Personalizing my Potting shed - personal blog

by Pat Kehler

Creating your space in your Potting Shed

Personalizing my potting shed has been a favorite pastime of mine. I guess it parallels decorating a house. A potting shed is a place where you feel most comfortable and at home. A place that is just yours and yours alone.

This is how I have made my own potting shed quaint and homey.  I’m not sure why, but I love weathered wood – whether or not it is cedar or another type of timber, I love the graying color that weather brings to wood. So I have made my shelves and table from old wood. I may have found this wood at a garage sale, on the side of the road or at a flea market, or even from a friend who is tearing down an old fence. Old wood gives my shed an ambience that makes me feel relaxed. Now if you are a “new wood” type of a person, go for it! Just create it in such a way that makes you feel at home.

Here are some ideas to personalize your potting shed.
A potting shed is a haven. I don’t know about you, but I just love to pot plants. But as much as love to have my hands in the dirt, I love the feeling of just being around the plants and the pots and soil and touching all of it. Maybe it is just connecting with nature – but I sure do feel peaceful when I am out there.

The other thing I really love is terracotta pots. I love lots of them. I love them weathered as well and I love them empty and stacked and all over the place. I have always had a large yard and yet I have always enjoyed container gardens as well so the more pots the better. I guess terracotta is earthier than a lot of other pots. I know that glazed pots are very popular too, but I prefer the regular inexpensive traditional orange terracotta pots.

My shed also has an old barn style door and old hinges and latches from barns and I used old restored windows as well. I grew up on a farm so I guess my childhood memories have come back to life in my shed.

The actual potting area of my shed is quite small. The shelves are stacked with pots and the walls have all my hand tools hanging from them, but the bigger items like the wheelbarrow are hanging on the back of the shed.

I like to have a big window above my potting bench because then I can gaze out at my garden while I’m potting and visualize where I will plant things or place pots and just daydream. I love to day dream.

ing I really like to have beside my potting shed to make it an idyllic setting is a few bird feeders. The sound of birds singing is so much better than the radio.

My potting shed has a special place in my life. It is where I go to get grounded. I love it out there. It clears my head and helps me face the busy days with a refreshed spirit.

So if you are building or creating yourself a potting shed, my only advice to you is this – don’t hurry. Take time and collect things – materials, hardware, etc, - that will make your shed perfect for you. A place you will long to visit. A place that will be a haven. A place where your soul is renewed and refreshed.

Happy potting.

Related articles:

• amish shed
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