skip to main content
SPRING RENOVATION EVENT
0
Your shopping cart is empty.
Sign In
Join as a Pro
History of Houzz
GET IDEAS
PHOTOS
Kitchen & DiningKitchenDining RoomPantryGreat RoomBreakfast Nook
Bed & BathBathroomPowder RoomBedroomStorage & ClosetBaby & Kids
LivingLiving RoomFamily RoomSunroom
OutdoorLandscapePatioDeckPoolBackyardPorchExteriorOutdoor KitchenFront YardDrivewayPoolhouse
WalkwaysStaircaseEntryHall
Bar & WineHome BarWine Cellar
UtilityLaundryGarageMudroom
More RoomsGame RoomHome OfficeBasementCraftLibraryGym
Popular Design IdeasKitchen BacksplashFirepit
FireplaceDeck RailingPergolaPrivacy FenceSmall Closet
MAGAZINE
Stories and GuidesPopular StoriesRenovation Cost Guides
DISCUSSIONS
Get AdviceDesign DilemmasBefore & After
HOUZZ TV
HOUZZ RESEARCH
FIND PROFESSIONALS
PROFESSIONALS
DesignArchitects & Building DesignersKitchen & Bathroom DesignersInterior Designers & DecoratorsDesign-Build FirmsLighting Designers & Suppliers
RemodelingKitchen & Bathroom RemodelersGeneral ContractorsHome BuildersTile & Countertop ContractorsMasonry & Concrete ContractorsExterior & Siding ContractorsStair & Railing ContractorsFireplace Contractors
RenovationCarpentersCabinetry & Cabinet MakersFlooring ContractorsWindow ContractorsDoor ContractorsGlass & Shower Door ContractorsCarpet Contractors
OutdoorLandscape Architects & DesignersLandscape ContractorsDeck & Patio BuildersFence ContractorsDriveway & Paving ContractorsSwimming Pool BuildersHot Tub & Spa Dealers
ServicesPaintersRoofing & Gutter ContractorsOrganizers & Closet DesignersHome StagersGarage Door ServicesWindow Treatment ServicesPaint & Wall Covering Dealers
Appliances & SystemsAppliance Sales & ServicesHVAC ContractorsHome Theater & AutomationOutdoor Lighting & AV SpecialistsSolar Energy Contractors
All ProfessionalsAll ServicesFor Professionals
SHOP BY DEPARTMENT
KITCHEN & DINING
Kitchen & Dining FurnitureSinks & FaucetsKitchen AppliancesTabletopCabinets & StorageKnobs & PullsKitchen LightingTileCookware & BakewareTools & GadgetsView All
FURNITURE
Living RoomKitchen & DiningHome OfficeOutdoorBedroomStorageBathroomView All
BATH
Bathroom VanitiesShowersBathtubsBathroom LightingFaucetsBathroom SinksTileBath AccessoriesBath LinensMedicine CabinetsView All
DECOR
RugsMirrorsWall DecorDecorative AccentsArtworkPillows & ThrowsHoliday DecorView All
BEDROOM
Beds & HeadboardsBeddingDressersNightstandsBenchesBedroom DecorLampsCloset StorageFutonsChaisesView All
HOME IMPROVEMENT
HardwareTileBathroom FixturesKitchen FixturesHeating & CoolingBuilding MaterialsTools & EquipmentView All
LIVING
Coffee & Accent TablesRugsSofas & SectionalsArmchairs & Accent ChairsTV Stand & Media StorageHome DecorLampsArtworkBookcasesFireplaces & AccessoriesView All
OUTDOOR
Patio FurnitureOutdoor DecorOutdoor LightingPool & SpaLawn & GardenOutdoor StructuresOutdoor CookingView All
LIGHTING
ChandeliersPendant LightsFlush-MountsBathroom & VanityWall SconcesCeiling FansTable LampsFloor LampsKitchen & CabinetOutdoor LightingView All
MORE
Storage & OrganizationHome OfficeBaby & KidsHome BarCleaning & LaundryPet SuppliesHoliday DecorView All
Looking for the perfect gift? Send a Houzz Gift Card!
SALE
ON SALE - UP TO 75% OFF
Bathroom VanitiesChandeliersBar StoolsPendant LightsRugsLiving Room ChairsDining Room FurnitureWall LightingCoffee TablesSide & End TablesHome Office FurnitureSofasBedroom FurnitureLampsMirrors
SPRING RENOVATION EVENT
Free Shipping
Large Appliances 
Bestsellers
Toilets, Tubs and Showers 
Up to 50% Off
Kitchen Sinks & Faucets 
Up to 40% Off
The Vanity Sale 
Gardening Guides
Gardening Guides
10 Tips for Beginning Gardeners
Top Ideabooks
10 Tips for Beginning GardenersNew Year, New Landscape — What to Do in Your January GardenHow to Start a Cut Flower Garden for Beautiful Bouquets All Year9 Roses That Landscape Designers Love
Appears in
Latest From Houzz
See also
Regional Garden GuidesEdible GardensGardening for ButterfliesFlowers and PlantsContainer GardensFall GardeningWinter GardeningSpring GardeningSummer GardeningPlanting IdeasSaving WaterNative PlantsBeneficial InsectsGardening for BirdsGardening 101
Winter Gardening
Winter Gardening
Get a Head Start on Planning Your Garden Even if It’s Snowing
Top Ideabooks
Get a Head Start on Planning Your Garden Even if It’s SnowingYes, You Can Enjoy Your Yard in December! Here's HowNew Year, New Landscape — What to Do in Your January GardenYour Garden Is Stirring — Here’s What to Do in February
Appears in
Gardening Guides
Decluttering
Decluttering
7 Things That Stand in the Way of Having an Organized Home
Top Ideabooks
7 Things That Stand in the Way of Having an Organized Home10 Decluttering Projects You Can Do in 30 Minutes or LessHow to Form New Habits That Keep Your Home Clutter-FreeHow to Get Your Papers Organized Before Tax Time
Appears in
Housekeeping

