Storage Secrets For Your Storage Shed

The purpose of a storage shed is to keep those regularly used items close at hand, whilst keeping rarely used items less accessible but neat and tidy. Storing your potting compost at the back of your shed, behind the wheelbarrow and the lawn mower, may seem to be a good idea at the time, but as you move everything out of the way for the third time in a week, you can soon see the sense of better-thought out system.

Store garden tools where they can be accessed in seconds, but don’t take up floor space. Simply attach a couple of tool hangers to the inside of your shed doors, and you’ve solved your biggest storage issue with the minimum of fuss.

Look out for adjustable shelves, which allow you to vary their height according to your needs. Chrome shelves are strong and durable, and won’t block any light, so you can either use them against shed walls, or as freestanding units. Plan the layout of your shelves so that items you need more often are easily accessible. Out-of-season or rarely used items can be stored higher up. A folding step or stool will make it easy to reach them when needed.

Re-purpose bathroom and kitchen fittings for use in your shed. A toilet-roll holder hung vertically is a great way to store balls of string and garden raffia, whilst a mug tree can hold a multitude of elastic bands and cable ties neatly in one place. Magnetic strips, such as those used for holding knives securely in the kitchen, are excellent for storing small implements, such as hand trowels and forks.

Keep smaller items you regularly use to hand in an easy-to-carry bag or box. Use a toolbox, tack box, household cleaning box, or even an old milk crate to store plant tags, pens, seed packets, twine and other items that you need nearby as you work in the garden. You’ll save time hunting for them individually if you put them all in one ‘grab and go’ carryall.

Create a ‘To Do’ board, where you can list important chores and make a note of things you need to buy. Use chalkboard paint to cover an area of your shed wall, or hang a whiteboard with a pot of marker pens close by so that you never forget an essential task. You’ll also find it helpful to have a garden calendar so that you can mark off planting times and calculate when to schedule lawn feeding and planting timetables.

Make space for a potting bench. Pots and trays can be stored underneath it, and it will also become invaluable for other tasks outside the potting season. You’ll have a surface in a dry, warm space to attend to tasks when the weather is inclement, allowing you to dedicate your greenhouse exclusively to plant growing.

Install a large hook so that you can loop your hosepipe without creating unwanted kinks in the rubber. It looks nicer, and it will help to extend the life of your hosepipe too.