In England, on Friday evenings from February until November when the country’s most-watched horticultural show Gardener’s World airs on BBC2, we Brits all marvel as we ogle gardening guru Monty Don’s fabulous outbuildings and, most of all, his brick-walled potting shed with its compost bins and neatly stacked piles of beautiful terra cotta pots. Monty’s numerous outbuildings are, like sheds across the country, a mish-mash of styles (timber, tin, brick), but they are all deftly organized and fit for purpose—a mantra that anyone should follow no matter how big or small a potting space may be.
For any gardener who sows seeds and pots up seedlings on makeshift tables, the perfect potting shed is high on the list of dream garden additions, a peaceful place to plot and plan, a repository for all the gardening gubbins, and an outdoor retreat on stormy days. Read on to learn about everything you need to create your own:
A Potting Table
![Photograph by Michelle Slatalla.](https://media.gardenista.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/potting-table-michelle-slatalla-733x733.jpg)
A practical workbench is top of the list of necessities for a gardener’s shed and while any old table will do, the perfect potting table should be a comfortable height to work at. Better still if it has raised sides to stop compost and other materials falling onto the floor.
For a small shed, see The Gardenista 100: Best Mini Potting Tables.
Roomy Bins
![A good size to store potting soil and mulch, a \2\2.4-inch-high Multi-Purpose Galvanized Bin made of sheet steel is €57 at Manufactum.](https://media.gardenista.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/galvanized-bin-soil-storage-manufactum-733x549.png)
Gardenista editor in chief Michelle Slatalla also stores potting soil and mulch in a lidded steel bin; her Knodd Bins are $19.99 each at Ikea. See more at Steal This Look: A Mini Garden Shed in a Garage.
A Place to Hang Tools
![](https://media.gardenista.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/fields/Garden-Tool-Rack-Williams-Sonoma-Gardenista.jpg)
Most gardeners boast more large tools than they’d like to admit – spades, forks, rake, loppers, brooms, hoes and much more – rather than leaving them in a chaotic heap in a corner install peg board, a row of hooks or special storage racks that will keep everything off the floor and neatly stored. Racks and hooks can run either vertically or horizontally. A pair of hooks can also be used to keep bamboo canes, pea sticks and plant supports/stakes off the floor and neatly stored.
Plenty of Pots
![A box of six Earth Fired Clay Pots is \$\24 from Terrain.](https://media.gardenista.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/terra-cotta-clay-pots-gardenista-e1455584830671-733x733.jpg)
A Wall of Shelves
![Even a compact freestanding shed can plenty of storage space if it has a wall of shelves. See more at Storage Solution: A Customizable Garden Shed from Germany. Photograph via Manufactum.](https://media.gardenista.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/wood-garden-shed-larch-gardenista-4-733x597.png)
Just like a kitchen, there can never be too much storage space for utilitarian garden sheds – they can be the most basic shelves made from left-over timbers but make sure they are deep and strong. A plethora of pots will keep smaller items – labels, twine, scissors, dibbers and small tools much easier to locate.
An Old Sink
![Photograph by Mimi Giboin for Gardenista. For more of this garden shed, see Outbuilding of the Week: A Salvaged Shed in a Napa Garden.](https://media.gardenista.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/potting-shed-sink-cara-greenberg-sonoma-mimi-giboin-733x489.jpg)
Ideally a potting shed will have a water source and a sink big enough to accommodate pots and watering cans – reclaimed butler’s sinks are perfect for this as they are roomy enough to hold all manner of pots.
Pot Storage
![Made of spruce, an Individual Fruit Box is £34 from Garden Trading.](https://media.gardenista.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/fuirt-crate-storage-box-garden-trading-733x444.png)
Garden Trug
![](https://media.gardenista.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/img/sub/uimg/05-2012/700_700-red-leaf-lettuce-in-trug-ben-pentreath.jpg)
Other containers such as baskets, trugs, and bags can be stored out of the way, hanging from roof beams or trusses.
Staging Table
![](https://media.gardenista.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/greenhouse-staging-table-wooden-tesco-733x483.jpg)
Creature Comforts
![Photograph by Christine Chitnis for Gardenista.](https://media.gardenista.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/perfect-potting-shed-christine-chitnis-733x489.jpg)
A potting shed may well be a utilitarian space but for gardeners it’s a retreat where a few home comforts are just as important as pots and plant labels. A radio, a comfy chair, if you can fit it in, and a kettle to make hot drinks will make your shed a much more welcoming spot on stormy days.
N.B.: See more of our favorite ideas to organize a potting shed:
- Steal This Look: A Potting Shed Made of Scraps.
- Hardscaping 101: Garden Sheds.
- 10 Easy Pieces: A Gardener’s Essential Toolkit.
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