“No worries”, I told my husband when we moved into our new home. “There’s plenty of room for my gardening paraphernalia in this garage.”

I claimed a corner, and added some old crates; eventually those crates were buried under a varied amount of essential necessities for work in the garden: hand trowels, pruning shears, an assortment of gloves, moss laden clay pots, ceramic pots, and small wooden containers holding odds and ends of string, wire, plant tags and measuring spoons.

“It’s time”, my husband announced one February day. “Time to build a potting shed.”

We were lucky to have a neighbor who was a builder; we hired him and my husband helped him build the shed.

The shed dimensions were 12’x16′.

Luckily we had mild weather and the work continued until completion 1 1/2 months later.

Painting was completed by my husband.

We found five large stones at a local stone yard; three became the porch and we used the other two for steps.

A potting shed needs a garden; wheel barrows of top soil and compost were dumped in the planting area. 

I found the perfect place for my two old cement planters on each side of the steps.  I planted Incrediball Hydrangea, ‘Ronald Dahl’ David Austin roses, and Coreopsis ‘Moonbeam’. 

The inside of the shed: My husband added pegs for hand tools, rakes, and shovels. Wooden shelves, and a cart on wheels became storage containers. I love the white sink in front of the two windows. Although it’s not hooked up to water it serves as a potting place. 

On rainy days, cold days, and hot days our wicker furniture provided a place of respite; time to sip tea and make future garden plans.

April 2023

Four years later:

The potting shed still holds all the essential necessities for work in the garden: pruning shears, gloves, hand trowels, moss laden clay pots, ceramic pots, bags of organic fertilizers, hoses, peony hoops, and small wooden containers with odds and ends of string, wire, plant tags and measuring spoons.

The potting shed holds much more than that; it holds conversations, laughter, and memories.

My potting shed through the changing seasons:

I am very grateful to have a potting shed. It’s an extension of me and my garden. It helps me stay organized and connected to the beauty of nature.