What is a Potting Bench?

A potting bench is simply a bench that is set up to help you get your potting done. A potting bench usually has a removeable basin of some sort, where you can put the potting soil while you are potting.  Depending on the style you choose they may have at least 1 upper shelf and a lower shelf as well.

These shelves are designed to help you keep your gardening and potting supplies organized. The top shelves are usually smaller and perfect for keeping your small garden tools or even for organizing your seeds (if you keep it inside). The larger shelf is usually on the bottom and it is perfect for storing pots, and bags of potting soil.

A potting bench allows you to quickly and easily have all the supplies you need for potting,  planting seeds, or transplanting right at your finger tips.   It will help you to get your work done faster, as well as keeping your home clean neat and clean.

Do You Need a Potting Bench?

Only you can really answer this question, but if you do a lot of planting the answer is probably yes, you could use  a potting bench.  For those who do a lot of container gardening it can be very useful. You can keep all your pots and other things you need in one place.

You may think if you have little space a potting bench is not right for you, when the opposite may actually be true. A potting bench will keep all your gardening things in one place, up and out of the way. It can also be used to display your plants.

If you have a nice garden outside and do a lot of planting of seeds, and seedlings a potting bench can come in very handy as well. It will allow you to do a lot of potting in a neat and efficient way.

So if you are an avid gardener, you may find that a potting bench is just what you need. If you don’t want to buy one for yourself ~ start hinting. A potting bench makes a fantastic gift.

Vinyl Potting Benches

There are some definite benefits to vinyl potting benches. These benefits include:

Recycled Plastic Potting Benches

Wood Potting Benches

A garden potting bench is a piece of furniture that allows you to keep your pots, gardening tools, seeds, and of course potting soil all in one place. Most potting benches have a removeable soil potting bowl or box. This is where you can put your potting soil so it’s easy to deal with than directly from the bag.  It can easily be returned to the bag if you have excess.

Potting benches are perfet for container gardening. You have everything you need all in one place. You can store your pots below on the bench’s shelf. This way you know exactly what pot options you have. I tend to have pots scattered here and yon, some in the basement, some in the garage. The potting bench helps you get organized and know what all you have.

If you are not container gardening the garden potting bench will also be a great thing to have, it will also help you stay organized, and get your seedlings planted with ease and minimal effort. Staying organized, and having what you need at hand is really a huge part of gardening. It can be so much more enjoyable when you aren’t continually running back and forth and looking for whatever it is you need.

There are quite a few types of garden potting bench you can choose from.  Which you choose will depend on what you want to use your potting bench for mostly, where you will keep it, and how much you will be using it. It will also depend on whether it will be completely functional or whether you will also use it as part of the decor or your garden.

Looking at a bunch of different garden potting benches will help you make the decision based on your personal needs and wants for your garden.

If  you are trying to decide on a potting bench for outdoors, a cedar potting bench is the perfect choice. Cedar is one of those woods that lasts and lasts and stands up to weather like no other wood does. I would say a cedar potting bench is on the short list of materials for an outdoor potting bench.

Cedar also contains natural oils that not only preserve the wood, but repel the bugs. This is perfect for your potting bench. The smell of cedar is a natural deterrent for many bug species as well as other critters you don’t want around your garden area.

Cedar also dries quickly and straight. This is an important fact when you consider your cedar potting bench will be out in the elements, and will have to dry repeatedly. It’s nice to know that each time it dries it will be the same shape it was before it got wet. No warping, or twisting. You will be able to use the flat shelves for years into the future.

Cedar feels cool, even on the hottest of days. So you don’t have to worry about burning tender plants or even your own hands when you work at your cedar potting bench. This is a great advantage of cedar. You want to be able to work comfortably in and on your potting bench no matter what the weather.

Cedar is also has  natural fungal and antibacterial properties. You will not find mold growing on your cedar potting bench, which is a nice thing since it will be outside in the elements. This will also help you keep your potting soils, and any pots you keep on your bench clean and free from bacteria and mold as well.

As you can see when it comes down to it, cedar is really the only choice for an outdoor potting bench.  Now you just have to decide exactly which cedar potting bench you want in your garden.

You do need to look for a few things if you plan on keeping your potting bench outside. The material it is made of will make a big difference when it comes to an outdoor potting bench. You want to make sure you use wood or a material that will handle being outside and make it through the weather conditions.

Cedar is an excellent wood to have for an outdoor potting bench. Cedar is designed to withstand weather and will last through the seasons.  You want to make sure you use a natural wood that will last, and not a wood that has been treated. If you use treated wood you run the risk of contaminating your soil, and your plants.

You can also use other materials, but make sure they will be able to take the weather in your area. Some metals will work, in fact, some metals will weather in a way that makes them even more beautiful.  Just make sure before you buy an outdoor potting bench it is made of a quality material that will hold up through the years.

If you have decided to add an outdoor potting bench to your garden, you must decide whether it will be a hidden “functional” piece or if you want to incorporate it directly into your garden design. Depending on the type of garden you have an architectural element such as a potting bench can be a wonderful focal point.

A potting bench can also be used to display some pots and other plants after the main part of your planting has been done. You can create a beautiful spot to display all your house plants that want some time outside during the warm weather.

What you do with your outdoor potting bench is really as limited as your own imagination. Whether you make it a “work only” space, a decorative element or a little bit of both as long as you make sure it’s made of a time tested outdoor approved material, your outdoor potting bench will supply you with years of enjoyment.

1. Staying organized

When you are starting and saving seeds you need to be really organized and have an easy way to keep your seeds together.  A potting bench will help you do this. Depending on the model you choose you can easily create a space for each of your types of seeds. Most garden potting benches also provide an area to keep your soil, and pots. This helps keep you organized, no more running around looking for potting soil, or the perfect sized pot to replant your treasured plant in. Now they will be right there at your fingertips.

2. Ease of Use

Replanting and potting can be a messy job, you can easily spill soil while reaching in the tub or even the big plastic bag it came in. With a garden potting bench you have a removable soil box or basin. Where you can easily put enough potting soil for the project you are working on. When you are finished clean up is easy because you can pull the basin right out of the potting bench, dump excess soil, and then rinse it off, easily.  You can also keep all your tools on your potting bench, so you have easy access to whatever it is you need to get the job done.

3.  Architectural Design Element

There are many garden potting benches available on the market. You can choose from just about any color or style you like. When you add a potting bench to your garden area, you actually create an entire garden feature. In fact, depending on the style you choose your garden potting bench could even become a beautiful focal point within your garden design.

Whether you choose a garden potting bench for it’s functional use or its ability to become a design element you will love the options of garden potting benches available to you.

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