Garden Tool Storage

As you spend more time gardening you will tend to accumulate more and more garden tools, and eventually you need to organize them when you aren’t using them. This can range from a simple holster or rack for storing a garden tool set, to a full size shed for housing your mini tiller or your chipper shredder. For any serious gardener, the need for storage near the garden eventually becomes a necessity. Storing your large garden tools like the tiller or the shredder in the garage is not only inconvenient, but eventually will take over the garage. Hand tools like the hoe, rake, or spade stored near the garden will make the whole gardening experience that much more enjoyable. For those that are really serious, a work area for potting plants or starting seedlings is a real boon to the hobby. So what are some of the choices for garden storage sheds.

Here’s a look at some of your options for garden tool storage, with a look at garden tool storage racks, sheds organizers and more.

Garden Tool Organizers and Racks
A garden tool rack will come in a couple of different styles. One of the most common and least expensive is a wall mounted tool rack. These are handy for holding some of the larger hand tools like a rake or a shovel. Put it on the garage wall, or the interior of your storage shed and it will keep them up and tidy. Some simply have the tool hang from a handle or Garden Storage Sheds

Metal Garden Sheds
Available as a garden shed kit; these are usually some of the more cost effective. Easy to put up, they are targeted to the do it yourselfer. The knock on them is for the cheaper ones the structural integrity is not as good as wood, and may rust or sag over the years. The first place this will be evident is usually the door, which will be difficult to open. But if you invest in a higher grade metal with some type of rust resistance (stainless steel or aluminum) with a thicker metal wall, these can last for years.

With the new styles and designs in outdoor storage sheds comes many other options too. Metal sheds can still be purchased for instance, but they're much better made these days and much easier to maintain too. Metal sheds often feature double walls for better insulation, and special coatings which make them less susceptible to rust or fading from the sun so you don't have to repaint them as often to keep them looking nice.

Some metal shed designs come with a vinyl exterior, which reduces the chances of color fading from the sun even further, and almost eliminates the chances of the shed rusting from the weather.

Plastic Garden Sheds
Rubbermaid has a number of shed designs that are relatively inexpensive, very easy to assemble, and will weather all sort of climates. They can be fairly good size, with a floor plan size of 4x4 feet or more. They often come with a foundation or floor as well, providing a sealed building that resists pests well.

Garden Shed with a Loft
For a lot of storage space with a relatively small footprint, a shed with a loft is a great solution. This is usually found in a larger wooden shed design, but there are manufacturers who make a simple wire frame shelf that can be attached to a shed ceiling to form a small loft. This is a great solution if you don't have the space for a large garden shed.

Garden Potting Shed
A dedicated potting shed is a great option if you have the space and do a lot of potting and transplanting of plants. Some of the more elaborate ones even feature a windowed area to serve as a mini greenhouse.

Finally, to save money many folks will simply build from scratch, often using a garden shed plan of some sort. A favorite approach is to buy a book of plans to allow the review of a variety of plans, which is a very cost effective approach.

Storage Shed Plans
For many homeowners, a storage shed eventually becomes one of those necessities. A storage shed is something that almost every homeowner needs at some point. The need for storage has spawned a whole industry of storage shed rentals, but it doesn't take long shelling out $50-$80 a month to realize that it's much more cost effective to build your own shed for storage. You can have a shed built, but to save even more it's a great idea to build a shed yourself. There are all sorts of plans for almost any kind of shed you can imagine, and most are simple enough that most homeowners can build one themselves. But the choices are sometimes overwhelming. Here's a look at some of the choices in storage shed plans.

New and Beautiful Storage Shed Designs
If you haven't looked into buying an outdoor storage shed lately, you may be under the impression that these sheds tend to be drab, boring, ugly, and hard to take care of. And twenty or so years ago, you probably would have been right!

Many new styles of outdoor storage sheds are actually designed to look like small cottage guest houses or bungalows. These come with windows, planter boxes, and beautiful doors, windows with shutters, and even a steeple or cupola for the top too.

Some of these new designer storage sheds are such a fantastic addition to a home that many people are even putting electricity in them, and using them for home offices, exercise rooms, serenity rooms for getting away from the family and activity of the main house, garden workshops, hobby and craft workshops, and much more.

