Olioboard Inspiration: Organizing your Spring Potting Shed

 Entry #2152, March 1, 2013

Today we continue Stagetecture’s feature. ‘Olioboard Inspiration‘. Last week you enjoyed Adele Baumann  – ‘Fun & Practical Ideas for Pet Organization’‘ and this week I bring you Sam Holloway a member of the Facebook Olioboard Fan Room. I asked her for organization ideas to get your spring outdoor home ready, and she chose a potting shed – which is always well used during the Spring! Great tips for getting your ‘green thumb’ ready for gardening and relaxing.

The Potting Shed is every gardeners dream, a sanctuary, a place of peace and quiet. Under the guise of a place to store all your gardening tools and to ‘pot up’ plants, it is a place where plans are made, dreams are lived out and newspapers are read!

Potting sheds are true temples to recycling, shelving, counters and storage made from pallets, pipes and boxes. Potting shades aren’t just for gardening. They are also the spot to sit back and listen to the fall of the rain or watch your garden grow. Potting sheds need to be well-equipped and organised to keep the space functional. When designing the space, accent the room with personal accessories to create a homey feel. Create individual areas like a planting area, storage space and relaxing spot.

Follow these simple tips to keep your potting shed organised and a comfortable refuge from the stresses of everyday life.

• Fit out your potting shed with plenty of shelving and counter space made from recycled pallets and unwanted furniture.
• After cleaning, Arrange pots by type and size on the shelving and in under counter storage boxes.
• Hang twine, gloves and other essentials from a rail in handy grabbing distance of your potting workspace, pegboards are also a great way of keeping smaller items organised and within easy reach.
• Use old Mason jars to keep your seeds dry and airtight, use a black pen on jam labels or parcel tags to show the contents.
• Use a cutlery divider to store and organise smaller items.
• Store your potting soil, fertilizer, mulch or triple mix in large plastic covered storage bins along with a scoop.
• Use heavy duty wall mountable hooks for storing hosing and larger gardening tools.
• Recycling Bag with Stand to easily separate your glass, paper and plastic recyclables.
• Use a permanent marker pen to write the variety of the plant directly onto each bulb before wrapping in newspaper and storing.
• Place old apple crates underneath the counter tops for additional storage which is easily stackable.

Finally add your personal touch with a few fun items such as flowerpot men, fun colourful signs and plant stakes. A small refrigerator tucked into a corner can store flower bulbs and a few cold drinks. Keep yourself cool on a hot summer’s day with a fan and warm on a cool morning with a small heater. Include some homely touches like a kettle, curtains, cushions and a few good books.  An old chair is ideal for resting your feet and enjoying a nice cup of tea after a long day working in the garden.

To see Sam Holloway’s other Olioboard submissions on Stagetecture, click here.