As a gardener, chances are you pay more attention to your plants than to keeping your tools in order.
It’s easy to get so caught up in planting, harvesting, watering, and weeding that you don’t think about your space – until you’re digging through piles of tools to find what you need as often as you’re digging in the actual dirt outside.
But it shouldn’t be an ordeal every time – and if you abide by these simple tips, you can keep your gardening workspace tidier and leave more time for the hobby you love.
Make sure you have a dedicated space
For many people, a gardening workspace means clearing out a space in the garage or wherever else it can be squeezed in.
And this is fine if your garage is big enough – but usually it’s a hassle, especially if your gardening equipment is hidden away in the shadowy, cobweb-covered corners.
If you’re serious about your garden, you’ll need a dedicated space to store materials.
An outdoor shed or room is ideal, and a good place to start is Able Spaces, which offers flexible options to suit your budget and space needs.
Get (or build!) a quality potting bench, too, so that you can have space to work on starting seeds and transplanting.
Once you’ve given your workspace its own area, you can cut down on clutter spilling everywhere.
Get creative with storage bins
You’ll also want some bins and other useful storage containers – but before you buy them, look around to see what you could repurpose for gardening needs.
Old laundry baskets, for instance, make great storage for gardening equipment, as they’re typically made of sturdy plastic and you can see what’s inside.
Another good move is to find something to use to tote your tools out to your garden with you. An old toolbox works great for this, or even a tool belt, as these will generally fit your trowels, seeds, and other necessary items.
Plan ahead and organise your seeds
If you have a big vegetable or flower garden, many of the plants you want to grow will have different growing seasons, and it’s hard to keep track of them all.
Put together a garden calendar and keep it near your workbench at all times, so that important planting and harvesting dates are fresh in your mind instead of jumbled in your head.
Another good idea: Start a filing system for your seeds.
Something as simple as a divided folder can help you divide your seeds (and their labels) by the month or week that they need to be started.
What’s more – it keeps them all in one place so you don’t have to go hunting for them at the most critical time.
Stock up…
One of the first steps in reorganising your workspace is to get an idea of what you’re working with.
It may turn out that you’re lacking some important pieces of equipment or tools that you need to get the job done.
Some of the most essential tools include a high-quality trowel, hoes and shovels, labels and waterproof pens/markers, and a sturdy weed-popper or similar to get rid of more established and deep-rooted weeds such as dandelions.
So lay out all of your tools and make sure you have what you need.
…and thin out
Of course, when you take stock of your items, you’ll likely find things you don’t need.
Maybe your trowel was buried in a corner of your garage, so you got a new one – or two. Or maybe some of your pots broke, but stayed sitting with the rest of your garden supplies as an afterthought.
Keep the essentials and get rid of the excess, whether that be extras, broken items, or just things you’ve never used before.
Hold on to the pots you need for starting seedlings and transplanting, and maybe a few larger ones for plants you’d like to display. Toss (or recycle!) the broken items and give away what you can.
It’s easier to stay organised when you only have to account for the things you need.
And once you’re properly stocked, with a dedicated workspace and storage bins, you’ll be fully prepared to get out there and start your garden when the time comes!
Image link 1: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Potting-bench-red-and-white.jpg
Image link 2: https://www.pexels.com/photo/agricultural-food-food-seed-fruit-seeds-1085694/