When it comes to home gardening, it does not take too much to get into the practice–anyone who has access to seeds, sunlight, water, and soil can get involved in the hobby. What differentiates new gardeners from experienced gardeners are the tools and materials these two groups work with. For those who are experienced, you might be thinking of creating a potting shed: how do you convert a regular shed into a potting shed?
To convert a regular shed into a potting shed, you will need to ensure that it gets enough sunlight, add a way to control the temperature inside the shed, build storage space inside the shed, install a workstation, ensure proper ventilation, and seal and winter-proof the shed.
Potting sheds can be a welcome reprieve from the chaos of the world. If you’re going to build a potting shed, you want to make sure you do it right. Read on to learn more about how you can convert a regular shed into a potting shed.
1. Ensure That Your Potting Shed Has Enough Sunlight
Plants, as most people know, need plenty of sunlight in order to grow. Plants rely on the process of photosynthesis in order to get the energy they need on a daily basis, and part of this chemical process involves the heat of the sun. If you’re interested in learning more about photosynthesis, check out this article: Do Venus Fly Traps Die After They Eat. If you plan on keeping plants inside the potting shed, you are going to need plenty of sunlight.
Unfortunately, most sheds don’t come equipped with a lot of natural light. Though some sheds have windows or doors, they generally don’t allow enough natural light into the shed for plants to survive. If you need more light in your shed, try installing some windows, or, ideally, a skylight.
If you’re not able to install more sources of natural light, try purchasing a fluorescent light specialized for growing plants.
2. Add a Way To Control the Temperature of Your Potting Shed
If you’ve ever gone into a building without sufficient heating during winter, you probably know how cold these structures can get. In many places, unheated structures can fall below freezing during the winter. Of course, if your plants are exposed to freezing temperatures, this is very damaging. Especially when considering the fact that most of the plants you are likely to store in a potting shed are incredibly delicate.
To address this issue, install some sort of temperature control. This is not only essential for keeping plants alive during the winter, but it will also help increase the comfort of the shed for you to operate in during the winter. Additionally, plants can overheat in the summer, even if they aren’t exposed to direct sunlight. A movable heating/cooling unit is often the best source for temperature control in a shed and can be purchased at many stores and online.
Of course, you will need electricity to power this unit, so ensure that a power unit is available.
3. Create a Wide Array of Storage Possibilities Within Your Shed
The number and variety of tools and materials people use during gardening is a slight miracle within itself. With different tools like shovels, hand tools, and pots, as well as materials like seeds, saplings, fertilizer, and more, you are going to want to ensure that you have different storage opportunities for different materials.
For things like fertilizer or seeds, create a cool, dry, shaded area within your potting shed. Cabinets or closets are phenomenal for this task. If you want a place to store things like gardening books, consider building some shelving units. If you want a spot to store shovels, rakes, and other tools with handles, consider installing a peg board to store materials on.
Ultimately, the kind of storage is less important than the fact that you have storage opportunities present. Bins, shelves, and cabinets are great solutions, but these are by no means a requirement.
4. Install a Workstation Inside if Your Potting Shed
The best part about having a potting station is having an indoor, climate-controlled area in order to do your work. This is, in part, why many people prefer potting sheds to greenhouses. However, if you don’t install a workstation inside your potting shed, you are missing out on a phenomenal opportunity. It isn’t essential to have a workstation, but it will definitely make your life far easier.
Many gardeners prefer to stand while they are gardening. This might be because they feel more able to move around or because they’ve been crouching for so long that it feels nice to stretch your back. If you’re one of these people, we recommend a workbench tall enough for you to stand at as you are gardening.
If you prefer to sit, install a table tall enough to let you place a chair under. Whatever your preference may be, install a workstation to match these preferences.
5. Ensure the Shed Gets Plenty of Ventilation
One of the things that surprise many people when entering a greenhouse is the number of fans blowing at one time. Greenhouses, like potting sheds, are designed, in part, to keep plants warm during the cold of winter. Why, then, would they be blowing cold air into the structure?
Plants need ventilation in order to grow. Without fresh air, even if it’s cold, the plants can overheat from the warmth of the structure or can die because of a lack of carbon dioxide. When building your potting shed, install some sort of ventilation to allow fresh air into the shed. This could be a widow fan, an open window, or an opening skylight. Anything that will cycle fresh air into the structure.
6. Seal Up the Shed So It Is Winter-proof
Even when installing a heating unit into a potting shed, this is often not enough to prevent the shed from encountering challenges due to the elements of winter. If sheds are not isolated correctly, cold air can get into your shed, depleting the warmth of the structure and allowing some of the moisture to enter.
Additionally, one major issue many structures face is that critters like insects and rodents will take refuge from the winter inside your shed. This can be, of course, very damaging for your plants. Make sure when converting your shed that the walls are plenty isolated and that there are no holes allowing pests into your shed.
7. Make Sure Your Shed Is Easy To Clean
One of the common issues seen in many sheds is the fact they are incredibly dirty. They are often full of insects, covered in dirt and grime, and all around are not very nice places to be. Potting sheds, alternatively, are supposed to be warm and inviting places for gardeners to do their work. No one wants a messy or dirty workspace, and with a hobby like gardening, things can get very dirty quickly.
Ensuring that your shed is easy to clean is incredibly important when converting your shed into a potting shed. You can do this easily by having something such as a sheet of plywood or a mat on the floor of your shed to easily remove dirt. Keep a broom, dustpan, and trashcan in your potting shed: you’re going to need them.
Final Thoughts
When it comes to converting a regular shed into a potting shed, there can be a lot of moving parts to the project that make it a large undertaking. However, the process is definitely able to be done without professional help. Though a big task, it is definitely DIY.
The most important thing to consider when converting a shed into a potting shed is to make sure that all necessary elements are there to help plants survive. Ensure that there is plenty of sunlight, a controlled climate, and access to water.