There are many new outdoor storage shed designs made from vinyl alone too. These also tend to have insulated walls, and are excellent choices for almost any type of climate. They don't leak rain, they tend to handle snow built up well, and they don't fade or rust from sun and other inclement weather either.

A shed is a great addition to any home. You can get a lot of clutter out of site, and out of your way. There are many items you want to keep, but aren't really used that often, and don't really have a home in the house. One alternative is to rent storage space, but that adds up quickly and it is clearly more cost effective to make your own shed. Shed plans can be an easy way to get started on your home improvement project.
Discover the Best Ways to Choose the Perfect Garden Storage Shed Plan4

Need a place to store your yard accessories? Do you love to garden, but don’t have room for all the stuff? Then you should add storage shed to your garden. And yes, you could store your gardening supplies in your garage, but a storage shed provides distinct advantages over your garage.

First, you will separate the potentially harmful chemicals, such as fertilizers, in your shed and keep them away from children & animals. Second, you can create a space specifically designed for storing garden accessories, tools & equipment. Deciding which shed to choose can be overwhelming-one Google search for “garden sheds” brings up over 1.2 million websites!-so I have devised a checklist that will streamline your storage shed plan.

First, decide what type of material to for your storage shed; various types of plans exist to build a shed from scratch, or you can use the readymade sheds, also available in many different types of materials. Sheds have traditionally been made out of wood, but recently companies like Rubbermaid have been selling “click-together” sheds made from vinyl or plastic. Metal is a material to consider for your shed design, especially if you live in hurricane-prone areas, because it allows for a durability and protection not provided for by wood & vinyl. You can even choose a greenhouse for your shed design plans and keep growing plants all throughout the winter!

Second, you need to decide on the purpose for the shed-are you going to use it for storing small items like flower pots & gardening utensils? Then you should choose a small shed design; however, if you want to store a lawnmower, weed eater & other large tools, you should choose the larger shed design.

Third, consider your personal design style when choosing storage shed plan. Storage sheds come in a variety of architectural shapes that will compliment your home & outdoor design. A traditional gable roof style can provide additional storage for larger equipment such as bikes or pool supplies. A smaller, 20 cubic feet shed has a lift-top roof and provides smaller, more compact storage for lawn cushions & flower pots.

Fourth, when choosing a shed design, you want to consider the dimensions of the shed. Take into account factors such as the amount of storage the shed provides (small -20 cubic feet; large-400+ cubic feet), the interior dimensions & door opening (especially if you are going to store larger items such as a riding mower), the recommended foundation size for the shed (if the foundation has to be poured before installation), as well as if the shed comes with a floor. Before you install your storage shed, plan to contact your local code authority, as laws vary from state to state on if permits are required to build a shed.

Finally, consider the price. Garden shed plans can range from $300 US to over $3000 US and your budget will determine which style, type and brand of shed you choose.

When choosing a shed plan for your garden be sure to consider the sheds

• Material
• Purpose
• Personal design style
• Dimensions
• Price

If chosen properly, a garden shed can provide useful storage and satisfaction for years to come.

Garden Shed Plans Books
A book of garden shed plans are a cost effective way to review a variety of different shed styles, along with getting the materials list and cut sizes for each style. A good book of garden shed floor plans will also have valuable information on preparing the foundation and flooring, along with roofing and ventilation. Don't forget to design for a door large enough for the tiller or mower as well.

Be sure to look for a shed design that provides for adequate shelf space as well. For a large garden shed, you may also want a work space or bench, to allow for small repairs and maintenance of the equipment stored in the shed, or for use in starting seeds or preparing potted plants.

Garden Shed Plans
Available also as a garden shed kit, these are usually some of the more cost effective. These are smaller structure that are easy to put up, and they are targeted to the do it yourselfer. Building a garden shed will give you a much sturdier structure than some of the kits made from plastic or sheet metal.
A garden shed is a great addition to any back yard or garden. You can store the items you need for the garden out of the garage and free up your valuable storage there. In addition, by putting the garden shed near the garden, you make it that much more convenient to access the tools and machines you need, making it that much more enjoyable to get out into the garden.

While garden sheds come in many sizes, the most affordable to purchase are the simple plastic sheds that have a footprint of just a few square feet. This is handy for hand tools like shovels, rakes and hoes. But if you are planning to store something large like a tiller or chipper shredder, or even the lawn mower, a purchased shed will quickly get up into several hundred dollars.