How to Declutter Your Garden Shed, Greenhouse or Potting Bench

Get those pots and tools sorted now, and you’ll be free to focus on your plants when spring arrives

Marianne Lipanovich
Marianne LipanovichJanuary 27, 2021
Houzz Contributor. I'm a California-based writer and editor. While most of my projects are garden-based, you might also find me writing about home projects and classical music. Away from the computer, I'm found in the garden (naturally), on my bike, or ice-skating outdoors (yes, that is possible in California). I'm also willing to taste-test anything that's chocolate.
More
Print
Embed
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Before you succumb to the flats of annuals at the garden center, take a tip from articles that stress cleaning, decluttering and reorganizing your home and do the same for your garden work area — whether it’s a potting shed or greenhouse, small potting bench or shelf in the garage. Not only will you learn what you have and what you need before heading to the nursery; you’ll also benefit from a clean, organized space during gardening season.

If this sounds overwhelming, or if the weather makes it impossible to find your garden shed, much less spend time cleaning it, don’t despair. You can do this in small steps or even wait until a warm weekend in May. And whenever you do clean, the reward can be a place that works for how you love to garden.
ROSE architecture
1. Make a Complete Inventory of What You Have

The organizing advice for your closets also applies to your garden work area. This is the time to see what you have, clear out what you don’t need and organize what’s left so that everything will be easy to find once you’re gardening in earnest.

If you have the room, pull everything off the shelves and out of the corners into a central sorting space so you can really see what you have — and not be tempted to ignore those things in the back. Weed out everything that is broken, extraneous or no longer needed.

Now look at what remains. Consider items in general categories: pots, tools, chemicals.
Find Pro For More Ideas
Need a pro for your home remodeling project?
Let Houzz find the best pros for you
Gardner Architects LLC
Pots and containers. Every gardener seems to end up with stacks of pots and other containers in a variety of sizes. It’s tempting to keep them all. But if your pots have taken over your storage area, you should thin down your collection.

