Watch Out for Obstacles

    When edging, point the blade between the edge of your sidewalk or driveway and the grass. Keep the blade away from trees, mailboxes, flower bed edging, and other obstacles, as these objects can wear down the edging blade. Also look out for rocks and other pieces of debris as you move along. A lawn edger can sometimes shoot small pieces of debris outwards after running them over.

    Choose an Edging Material

    To give your lawn a professional finishing touch , choose an edging material to fill in the outline you just made around your lawn. Concrete and brick pavers are very durable and will give your lawn a formal, professional appearance. You can also use unconventional edging materials, such as seashells, bottles, or even roofing tiles.

    Here at A Tool Shed in San Jose, we have gas lawn edgers available for rent for as little as $33 per day. We also have a large selection of gardening and landscape tools that will help you keep your property looking great. Visit our website or call us at (831) 359-4769 to learn more about the tools and equipment rentals we offer

  • Caring for Your Lawn in April

    April is here, which means it’s time to start taking care of your lawn and garden after coming out of the winter months. Even though some homeowners prefer to re-seed their lawns during the fall, early April in Southern California is moderate enough to apply new seed to your lawn before the warm temperatures set in. In this video, you will learn how to re-seed your lawn, including what fertilizers and compost mixtures to use and how often to water your lawn. 

    If you need tools or equipment to care for your lawn this spring, come to A Tool Shed Equipment Rentals in San Jose. We carry all of the lawn and garden tools you need to maintain your home’s landscape. From hand tools to heavy-duty equipment, you can rent it all from us! Call us today at (831) 359-4769 to find the location nearest you

  • When is the Best Time to Re-Seed Your Lawn?

    Mowing the lawn

    Spring is finally here, and that means lawns and gardens throughout San Jose are about to become a lot more vibrant. If your lawn took a beating during the winter, you may be thinking about planting new grass seeds to bring it back to life. However, some experts recommend that you wait until early fall to sow the grass. It’s almost impossible to keep new grass seed moist in the summer without nearly constant watering. In the fall, between August and October, the soil is warm, but daytime temperatures are moderate, waking watering less of a problem.

    Whenever you decide to re-seed your lawn, you can get everything you need to complete the job at A Tool Shed Equipment Rentals. With locations in San Jose and the surrounding areas, we are your source for lawn and garden equipment rentals in Southern California . We have seeders, tillers, edgers, and more. We even carry hand tools! Visit our website or call us at (831) 359-4769 to find the location nearest you. 

  • Removing Grass After Tilling Your Garden

    Peaceful Green Garden

    If you want to turn a plot of grass into cultivated soil ready for planting, your equipment rental store can help. One of the many pieces of lawn and gardening equipment you can rent is a rototiller. Rototillers, also known simply as “tillers,” break through grass and loosen soil. However, the grass remaining in the soil after tilling can grow from its roots and seeds. Unless you want to fight grass and weed throughout the gardening season, you will need to remove the grass and tilling your garden. Here’s how:

    Go Over Your Garden with a Hoe

    After you finish tilling your garden , work your way around the outermost edge of the tilled soil with a garden hoe, breaking up soil clumps as you work your way inside. As you move towards the center of your garden, remove clods of grass so you don’t compact them into the soil with your feet as you move around.

    Rake Your Garden

    After breaking up any noticeable clumps of soil and grass, pick through the soil with a wide-toothed bow rake, also available at your tool and equipment rental store. Dig around a bit to remove all grass clumps that were turned below the soil surface with the rototiller. Rake the grass clumps into a large pile and repeat the procedure until you no longer find clumps of grass in your garden.

    Discard the Grass

    After thoroughly picking through your garden with the rake and hoe, move the piles of grass clumps outside of your garden using a shovel and wheelbarrow. After spreading the grass to dry, add it to your compost bin.

    For everything you need to keep your garden thriving, come to A Tool Shed Equipment Rentals. We are your source for tool and equipment rentals in San Jose. From rakes and hoes to rototillers, sod cutters, and edgers, we have the tools and equipment you need. Visit our website to see our entire selection, or call us at (831) 359-4769 to reserve your tools today

  • Landscaping Mistakes to Avoid Around Your Home

    White Fence, Pink Roses, Salvia

    It’s easy to take care of your home’s landscaping with the right tools and equipment available from your local equipment rental store. But even with a full arsenal of lawn and gardening tools , you can still make mistakes if you don’t know what you’re doing. To help maintain the landscape around your home, here is a look at some of the most common landscaping mistakes and tips on how to avoid them.

    Cutting the Grass Too Short

    It’s easy to get carried away and cut your grass all the way to the root, especially if you aren’t familiar with how to use the lawnmower you rented. If you scalp the lawn, it could result in a bare patch, which could make it inviting for insects and/or susceptible to disease. Let the blades grow longer in the summer to provide shade for the roots, and cut the lawn shorter in the winter to allow sunlight to warm the soil. 

    Pruning Too Much

    Pruning is often just as much of an art form as it is a technique—which means that when done improperly, the result can be unappealing and harmful to your trees and shrubs. Every plant has a different pruning process, so be sure to ask around or do some investigative research to find out what’s best for each shrub and tree around your home .

    Neglecting the Front Yard

    A lot of homeowners put most of their energy into the backyard. However, the front of the house is where first impressions are made. This is especially important if you are putting your home on the market. Keep the grass trim and tight around the edges and plant colorful flowers to make your front yard pop.

    A Tool Shed Equipment Rentals has all of the lawn and garden tools you need to maintain your home’s landscaping. Visit our website to see our full selection of tool and equipment rentals, or visit one of our six locations in San Jose and the surrounding areas . For additional information about our equipment rentals, call us at (831) 359-4769.