DIY Potting Shed with 9 Easy Steps

A potting shed is useful and a must-have for gardening enthusiasts. There are many benefits of a potting shed, with it being an easy storage option for your gardening tools, keeping your expensive gardening seeds and soil away from the pesticides attack and weather conditions, and having a separate relaxing corner to feel calm throughout the day. A potting shed has always been common with a gardening site because people practice gardening inside the shed before they bring out the plants to soar up some sun.

While there are many Autonomous pods and wooden pods for gardens that are sufficient for a potting shed size, some people love a DIY potting shed. Some prefer to start it from scratch with the best potting shed ideas, a potting shed plan, and measuring the dimensions themselves, while others just want to focus on potting shed decorating ideas inside a readymade office pod or a prefab studio that works as a potting shed. Either way building a potting shed has its benefits with more control over the design.

This article will list down a step-by-step guide to building or decorating your potting shed. You can also use the employee purchase program to get incentives to purchase your potting shed for your home.

Potting shed décor and interior is one thing, but if we talk about laying the foundation of a potting shed from scratch, the procedure is entirely different and needs to be carefully planned. Here is a detailed guide to help you build the perfect potting shed for your garden. Let's learn the best ways of building a potting shed with us!

Location

Where will you build your potting shed? Should it face the sunlight directly or be away from where the wind directly blows? The location of the potting shed is crucial. No matter how beautifully you plan to equip or paint it, having infrastructure in the center of your backyard is not nice. Pick a corner with minimum sunlight and the least effect of rain and thunderstorm to place your potting shed. Choose a location that brings the potting shed into sight but doesn't ruin the look of the entire garden with a big room in between.

Choose the Right Materials

You have two options for building a potting shed: either use a self-assembly kit or come up with your design. Either way, you must decide what materials to use to build it. Pine and hemlock, regarded as softwoods, are some of the most popular and economical timbers. Red cedar, oak, or birch are other options for moving up to more robust and decay-resistant materials.

Size Counts

The size of a potting shed can range from a compact storage area with shelves to a larger structure with storage and adequate workspace. A potting shed typically measures 10 feet by 8 feet, which leaves room for shelving, storage, and, if wanted, a potting bench. Some potting sheds also include a side overhang where plants can be hung. When deciding on the size, keep this in mind as well.

Add Windows

Even if you decide your shed to be away from air and sunlight to prevent seed reaction, you still need a proper ventilation system to prevent moisture entrapping. Occasional wind passage through windows is a great and effective way. There are additional factors to take into account if you choose to add windows to your potting shed. Most crucial, pick a window that opens to let fresh air through to keep the soil and plants you're storing alive. To prevent color fading, your window should be made of UV-resistant material.

Lay Down the Base

Your potting shed cannot rest on the ground directly, as there should be a separate base. This helps your potting shed to be easily movable later on if you wish to relocate. To put down the base for your potting shed, start with four equal lengths of lumber mirroring panels. Place them on the floor in the shape of a square and use them to mark locations for corner posts. You can use crushed limestone as a base, or if you are planning a wooden shed, wood planks can also be a good selection of base for the potting shed.

Shed Posts

Deciding the shed wall height and taking the post length accordingly is an important step in our DIY potting shed guide. Normally the shed walls are 8 to 10 feet tall for easy access and plenty of vertical storage. Place the wooden posts on all corners of the shed to form a foundation for your shed.

Shed Walls

Some people like to make shed walls out of wooden planks, while some choose panels to install walls. Planks make for thicker walls, whereas panels can offer different thicknesses depending on your needs. Either way, make sure your walls are resistant to mildew, mold, and humidity so they don't lose their hold when it rains and during storms. It is also important to plan door and window placement in the walls and cut out the required shape before proceeding with the installation.

Roof

To make your potting shed both functional and aesthetic, opt for a cone-shaped roof with a sloped design, so the rainwater or dirt doesn't accumulate on the top. Before placing the roof, panels, or sheets, design a roof raft that lays down the foundation. Also, don't forget to make electrical connections and cable pathways for the electricity to be supplied to the potting shed.

Skylight

The skylight roof design is one of the best ways to improve the looks of your potting shed and reduce the cost of electricity. Skylights reduce the need for electrical lighting. Additionally, they allow in copious amounts of sunlight, which will benefit you if you have planned a relaxing corner inside the potting shed.

Using a platform, you can fit a lot of storage and plants inside. Installing wire potters is simple, and you are free to relocate them whenever you like. A tiny vent in the bottom corner and a larger one at the top can also produce great air circulation. But one thing to take care of with skylight roof design is to have storage shelves that don't allow the light to come in so you can keep the seeds and shade-loving plants inside.