Design

Clutter-Busting Tips for Storage and Work Spaces

Fine Gardening - Issue 194
Photo: Carol Collins

In my garden, a storage shed and greenhouse are the backstage spaces that keep the garden show going. These work spaces help me find the things I need, when I need them, with ample bench space for indoor projects such as potting and tool maintenance.

See Kielian’s beautiful garden here.

Photo: Carol Collins

Repurposed dressers keep supplies sorted and out of sight

In these drawers, I store gardening tools, aprons, gloves, small plant stakes, twine, rope, oilcloth for impromptu picnics, hardware for garden gates and fencing, and my own set of shop tools. My tools all have flowers painted on their handles to discourage their use for more manly endeavors. Citronella candles, seeds (both collected and purchased packets), measuring tapes, drip lines, drip-line tools, emitters, fertilizers, deer repellents, garden art, smaller pots, repurposed towels, and outerwear fill the rest of the dressers.

Pallets hold tools against the wall

We had so much fun finding, sanding, and staining the repurposed wooden pallets that are attached to the walls in my garden shed. One of the pallets had deep cuts in it; my husband thought we should toss it, but I loved the way the stain filled in the gaps, making it look like geometric art. It stayed, and I still enjoy the rustic look of it.

Photo: Carol Collins

Shovels and hoes can drop a lot of dirt on the ground in between jobs, so the pallets are mounted a few inches off the concrete floor to allow for sweeping underneath. On the wall behind the garden tools we mounted salvaged tin ceiling panels. They protect the wall behind and keep things looking tidy.

A functional workbench makes indoor chores more enjoyable

Photo: Carol Collins
Photo: Carol Collins

I love to spend time in my greenhouse, which has a sink with an instant water heater for essential jobs such as sterilizing pots and washing dogs. Countertops line the walls, allowing plenty of room for overwintering plants and starting seeds. Some of the countertops have easily removable panels that cover built-in cedar boxes designed to hold potting soil and orchid bark. Another removable panel covers a large trash can underneath.


Kielian DeWitt gardens 3,400 feet above sea level in Montana’s Bitterroot Valley.

From Fine Gardening #194

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  1. User avater
    GeorgeMendoza 05/28/2020

    Very Nice!

  2. Cenepk10 06/05/2020

    I’m very very jealous.

  3. Cenepk10 06/05/2020

    I’m ver very jealous

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