The most cost effective alternative to buying a garden shed is to build one. There are some things to keep in mind when building a shed, such as the need to properly set a foundation that's level and stable. And if you are building a shed from the raw materials be sure to choose the building materials to ensure that it weathers well, which may mean a finished roof and siding.

Wood Shed Plans
Most shed plans are of wood, as that is not only a common material, but can be made to almost any size and height. There are a large number of uses for wooden sheds since they are so flexible in their construction. Some of the prettiest, most decorative shed designs are made of wood. These are quite popular because they end up being a garden decoration as well as a useful storage facility. Many of the wooden shed designs are meant to look like small cottages, cabins or bungalows too, so this can add to the overall value of your property.

Wooden shed designs can be painted to match the colors and design of your house as well, which ends up making the shed look more like a guest house or add on to your home. These wooden designs can often be bought in a kit form with pre-treated wood, so they're long lasting with minimal amounts of care and maintenance too. If you don't relish the idea of repainting every ten years or so, you can even choose to put siding on your wooden shed to reduce the maintenance needs even further. Free Shed Plans

Easily Organize Your Tools with a Tool Shed
Anyone who has lived in one place for any length of time often finds themselves accumulating things over the years, and not quite knowing where to put them. Tools are a big problem too. You find yourself with all sorts of tools for gardening, lawn care, small home projects, hobbies and more.

A lot of the most common tools people use to care for and maintain their homes are not easy to store. And often these tools get quite dirty, so we don't relish the idea of putting them in the house somewhere. And the garage of course, assuming you have one, is usually piled high with all sorts of other things. Boxes of keepsakes, old clothes and toys, cars, bicycles, and all the things we keep around maintaining those too.

So there isn't often much room at all in the garage for storing the tools you've accumulated over the years. And if you do try to store them there, you often find that you spend more time hunting for those tools than you do actually using them!

Tool Shed Plans
The classic tool shed in the back yard is one almost any homeowner can find use for, be it a woodworking shop or simply a place to store the lawnmower and snow blower.

If you are tired of using the garage as the primary storage place for your larger tools, or you don't have a spot to use as a workshop, then a tool shed may be the thing for you. Building one from tool shed plans is usually pretty simple since these tend to be smaller sheds that some of the larger storage sheds, so building your own is not too bad. Here are some things to look for in tool shed plans. And that's what makes outdoor tool sheds such a useful invention. In fact, tool sheds don't have to be placed outdoors either. You can buy smaller cabinet style tool sheds to place in the garage if you have room for instance, and it will still be a huge help because all of your tools will be organized and easy to find when you need them.

Outdoor tool sheds are quite useful too though, particularly if you don't have an indoor space to place even small tool sheds. If you need more space, the outdoor tool sheds become even more useful too.

In fact, outdoor tool sheds are used for a wide variety of purposes. If you do a lot of gardening for instance, you can use the tool shed to store all of your gardening tools and supplies. Small pruning shears, extra potting soil and fertilizer, and even extra container pots all fit very easily into the smaller sized tool sheds.

If you have larger gardening equipment such as hedge trimmers, weed whackers, bulk bags of mulch or fertilizer, hoes, shovels, rakes, and tree limb cutters, there are plenty of larger sized tool sheds which will allow you to fit all of that in with room to spare.

Guys who like doing woodworking or various household chores can share the tool shed, or have one of their own too. Then there's room for the various saws, sanders, drills and so on that seem to always being laying around just out of reach.

Not only do tool sheds come in a variety of sizes, they also come in a wide variety of materials too. You can get tool sheds made of wood, metal, and even vinyl too. Some come pre-painted, or you can choose to paint it yourself so that the tool shed matches your house design.

Regardless of what kind of tool shed you choose to get though, once you have the tools all organized, protected from the weather, and easy to find in one place, you'll wonder why you waited so long to get one.

Potting Shed Plans
A dedicated potting shed is a great option if you have the space and do a lot of potting and transplanting of plants. Some of the more elaborate ones even feature a windowed area to serve as a mini greenhouse. A garden shed is a great addition to any back yard or garden. But many gardeners find they need the space to do plant preparation, both for indoor and outdoor plants. Sometimes the harvest needs to be cleaned up outside as well, especially for root crops. A potting shed is a great addition for the serious gardener, and the easiest way to get one is to build one from potting shed plans. These small sheds are among the easiest to build, so let's take a look at the same features to look for in potting shed plans.
Every Gardener Should Have Their Own Potting Shed

Anyone who loves to garden knows how frustrating it can be to try and use the kitchen sink, garage, or laundry room for their gardening needs. There are always more garden tools accumulating, new seedlings to sprout, transplanting, bulb storage and so much more. So much more in fact, that many gardeners never have enough room to do everything they want to do.

