Organize Your Garden Shed Now!

An organized garden shed not only makes tools easier to find but may save you from a serious injury as well.

I admit that I get pretty lazy at the end of the garden season and over the winter. Garden tools, wire cages, chicken wire supports, hardware cloth, and buckets not needed until Spring are tossed in the garden shed, organization ignored. I always say “I’ll deal with it the first warm day in March”.

When May rolls around, the chicken wire that was protecting the Umbrella Pine seedling is hopelessly tangled in my tomato cages, which have become wrapped around the end of my electric string trimmer. The ceramic pots holding the fill gravel are blocking the lawnmower. The hand pruners are strewn over the workbench. Lord knows where the U-clips are for holding down the burlap, which is balled up in a corner. Probably in one of those clay pots perilously close to the edge of the shelf.

Keeping garden sheds organized is not only necessary so you can find what you need in a flash, but for safety as well. Struggling to remove wire that’s gotten wrapped around sharp blades can be a real threat to the integrity of your fingers and shins. You can also damage your tools and other equipment in a disorganized environment. Crawling over your wheelbarrow to reach the Pole Saw is a dangerous business.

Tips for organizing your garden shed

• All hand tools and power tools should be hung on the garden shed wall with hooks. This makes them easy to find quickly.
• Keep grass seed, fertilizer and soil amendments on the floor, bags sealed, and inside buckets or other containers to keep them dry. This is also very handy in case your shed springs a leak over the winter.
• Medium and small items should be tucked away on shelves. The shelves should be able to withstand a heavy load, but don’t test them to their limits.
• Lawnmowers and wheelbarrows should be stored where they can easily be moved out of the garden shed. They should have clear space around them to avoid accidents or entanglements on the way in or out.
• Your garden shed should also be well-lit so you can see what you’re doing on cloudy days and at night.

Keep your garden shed organized and you’ll save yourself a lot of time, frustration, and possibly a trip to the emergency room.