The first to go should be those that are broken or cracked. Save some, but not all, pot shards from terra-cotta pots for the bottoms of containers if you worry about soil getting out when you water.

Dreaming of an outdoor upgrade? Find a landscape designer on Houzz
Art | Harrison Interiors & Collection
Evaluate what you really need and use. This might include some plastic pots of different sizes for growing vegetable starts, some ceramic pots for your deck and some terra-cotta pots for the garden. Then keep what you love or and will use. Give the rest to someone who will appreciate them, whether you offer them online, set them out on a curb or donate them to a community garden.

Tip: Nurseries will often take back plastic pots that are 1 gallon or larger. When you head to the store to buy new plants for spring, take the pots with you.
Crescent Builds
Tools. Tools, and hand tools in particular, also seem to multiply. Get rid of the tools you no longer need or use, whether they’re extra trowels or that trimmer for the hedge you removed a few years back.

It’s easy to let tool maintenance go — in spring and summer, you’re too busy using them; in fall you’re too busy doing other maintenance chores. Why not clean and repair your tools now that they’re out and before you start using them regularly?

At the same time, arrange for needed maintenance of things like lawn mowers. You’ll beat the crowd at the repair shop at the start of mowing season.
Jobe Corral Architects
Chemicals and fertilizers. Check use-by dates on fertilizers, sprays and other chemicals to be sure they’re still viable. Even more important, decide just how many of these you will actually use. This might be a good time to make a commitment to switching over to integrated pest management and more natural pest and disease control.

Dispose of these items according to package directions and local ordinances — it may mean a trip to your local site for hazardous waste disposal.

Learn how to switch to an organic landscape plan or discover an interesting approach to trapping garden pests.
Cathers Home Furniture + Interior Design
2. Clean and Make Repairs to Garden Furniture

By fixing up your patio furniture now, it will ready to use when the warm weather arrives. If it’s too cold to do this now, note what needs to be done, including repainting, and get any needed parts or materials. Look at your pillows and cushions to see if they need replacing or simply a good cleaning.

Shop for patio furniture in Houzz
hayward mcmullan architects
3. Sort Through Garden Accessories

Garden accessories and decor items can take a beating. Those hanging solar lanterns may be tattered and torn after several seasons. Birdbaths and birdhouses may need some repairs and paint.

Get rid of things that are no longer functioning or no longer fit your garden style, then make any repairs or note what might need to be painted or otherwise renewed once the weather warms up.

Bits and pieces. Once you’ve made it through all the big categories, you’ll probably be left with a few odds and ends. If they’re things you use, even if only occasionally, such as long-armed gloves for tackling the rose pruning, then keep them. If, on the other hand, you find bulb diggers even though you no longer grow bulbs, then add them to the get-rid-of pile.
Melissa McLay Interiors
4. Put Everything Back in Place

Wipe or brush down the space — it doesn’t need to be spotless, but getting rid of spiderwebs is a good idea.

As you put things back, think about where they really should go. Put things you use all the time in an easy-to-reach place, such as hand tools in a bucket or rakes hung on a wall.

Think of ways to corral twine, tape, labels, dabbers and other small items. Do you have a place to neatly stack bags of soil or galvanized metal containers to decant them into? Perhaps you should get a small toolbox to store your irrigation paraphernalia.

Would it help to add extra storage, especially for larger items or extra containers? A cabinet with a lock will help you store chemicals safely.
Wright-Ryan Homes
If this is a space you’ll be spending some time in or is highly visible, look for ways to personalize it. Whatever you choose, simply knowing what you have and where it is will make the beginning of the gardening season that much easier.

