How to Personalize Your Potting Shed

For any gardener who has a potting shed, it can be one of their greatest joys. Personally to me, my little garden shed is my own little sanctuary.

My potting shed has a sign hanging over the door that reads "The Potting Shed."

It could very easily be mistaken for an old outhouse. It is only a 5' x 5' shed, which my husband built for me from some old barn wood that a friend shared with me. It has an old screen door on it and an old 3 pane window, but it is the heart of my garden.

If you have ever wanted a potting shed, it could be as simple as a step back cabinet on a back porch. Or you may need a 50' x 50' out building, to also house lawnmowers, snow blowers or tractors.

In my own potting shed I do a lot of potting. I have an old dresser in it that serves as a potting bench. I cut a space out on the top of the dresser and a dish pan sits in it, it works out great for my potting needs. I have no electricity or water in my potting shed. I have a florescent light over the top of my potting area and a barrel of water next to the shed. For my needs this is perfect.

In your potting shed may need electricity or water. It is important to sit down and plan out what your needs are going to be. Then, go from there to make this your own personal space.

In your own potting shed you will want to start with, what you are going to need for a potting area. It could be a table, desk, dresser or maybe the perfect potting bench built in. Then you will need some storage space or shelving for pots, baskets, seeds, dirt, fertilizers, etc... Ice cream buckets work out nicely for things such as dirt and fertilizers.

Your small hand tools you will want to keep close. A pot or bucket with sand in it sitting on your potting bench works well. The sand also helps keep your spade, knife and such, sharp.

Large tools like rakes, shovels and hoes can be kept in a barrel in the corner of your potting shed or hung from the wall. As you start to fill your potting shed you will get a feel for where you want things to be.

To personalize my potting shed, I have hung a wooden ladder from the ceiling to use as a drying rack for flowers and herbs. Some shelves by my window for seed starting. A few hooks here and there to hand a hat, apron and sweater. I have a chair inside my potting shed for sitting down to relax and page through one of my many garden books that I keep out there in an old bread box.