How To Make A DIY Potting Bench From Scrap Materials

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This Rustic DIY Potting Bench has Everything I need! Built mainly with pallet wood, old fence panels and fence posts. It is a budget friendly, cobbled together creation with clever storage and practicality in mind! Here is how we Built it…

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The Royal We!

When it comes to DIY projects like this one I never work alone! ‘We’ refers to my husband and I. Behind every creative Wife is a husband rolling his eyes! That’s my chap… he’s been on DIY duties since the wedding! ;o) I snagged myself a good un!

Convincing My Husband To DIY…

Every project begins with me handing a rough drawing to my husband…and asking ‘Do you think you can build this?’

Stage 1) I already know the answer…his first instinctive response is usually- NO! Then there is the inevitable sigh, the roll of the eyes, then the rubbing of the back of the neck

Stage 2) He’ll ask ‘Where are we putting this ?‘ this is a cursory question, he wants to check it will absolutely not get in his way, or irritate him in any shape or form!

Stage 3) He’ll ask ‘How much will it cost ?’ At this point, especially if its Garden DIY- I will refer him to the scrap pile of wood we’ve amassed. This is Good news! Keep costs low, husbands are definitely more willing when it doesn’t cost them much!

Stage 4) He’ll ask ‘When Do You want this building ?’ This question is to check that it will not clash with any of his beloved Manchester City Football Matches! A day is arranged, with an assurance from me that I will not pester him until then ;o)

Stage 5) We have an Accord! No arguments, just a simple agreement between Wife and long suffering husband!

Here he is sporting his Resting DIY face! …I asked for a new radiator ;o)

Why Don’t You just Do it yourself you may ask?

Plainly- it’s not my department! I am far too clumsy for power tools! I would be a danger to myself and Others! I take care of all the other less dangerous DIY jobs!

My department is…dreaming up the latest project! Painting, sanding, lifting and shifting and wallpapering (he hates hanging wallpaper!)

He takes care of the plumbing, electric power tool stuff, lifting the extra heavy stuff! and anything that requires being up a really tall ladder! We have a balanced list of what each is capable of and not capable of- it works pretty well!

So Let’s Get Cracking!

This Is Phase 2 of My Garden Makeover, after you’re done reading this have a look at Phase 1

This DIY Potting Table is mostly made from scraps of pallet wood, fence panels and old fence posts and only 3 pieces of new 2 x 3 timber lengths from wickes. The whole project cost less than £40!

What You’ll Need

Hand Saw or ideally electric Saw
Drill
Screws
Measuring Tape
Paint
Staple Gun
Caster Wheels (optional)

How To Build A DIY Potting Bench

Since this Bench is made from recycled materials of different lengths, depths and widths it would be too time consuming and confusing to list each one! So this build will be explained in Summary and in pictures, giving you an idea of what can be achieved with a little imagination…

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1. First decide the height, length and width of your potting Bench.

The potting area of my potting table is just above hip height which makes for a comfortable working position without me having to hunch my back, the very roomy shelf section below is ideal for storage.

The width is sufficient enough for 2 sections of Compost/coir storage and a central area for potting.

The Back board and top shelf are perfect for hanging tools and the shelf is great for putting my newly potted plants while I work on the others!

My Potting Bench Dimensions-Full Height -floor to top shelf (Including 5cm castor wheels) 131 cm. Height to Potting Table surface (including 5cm castor wheels) 90cm. Height to the top of the potting table lip/tray/top storage area 104 cm. Entire Width -124 cm. Entire Depth- 66cm.

2. Build a basic Table

This Potting table structure first starts with a standard rectangular shaped table…4 legs and a table top surface. The pictures below are pretty self explanatory

You will also need 4 lengths of wood to act as a brace, connecting each leg to one another to form a sturdy strong base for the pallet wood slats which will become the lower storage shelf

At this point you can also Attach Castor Wheels if you want…I like to move my potting bench around the garden sometimes so they come in handy

3. Create a Deep frame/ Tray Area For The top

Now you want to create a framed section on top, to house your Compost/ Coir and Pots-the depth of mine is around 14 cm, which is plenty enough for storing pots and compost…they certainly won’t fall off the bench. I used 2×3 timber lengths for this part

4. Create a backboard and upper Shelf

Making a Backboard is an ideal solution for Tool storage and the upper shelf, which is basically a length of pallet wood screwed on top, it is perfect for storing plants you’ve just potted on. We did this by screwing 3 pieces of wood of equal length to 3 pallet boards (see pic) then screwed the whole board to the Potting Bench. We then topped it off with a length of pallet wood to act as a narrow shelf

5. Make the Bottom Storage Shelf

Do this by gathering pallet wood of equal lengths, then screw them to the lower braces to form a slatted shelf

6. Paint and Line

Paint your DIY Potting Bench in a colour of you choosing..I went with Ducks Back Black then line with a weed suppressant type material, staple in place.

7. Add Your Sections…or not!

At this point you can divide the top into 3 sections like I have or you could fill the whole thing with growing medium. You could even use it as a Raised Planter on legs! It’s a very adaptable DIY project with many potential uses.

8 The Finishing Touches!

Add any Bars or hooks for storing tools, fill the top with compost or Coir and get potting!

Shop Some Of My Potting Bench Favourites

There You Have It !

A stylish DIY Rustic Potting Bench made from mostly recycled materials! A bargain build for budget conscious gardeners! Be sure to check back for phase 3 when I tackle garden Seating!