More on Houzz
Get a Head Start on Planning Your Garden Even if It’s Snowing
Read more gardening guides
Find a pro near you
Shop for outdoor products
Print
Embed
Facebook
Twitter
Email
See 23 comments
Explore Related Topics
Gardening GuidesWinter GardeningDecluttering
Read Related Stories
10 Tips for Beginning Gardeners10 Tips for Beginning Gardeners
By Laura Gaskill·110
Most Popular
New Year, New Landscape — What to Do in Your January GardenNew Year, New Landscape — What to Do in Your January Garden
By Annie Thornton·20
Winter Gardening
How to Start a Cut Flower Garden for Beautiful Bouquets All YearHow to Start a Cut Flower Garden for Beautiful Bouquets All Year
By Sheila Schmitz·25
Gardening 101
9 Roses That Landscape Designers Love9 Roses That Landscape Designers Love
By Annie Thornton·35
Roses
8 Surefire Vegetables and Herbs for Beginning Gardeners8 Surefire Vegetables and Herbs for Beginning Gardeners
By Rebecca Cuttler·44
Edible Gardens
What Kind of Roses Should You Grow?What Kind of Roses Should You Grow?
By Noelle Johnson·99
Roses
How to Plan Your Edible GardenHow to Plan Your Edible Garden
By Rebecca Cuttler·58
Edible Gardens
6 Things to Know Before You Start Growing Your Own Food6 Things to Know Before You Start Growing Your Own Food
By Rebecca Cuttler·82
Farm Your Yard
10 Ways to Make Your Landscape More Environmentally Friendly10 Ways to Make Your Landscape More Environmentally Friendly
By Victoria Harrison·92
Landscape Design
Got Frost-Damaged Plants? How It Happens, and When and How to PruneGot Frost-Damaged Plants? How It Happens, and When and How to Prune
By Noelle Johnson·19
Winter Gardening
When Should You Prune Your Trees and Shrubs?When Should You Prune Your Trees and Shrubs?
By Noelle Johnson·27
Gardening 101
Get a Head Start on Planning Your Garden Even if It’s SnowingGet a Head Start on Planning Your Garden Even if It’s Snowing
By Marianne Lipanovich·58
Winter Gardening
Make the Most of Your Garden During the Quiet SeasonMake the Most of Your Garden During the Quiet Season
By Lauren Dunec Hoang·13
Winter Gardening
8 Essentials for Healthy Indoor Plants8 Essentials for Healthy Indoor Plants
By Naomi Wynn·109
Houseplants
How to Keep Your Gift Plants Happy After the HolidaysHow to Keep Your Gift Plants Happy After the Holidays
By Marianne Lipanovich·12
Houseplants
Shop Related Categories
Live Plants
Live Plants
Gazebos
Gazebos
Fencing & Gates
Fencing & Gates
Outdoor Pots & Planters
Outdoor Pots & Planters
Garden Statues & Yard Art
Garden Statues & Yard Art
Gardening Hand Tools
Gardening Hand Tools
People who liked this story also liked
10 Tips for Beginning Gardeners
10 Tips for Beginning GardenersFull Story
New Year, New Landscape — What to Do in Your January Garden
New Year, New Landscape — What to Do in Your January GardenFull Story
How to Start a Cut Flower Garden for Beautiful Bouquets All Year
How to Start a Cut Flower Garden for Beautiful Bouquets All YearFull Story
9 Roses That Landscape Designers Love
9 Roses That Landscape Designers LoveFull Story
8 Surefire Vegetables and Herbs for Beginning Gardeners
8 Surefire Vegetables and Herbs for Beginning GardenersFull Story
What Kind of Roses Should You Grow?
What Kind of Roses Should You Grow?Full Story
How to Plan Your Edible Garden
How to Plan Your Edible GardenFull Story
6 Things to Know Before You Start Growing Your Own Food
6 Things to Know Before You Start Growing Your Own FoodFull Story
10 Ways to Make Your Landscape More Environmentally Friendly
10 Ways to Make Your Landscape More Environmentally FriendlyFull Story
Got Frost-Damaged Plants? How It Happens, and When and How to Prune
Got Frost-Damaged Plants? How It Happens, and When and How to PruneFull Story
  • United States
  • ABOUT
  • CAREERS
  • MOBILE APPS
  • PROFESSIONALS
  • BUTTONS
  • FOR BRANDS
  • SELL
  • Privacy & Notice
  • Terms
  • © 2021 Houzz Inc.