Malta Development Blog

Tired of getting an aching back from kneeling over to plant your pots? Need a central spot to organize all your plant potting and gardening needs? Take a tip from the pros – a potting bench is the solution!

The traditional potting bench will have a waist-high shelf that makes any potting job more comfortable. It will also include a lower shelf with lots of room where you can store the potting soil, new pots, tools, a watering can, and plant food that you need to complete the job.

Ready-made benches come in wood, galvanized steel, and combinations of the two. There are myriad plans out there to help you build your own. You may like the weathered look wood acquires after a season or two outdoors, or you may choose to apply a bright coat of paint each year. Styles can be modern, rustic, romantic-garden and everything in between. You can use the bench to establish a décor for your patio or hide it in a convenient corner of the garden.

Benches may have mesh shelves so that debris can fall through, high-sided shelves to contain the mess, or shelves that are removable and can double as trays.

Some have a back-wall pegboard or wire mesh so that you can conveniently hang garden tools like soil scoops, trowels, cultivators, clippers, bulb planters, spray bottles, jars of seeds, and plant markers within easy reach.

A good idea for your potting bench is to add storage to the lower shelf that will contain and protect your seeds, gardening gloves, potting mixes, tools, etc. Simple plastic boxes with covers will assure that items that need to stay out of the elements are secure and dry. Labels can tell you what is in each different box.

Do you have any potting bench ideas? Share them with our readers!