Potting Sheds

To a serious gardener, a sturdy little potting shed is a thing of joy. Working in a potting shed gets you out of the elements, while remaining in the great outdoors. Sheltered by the potting shed roof, you can stay dry when it's raining or take off that heavy overcoat when it's cold. A south facing window-wall or a plexiglass saltbox roof makes it all the more pleasant.

And it's more than okay to make a mess in your potting shed. After all, it's all part of the fun!

My little greenhouse shed does double-duty. It's primarily a storage shed for the lawn tractor, tiller, and garden tools. But the south facing plexiglass roof and full width potting shelf make it ideal for starting those early spring seedlings and for potting larger plants. Twelve linear feet of shelf space give me all the room I need to get my garden started ...

Adding the potting shelf was simple. After the shed was complete, I built brackets from the leftover 2x4s and T-111 siding. Then I nailed the brackets to the vertical studs and used 2x2 cedar deck rails to build a slatted shelf.

Once I had the idea sketched out, it didn't take more than a few hours to build the shelf.

The potting shelf is built high enough to park the lawn tractor underneath on one side. On the other side, I added a shelf for planters, seed starting trays, and liners.

I faced the facts early on ... there's no ambiance to repotting plants in the garage. When I'm puttering around in the garage, I'd rather turn a greasy wrench than repot an root-bound bamboo. And likewise, I'm not apt to tear apart the tractor while in the shed.

Everything has it's place in my potting shed, even if I can't find it at this moment!