A Potting Bench: My New Obsession

My husband recently decided that he had outgrown his garage workbench and needed a larger space. We spent the weekend building him a new bench, and I am recycling his old one into a potting bench of my own.  Letmetellya, I am super excited about having my own space in the garage, too!  My potting bench will live in the garage since the wood is not pressure treated or weather resistant, but I am still happy about it. I have been working on organizing it this week and adding my own touches.  I will share pictures with you soon.  Meanwhile, these are potting benches I have been drooling over long before.  The process of organizing mine has also led me to find lots of pictures.  Here is my idea file:

This picture caught my eye in a Country Living issue not too long ago.  Then it appeared on Pinterest.  I pinned it to my "Garden and Yard" board so I could drool over it whenever I wanted.  The lady who built this potting bench bought the materials for it and built it in a section of her garage.  I love everything about it...the cabinets, the drawers, the farm style sink, the arrangement of pots, the color pallet.  This is a gardener's dream. 

As the summer went along, I started thinking more and more about how I could create a potting bench of my own.  I searched Pinterest and Google images.  I found lots of variations and lovely ideas.  I love the pale green color of this bench.  I like the open shelf underneath and I love that it is outdoors under a sheltered area.  I don't really have a sheltered area outside, but that would be nice.  I also adore that the gardener has the word "LOVE" attached to her bench.  Gardening is truly a passion and a work of heart.

This potting bench sits outside in the garden.  The blog it came from said it actually came when the house when they purchased it and they just inherited it.  You can tell that it is weathered with time and has been loved by its gardener.  I might have bought the house just for the charming potting area! :)

Another idea.

 I like the pegboard on this one for organization purposes.  I also love the birdhouses that accompany the clay pots.

This potting cart is from Pottery Barn.  Lovely style, prestigious price.  I really love the hooks across the front and the towel bar on the side.  I also like the baskets for storage underneath.  I love stylish baskets.

The collection of pots here is beautiful.

There is so much to love in this picture.  This potting corner is too cute.

What this little potting bench sacrifices on style, it makes up for on efficiency.  The sunken area for potting soil is smart!

 This potting area reminds me a lot of my mom for some reason.  It is beautifully rustic!

Another outdoor option.  I like the board at the top with the water "spickets" (spigot or faucet, whichever word you prefer).  FYI - Urban dictionary says the spelling "spicket" is only used in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to refer to an outside faucet.  The collection of watering cans also adds visual interest as well as usefulness.

<3

The galvanized buckets with chalkboard labels are calling my name.

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After sorting through pictures of many different potting benches and potting areas, I have come to the conclusion that I like a bench that looks like it gets lots of lovin', i.e., slightly weathered looking and used often.  Must haves:  fairly organized, fairly large, filled with garden essentials, and a collection of clay pots.