And that's why all gardeners should have their own potting sheds. Potting sheds are a wonderful place to just "get away" from the world. It's a place especially reserved to hold all your gardening tools, supplies, dreams and ideas. For some it's even a place to sit and quietly enjoy the serenity too.

Potting sheds can be so much more than that too. There are actually potting sheds that are designed to look like small cottages or cabins, and some have built in greenhouse areas that are wonderful for sprouting small seeds too.

Almost any kind of shed can be used as a potting shed though. In some cases, a standard outdoor storage shed which houses the family bicycles, lawn mowers and trimmers, pool toys and equipment and so on can also be used as a potting shed by avid gardeners if it's big enough. It may take a little bit of forethought and planning to make it as useful as possible, but it's easily done and well worth the time and effort.

If you're not able to build your own private potting shed but you already have a storage shed of some kind outside, see if you can rearrange the stuff stored in that shed to make room for your own little potting shed area. Move all tools, toys and equipment to one side, then install a potting bench on the other side for your gardening needs. If your shed has a window in it, try to have that side be the primary potting shed area.

If you're able to have your very own space for a potting shed though, you'll be much happier. With your own space, you'll have much more room for all of the gardening equipment that accumulates over time. You can hand larger tools on the wall for instance, and put smaller hand tools in a ceramic or clay pot that sits on a shelf.

You might consider adding plastic bins to store your extra potting soil and mulch in, and you can even use one to store spring and fall bulbs as needed.

Having at least one area of your potting shed with plenty of light coming in is almost essential to any good potting shed too. This way, you're able to easily start seeds or grow small starter plants a little larger before it's time to place them outside. They'll have plenty of sun, and often you're able to start them a little before planting season because they're inside protected from the elements.

These are just a few of the features a nice potting shed should have. There are of course many additional options that one gardener might want or need, depending on how large their particular gardens are. If a gardener you love doesn't yet have their own potting shed though, you should seriously consider getting them one as a gift. They'll truly treasure it for life!  The head of the tool, but there are some models that clip to the handle and hold them more securely in place. These will easily handle garden rakes, leaf rakes, hoes, pitchforks, shovels, and some will even hold post whole diggers.

How to Maintain and Care for Your Gardening Tools
When you are purchasing new gardening tools, you will more than likely have a choice of low price/low quality or higher priced/high quality tools. Quality tools are designed to last many years, but they must be cared for and regularly maintained.

If you opt for bargain priced tools, maintaining them is less of a problem because when they wear out you can simply throw them away. Regardless of the quality, maintaining your garden tools on a regular basis will help to assure that they will be ready to go to work on your next garden chore.

Following a few basic rules will add many years of life and use to all of the tools which were designed to make your gardening tasks easier.

Tips on how to look after Gardening Tools

• Always remove all of the soil from your digging tools after each use. Usually hosing is all it takes, but uses a screwdriver to remove caked or dried mud.
• Never put your tools away wet. Allow them to dry completely before storing to prevent rusting and handle rot.
• Once each garden season, rub linseed oil into your wooden handles to help preserve them.   After each use wipe the metal parts of pruners, shears, and loppers with an oily rag.
• Alternately, you can wipe your tools dry with a clean rag, and then spray lightly with a penetrating oil such as WD40.  
• Sharpen your cutting tools as well as the blades of shovels and spades during the gardening season. A hone or whetstone should be used for sharpening cutting tools.
• A file should be used to remove nicks and smooth the edge of your shovels and trowels.
• Thoroughly clean any tools which have been used for chemical applications.
• Fertilizers and other chemicals will rapidly corrode any metal parts.  For extra rust prevention, fill a 5 gallon bucket with builder’s sand and pour a quart of new motor oil over it. Use this as a shovel cleaner/oiler each time you put your tools away.
• Plunge each tool in and out the oily sand several times after use. You can also use this bucket as a shovel stand.