Organizing Your Garden Shed

 guest writer  No Responses »
Nov 122010
 
Guest writer:  Susan M Adams

The worst thing about gardening in my opinion is not my weedy garden, or a bed that needs replanting, but rather the fear I have about entering my cluttered dingy garden shed. What makes it worse is the last minute fall pile-in of tools, pots, extra bags of dirt, muddy hoses, etc. If a well ordered garden shed is conducive to efficient weeding, then I have to admit to less than perfect gardening efficiency.

For me, the thought of trying to find a dry pair of gloves and a rusty pair of clippers is enough to make me stay in and watch re-runs of Ellen all day. The only solution to my perpetual horticultural procrastination due to garden implement disorganization, is quite simply a garden shed organization.

But how do you go about organizing your gardening stuff? Well, it may be hard to do, but the first thing you need to do to get things orderly and organized is to totally unpack your shed. Take out the rolls of wire would only be useful for fencing in a horse and a few cows (unless you have livestock, then it’s alright), remove the 12 cans of designer stain that have long ago separated because you left them in the shed all winter and they froze. Throw out everything that can’t be used, give away anything that you haven’t used in a year.

Now that you have gotten everything out of the shed, it’s time for a thorough cleaning. Maybe even a fresh coat of paint on the inside will brighten things up and keep the spiders from weaving webs in every eave and corner. You can also use this time that your tools are out to fix up any problems, tighten the wheels on your lawnmower, and oil up any gears and hinges.

Before putting items back into your shed take the time to add shelves and or hooks. Although an assortment of three inch nails hung your father’s gardening tools, times have changed. In my opinion, those nails are an invitation for spiders to create string art in your shed. Go to your local hardware store and purchase some proper hooks. The hooks are inexpensive and sturdy and plastic coated. Proper hooks and shelving are a worthwhile investment.

Now you can put everything back into a better organized shiny clean garden shed. Knowing that everything has a place, and that you’ve gotten rid of the stock pile of broken tools and cracked pots, will make gardening such a easy chore now. Although it might seem like a lot of work to reorganize and fix everything up, it will be well worth it in the end.

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Posted by Denise at 9:38 am  Tagged with: , , , , , , , , ,

What To Do With a Run Down Garden Shed

 guest writer  No Responses »
Nov 102010
 
Guest writer: John A Moore

Over time garden sheds need repair. I would say that a decent garden shed only has 12-16 years before it is in need of replacement or a good over-haul. The exception to this rule are perhaps garden sheds that were originally built like residential structures and treated the same over the years.

Many factors are involved in deciding whether to fix or replace your old garden shed, including your budget, how much you like your current shed (in good shape that is), whether it suits your purposes, and whether it suits your house style.

I was faced with this very question twice this past summer. My own garden shed was a crooked disaster and my mothers much larger garden shed leaked like a sieve. With my mothers shed the answer was simple. She had a very large shed with a loft. The walls seemed straight enough. It would be too much work and expense to tear it down and rebuild. Furthermore, it would have been a lot of work and it was too pretty to replace. We decided to tear off the roof and tear out the flooring over the joists and replace both. The total repair cost was $550.00

Our shed was a different story. Our shed was hidden around the side of our house and really out of view of the house or the back deck. It was approximately 3 feet by 8 feet and about 6 feet tall. Like my mother’s shed it had board and batten siding made out of wide planks. We knew both the roof and floor including the joists and sills were rotten. We thought we had a complete rebuild on our hands.

Our first step was to price out the cost of a building a replacement. We made a list of all of the material we would need and it came to $550 plus 13% tax. One of us a remembered seeing a really cute shed at 50% off in the same price range. We figured we might as well save the time and buy new if that was at all a possibility. After a bit of searching we learned that we could get a smaller ugly resin shed for $650 plus tax. The idea of buying new was shelved.

After thinking for a bit more, we decided that perhaps with a bit of extra work, we could save money and also save the old character, by recycling the siding, and building the structure new. As it turns out, this was quite a bit of work, but we saved over 50% on the original material estimate, and we ended up with a brand new old shed, which won’t start sagging for many more years. We are both quite pleased with the final look, especially saving the old aged board and batten siding.

In both cases we were dealing with homes that were over a century old and we felt that the sheds really needed to match the older aesthetic of the houses. In both cases we decided to keep the wood that was salvageable and rebuild the roof, floor, and in our case, the frame. We ended up with 2 very pretty sheds and I think we managed to keep both budgets as low as possible. There are many factors to consider when faced with a garden shed in need of repairs. Do your homework and figure out various budgets. The right answer for your garden shed will become evident.

About the Author:
Look for more interesting ideas about garden sheds at this garden shed website, where you’ll find lots of great information on backyard storage sheds.
Posted by Denise at 4:44 pm  Tagged with: , , , , , , , ,

Why Every Gardener Needs A Garden Shed

 backyard design  No Responses »
Jun 192010
 

Why Every Gardener Needs A Garden Shed

A garden shed provides the perfect place to store garden tools and any necessary supplies. Your backyard tools are all in one place and easy to locate when needed. By having a garden shed you will make backyard-landscaping tasks easy.

Garden shed
Creative Commons License photo credit: Heather Clemons

I never thought that much about a garden shed until I went to my friend’s home. Her shed was tucked away behind a few shrubs and a perennial garden. Inside all explaining all the different tools, seeds and fertilizers were somewhat organized. I was quite amazed at everything my friend had in her garden shed. There seemed to be a great reason for each thing she had in there. She said that all gardeners will take more pride in their gardens if they have a garden shed filled with everything they need to garden. And I believe this to be true.

To make a long story short, I have since become very convinced that my friend’s words are true about a garden shed. My tools were just in the lower part of the barn, organized but rather lost in all the other garage and barn supplies.

The more I have gotten into gardening the more I have seen the truth that it requires a lot of tools and things to make a garden grow with success, and my new garden shed is the perfect place to store everything for my garden. Each year it seems like I grow my gardens a bit bigger and so each year my garden shed gets a little more filled with all of the right products and tools for each of my new attempts.

One other advantage on my garden shed is that I took one side with the best sun exposure and used glass in the roof. It’s like a mini greenhouse, which is perfect for starting a few plants or nursing a sick plant. And with a mini greenhouse are I have a potting bench, a must for any avid gardener!

And outside the shed is a mini herb and perennial garden. I use this garden area to divide plants and get them ready to plant or sell.

So if you are a gardener of if you are thinking about starting a garden for the first time, then I suggest you invest into a garden shed. It will hold everything you need for your garden, make yard work easier and allow you to take pride in your garden areas.

Posted by Denise at 9:01 am  Tagged with: , , ,
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