First shed/potting shed! What do I need to think about?

[WellTidy]

I’ve recently started taking a real interest in my garden. I have lots of shrubs and hardy perennials, but everything I’ve bought over the last few years has already been established. I’ve decided to buy a potting shed so that I can grow perennials and annuals from cuttings and seed - I don’t have many windowsills so haven’t been able to do this so far so it will all be new.

So tell me. What am I supposed to look for in a potting shed please? What type of staging would be useful, and how much of it? What hooks, storage? What type of roof or finish? I am assuming a window that opens would be good as would a stable door. The images I’ve found of potting sheds online are very Instagram type photos, and whilst that would be very nice indeed, I want a shed that works well for me.

And how much space should I allow for paving around it? Will I need space outside for hardening off or racks or something along those lines?

I’ve been pausing the tv when Monty is in his potting to work out what he has and the camera work is too close up for me to work it out.

Why are you going for a potting shed rather than a greenhouse?

Ah, because I already have a shed (here when we moved in) that is falling apart. Massive holes in roof and side at ground level. I need to put the things that are already in the shed - kids garden toys, some tools - into the new potting shed and I don’t want to buy both a shed and a greenhouse. And probably don’t have enough space for each.

Have a look at the sheds that have a large sloping window at the front. Inside they have a built in bench for your seedings. I had one in a previous garden where there was no space for a greenhouse.

This sort of shed

Oops no photo

You'll only be able to grow stuff in a small area right beside the window.

A potting shed is used for sowing seeds , pricking out plants, taking cuttings.. then you put them out in a greenhouse or cold frame with lots of light. Other wise, its for lurking in and cogitating.

Get yourself a chair, a mug and a seed catalogue, then you can sit in your potting shed thinking about stuff.

This is mine on my allotment. It's 6ft by 10ft. Staging across the whole front, lots of storage space underneath. Back wall is all wood but two windows on the side as well.
It's very light and gets hot so need shading in the summer.
I've put shelves up along the back but plenty of room for tools and a chair for when it's raining.
I have guttering along the back wall which feeds into a large water tank at the side.
Gnomes have their winter home in there.🙂
Not cheap but I see it as an investment
I love it.

This is mine on my allotment. It's 6ft by 10ft. Staging across the whole front, lots of storage space underneath. Back wall is all wood but two windows on the side as well.
It's very light and gets hot so need shading in the summer.
I've put shelves up along the back but plenty of room for tools and a chair for when it's raining.
I have guttering along the back wall which feeds into a large water tank at the side.
Gnomes have their winter home in there

Hmm not sure why that posted twice

@2bazookas ok! So after I’ve taken my cuttings, or grown my little plants from seed, where will they go if I don’t have a greenhouse? Will they be able to go straight from the potting shed into the ground, or won’t that be possible? (sorry for the basic question.) I don’t have space for a greenhouse as well unfortunately but it would be silly for me to buy a potting shed if that’s the wrong thing to buy.

I love the look of yours @Ted27 and that’s exactly what I had in mind. Not sure if I can fit one as big as that though. The info is very useful too. When you say you need shading, what do you have please?

Yes Ted27 that’s the hut that my failed photo would show, some have angled windows to allow more light in.

seedlings and cuttings need a lot of light; even more so than warmth. You could maybe manage with a shed if you got growlights and propagators, but then you’d need power to the shed too.

I use a net/mesh - its sold as green house shading. Its a very open mesh so it still let's lot of light in.
In the summer I just pin it to window frame and roll it up or down as its needed. My shed gets a lot of sun on that window -its gets very hot even with the windows open so the shading is needed in the summer.
Depending on how hardy the plant is, weather, time of year, I'll plant some things straight out into the beds. Others I will harden off - either in a cold frame where you can lift the lid up, or by putting them out in the day and bringing them in at night.
Seed packets are surprising informative about when and where to sow, plant out and harvest.
One of the most helpful things I've learnt since I had my shed is succession planting. It just means that you plant seeds a few weeks apart do they flower/fruit in succession so reduce gluts and get more of a steady supply.

This type of shed is quite common and come in a range of sizes. My son has a bigger one in the garden which is now a mini gym/den - sleeps 4 teenagers 😆

Thank you @Ted27

Is there general advice that if I don’t have a cold frame or a greenhouse, a potting shed isn’t worth having?

I don’t have any power to the shed,unfortunately

I don’t think so. As Ted says, you can harden off without a cold frame, and it’s an improvement on growing on windowsills because the temperature discrepancy is not so large.

You need a shed, a potting shed gives you an added extra in terms of growing space.

Downside is you’ll need to keep stuff tidier because you’ll be able to see it through the windows

Do you have a Wilkinsons near you? They have a great gardening dept. Big range of greenhouses, sizes and shapes.
They are quire cheap. It might be worth having a look and experimenting with a couple of cheaper things before commiting to a permanent and more expensive shed.
I'm investing in a proper greenhouse this year but I've had a cheap(ish) polytunnel there for a couple of years so I know with a few tweaks it's in the right place

Could you fit in a mini greenhouse somewhere sunny? Aldi do a great little wooden one which would do for getting sufficient light to seedlings. Or a plastic zipped one?

A potting shed is more for having somewhere out of the weather to do gardening jobs. You could grow things in the windows if it's sunny, but it'll get really hot in there in full sun without the door open so a bit risky.

So this is marketed as a greenhouse (but to me, is a potting shed). Would this be suitable do you think for me to grow from seed and cuttings and then be able to plant straight into the beds? I am trying to buy something that looks good, has enough space to work in, but I don’t have space for a shed and a greenhouse. I don’t want to grow masses of things, just a bit of interest, and stop quite spending so much on plants!

thats a lovely shed/greenhouse - out of my price range sadly.

I think its a good multi purpose option. Loads of light so you will be able to grow from seeds.

With the roof windows it will get very hot so you will to ventilate properly and use shading

I wouldn't say that had much storage space for bikes and stuff. The other problem with stuff stored in a bright area is that anything lot's of things will discolour and anything plastic will fall apart in the end.

Depending on space you can get half shed, half greenhouse.
https://www.summergardenbuildings.co.uk/products/garden-sheds/wooden-sheds-10105299.html?rc=00101&gclid=Cj0KCQjw27mhBhC9ARIsAIFsETHC9OlIZGUuDT5yVrrfwRkzieW8pNE6yrpGAL_FQYBU-M2rwXTWAEYaAi0qEALw_wcB

I have a plastic coldframe I use then put away each year as no room for a greenhouse. You break it up into bits.